# Ehud the Left Handed



## Scott

Does anyone see any significance to the fact the Ehud the judge was lefthanded? It is mentioned twice in Judges 3. Thanks


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## VirginiaHuguenot

I don't know of any theological significance to the fact that Ehud was left-handed. I think the account of what he did is given in amazing, almost excruciating detail and this is one of those details that complete the story.


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## Scott Bushey

http://www.anythingleft-handed.co.uk/lefty_myths.html

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/1684/lefthand.html


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## blhowes

I wouldn't consider this to be theologically significant, but being lefthanded helped him to gain the victory over Moabite King. When he reached for the dagger with his left hand to his right thigh, the king didn't suspect anything.


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## Puritan Sailor

It gives me comfort being a lefty myself, that God has a place for us too 

[Edited on 11-1-2005 by puritansailor]


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## Scott

This is interesting (from Scott B's link).



> Christianity is strongly based towards the right hand. It is the right had that gives the blessing and make the sign of the cross. I have noticed that the "right hand" is given prominence but have not noticed anything about the left hand.
> 
> On one count, the bible contains over 100 favourable reference to the right-hand and 25 unfavourable references to the left-hand. E.g.: The right hand of the lord doeth valiantly, the right hand of the lord is exalted (Psalm 118 vv15,16)
> 
> The left hand does worst in the parable of the sheep and goats. The sheep are set on Christ's right hand and the goats on the left. Those on the right inherit the kingdom of god while those on the let depart into everlasting fire.
> 
> The situation is much the same in Judaism and Islam. In Islam, the left hand and everything associated with it is seen as unclean. This stems from the Middle Eastern custom of using the left-hand and water instead of toilet paper.


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## Scott Bushey

Mat 5:39 but I say to you, Do not resist the evil; but whoever strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other to him also. 

Same thing here. To be slapped on the right cheek, would warrant the (dirty) left hand was used.....


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## Scott

There may be a variety of reasons why the left hand is mentioned. Matthew Henry and a others suggest that one reason is that it was easier to hide the sword there.

Whether that is right or wrong, I suspect that there is a typological reason as well. Given the prominence of the right hand in the Bible (eg. "The right hand of the lord doeth valiantly, the right hand of the lord is exalted" (Psalm 118 vv15,16)), which indicates strength, perhaps the left hand indicates weakness (or at least not possessing the strength of the right hand). Given that Ehud is a type of Christ and Eglon a type of the Devil, perhaps the emphasis on the left hand indicates that the Devil would be destroyed through weakness. Christ empited Himself of glory and took on human weakness. The death on the cross was certainly a weakness. Yet, it was also what destroyed the Devil. 

A number of commentators (including Matthew Henry) have mentioned that "Benjamin," Ehud's tribe, means the "son of the right hand." This could be a veiled type of God the Father, whose right hand is mighty. 

Anyway, just thinking aloud.


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## Puritan Sailor

Also, all the men mentoined in Scripture as left-handed are from Benjamin.

[Edited on 12-1-2005 by puritansailor]


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## turmeric

which means "son of my right hand". Hmmm!


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## LadyFlynt

> _Originally posted by puritansailor_
> It gives me comfort being a lefty myself, that God has a place for us too
> 
> [Edited on 11-1-2005 by puritansailor]



Yes, we lefties are the blessed ones....


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## sailorswife

I was once told that the guards would not have checked his left thigh for a weapon since it unusual to be left handed and therefore unlikley to have a weapon on the left side.


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## LawrenceU

Has anyone besides Patrick, and Colleen ever noticed that the world is designed for right-handedness. Where do you put in your car keys? (Except of old Fords. Henry Ford was a southpaw!) What direction is English and most other directions scribed?

Did you know there is fairly good evidence that most Semitic cultures were predominantly left handed initially?

As to significance in Ehud's being a Southpaw. I believe it shows God Sovereignty in detail. 

Let's here it for the 'sinister ones'!!


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## Puritan Sailor

I noticed and adapted. I write left-handed, but do pretty much everything else right-handed.


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## blhowes

> _Originally posted by LawrenceU_
> Has anyone besides Patrick, and Colleen ever noticed that the world is designed for right-handedness. Where do you put in your car keys? (Except of old Fords. Henry Ford was a southpaw!)


I never thought about that. I had always thought the car was designed for leftys. When I park the car on a hill and the car starts rolling, you'd expect the emergency brake to be on the right side. But, no, you have to fish around on the left side.

And why'd they put the turn signal on the left? Do you know how many near-accidents I've had 'cause I had to take my right hand off the wheel to move the left-handed turn signal lever? 

And what about the roads. I've noticed in Massachusetts anyway that, when a road narrows, the sign always says "Right Lane Ends. Merge Left". It doesn't seem fair. The left side just drives along, business as usual. The right hand side has to almost ask permission to merge into their lane.


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## VirginiaHuguenot

Maybe the UK and Australia are pro-lefty as far as cars and driving? I dunno...


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## blhowes

I was concerned for a while about my youngest child. For the longest time, when we'd go out back to play basketball, he kept dribbling the ball with his left hand. Luckily, he outgrew that and now dribbles normally.


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## LadyFlynt

> _Originally posted by blhowes_
> I was concerned for a while about my youngest child. For the longest time, when we'd go out back to play basketball, he kept dribbling the ball with his left hand. Luckily, he outgrew that and now dribbles normally.



NORMAL?! Excuse me...WE are the ones in our right mind! Not only that but don't you realize that we are closer to perfection...lefties are most likely to be amadexterous...we can use BOTH hands.

I write with my left...everything else can be done either right or amadexterously.


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## LadyFlynt

oh, and yes...I used to get terrible marks on my hand and wrist from writing on spiral notebooks. In younger grades they finally came out with fliptop spirals and in jr high they finally came out with neat tear, no spiral notebooks...by then I was always starting my notebooks from back to front anyhow. Also I couldn't stand writing left to right, especially with those (gag) erasable pens...my whole page was always smeared and looked horrible. My way around this is I turn a page totally on it's side (lines verticle) and I could write from bottom to top (neat and small...drove teachers nuts!)


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## blhowes

> _Originally posted by LadyFlynt_
> NORMAL?! Excuse me...


Sorry about that. Grammar was never my best subject. I thought it was an adverb, but I stand corrected...

_Luckily, he outgrew that and now dribbles *normal*_

Is that better?


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## LadyFlynt

so dribbling with left hand is not normal? lol


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## blhowes

> _Originally posted by LadyFlynt_
> so dribbling with left hand is not normal? lol


Great. I'm glad we agree.


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## LadyFlynt

yes, but how well can you switch hands?


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## blhowes

> _Originally posted by LadyFlynt_
> yes, but how well can you switch hands?


Don't know...the right hand works so well I've never given it a thought.


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## Puritan Sailor

> _Originally posted by LadyFlynt_
> oh, and yes...I used to get terrible marks on my hand and wrist from writing on spiral notebooks. In younger grades they finally came out with fliptop spirals and in jr high they finally came out with neat tear, no spiral notebooks...by then I was always starting my notebooks from back to front anyhow. Also I couldn't stand writing left to right, especially with those (gag) erasable pens...my whole page was always smeared and looked horrible. My way around this is I turn a page totally on it's side (lines verticle) and I could write from bottom to top (neat and small...drove teachers nuts!)



Ah yes. I can remember days where the side of my hand was completely gray and shiny from the pencil lead. I never bothered to try switching the paper position. I was jsut used to it. Suppose I could give it a try after 28 years.


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## fredtgreco

> _Originally posted by puritansailor_
> 
> 
> 
> _Originally posted by LadyFlynt_
> oh, and yes...I used to get terrible marks on my hand and wrist from writing on spiral notebooks. In younger grades they finally came out with fliptop spirals and in jr high they finally came out with neat tear, no spiral notebooks...by then I was always starting my notebooks from back to front anyhow. Also I couldn't stand writing left to right, especially with those (gag) erasable pens...my whole page was always smeared and looked horrible. My way around this is I turn a page totally on it's side (lines verticle) and I could write from bottom to top (neat and small...drove teachers nuts!)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ah yes. I can remember days where the side of my hand was completely gray and shiny from the pencil lead. I never bothered to try switching the paper position. I was jsut used to it. Suppose I could give it a try after 28 years.
Click to expand...


Then you shoudl really enjoy Hebrew!!


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## LadyFlynt

> _Originally posted by puritansailor_
> the side of my hand was completely gray and shiny from the pencil lead



You aren't kidding!


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## Puritan Sailor

> _Originally posted by fredtgreco_
> 
> 
> 
> _Originally posted by puritansailor_
> 
> 
> 
> _Originally posted by LadyFlynt_
> oh, and yes...I used to get terrible marks on my hand and wrist from writing on spiral notebooks. In younger grades they finally came out with fliptop spirals and in jr high they finally came out with neat tear, no spiral notebooks...by then I was always starting my notebooks from back to front anyhow. Also I couldn't stand writing left to right, especially with those (gag) erasable pens...my whole page was always smeared and looked horrible. My way around this is I turn a page totally on it's side (lines verticle) and I could write from bottom to top (neat and small...drove teachers nuts!)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ah yes. I can remember days where the side of my hand was completely gray and shiny from the pencil lead. I never bothered to try switching the paper position. I was jsut used to it. Suppose I could give it a try after 28 years.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Then you shoudl really enjoy Hebrew!!
Click to expand...


Hay yah! That's true. Maybe the Jewish scribes were left handed too??? Why else would they write backwards?


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## LadyFlynt

> _Originally posted by puritansailor_
> 
> 
> 
> _Originally posted by fredtgreco_
> 
> 
> 
> _Originally posted by puritansailor_
> 
> 
> 
> _Originally posted by LadyFlynt_
> oh, and yes...I used to get terrible marks on my hand and wrist from writing on spiral notebooks. In younger grades they finally came out with fliptop spirals and in jr high they finally came out with neat tear, no spiral notebooks...by then I was always starting my notebooks from back to front anyhow. Also I couldn't stand writing left to right, especially with those (gag) erasable pens...my whole page was always smeared and looked horrible. My way around this is I turn a page totally on it's side (lines verticle) and I could write from bottom to top (neat and small...drove teachers nuts!)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ah yes. I can remember days where the side of my hand was completely gray and shiny from the pencil lead. I never bothered to try switching the paper position. I was jsut used to it. Suppose I could give it a try after 28 years.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Then you shoudl really enjoy Hebrew!!
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Hay yah! That's true. Maybe the Jewish scribes were left handed too??? Why else would they write backwards?
Click to expand...


Because they were intelligent and blessed of course!


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## LawrenceU

The right to left of Semitic languages is one reason that many think the area was lefty dominant in the past.

Bob, I'm shocked that you don't know why the turn signal is on the left!! Surely you are old enough to remember that the much more frequently used shift lever was on the right side of the column. The much more frequently used accelerator is on the right as well.


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## blhowes

> _Originally posted by LawrenceU_
> Bob, I'm shocked that you don't know why the turn signal is on the left!! Surely you are old enough to remember that the much more frequently used shift lever was on the right side of the column. The much more frequently used accelerator is on the right as well.


Ah, yes, its all coming back to me now. My 1965 Rambler was a three-speed on the column, and what a car that was. Talk about a power house! 0 to 60 in two minutes (if the wind was behind me and I was going down hill).

I knew there had to be a reason for putting the turn signal over there. Thanks for reminding me.


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## LadyFlynt

> _Originally posted by LawrenceU_
> The right to left of Semitic languages is one reason that many think the area was lefty dominant in the past.
> 
> Bob, I'm shocked that you don't know why the turn signal is on the left!! Surely you are old enough to remember that the much more frequently used shift lever was on the right side of the column. The much more frequently used accelerator is on the right as well.



Do you have any links to online articles on this subject?


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## JohnStevenson

Back to the original question. The story of Ehud takes place in a day when the right hand was used for eating while the left hand was used for other things (in an age that had not yet invented toilet paper). Thus a person who was left-handed was not generally invited to dinner.


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## LadyFlynt

Thus he was smart enough to keep the fact to himself, which would have been simple to do, given that lefties (as stated above) are fairly amadexterous and out of neccessity conform manually in each situation. But the ability of the left hand never falters, instead it is shared with the right. Therefore he would not be noticeably be left handed except perhaps to those closest to him...and as he proves, his "disability" became his country's "secret weapon" (for lack of a better phrase at the moment as I am inhaling a baby covered in nail polish and sitting on my lap...need to go buy some remover)


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## Scott

I am writing some extended notes on how Ehud is a type of Christ. Here is an excerpt with where I came down on the left-handed detail.

ï‚§ Vss 15. 15 Again the Israelites cried out to the LORD , and he gave them a deliverer-Ehud, a left-handed man, the son of Gera the Benjamite. The Israelites sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab.

The passage mentions a father / son relation. Ehud, the savior of the story, symbolizes Christ, who is the Son of God. The father / son relation is important because it emphasizes the distinct persons of the Trinity. The first person of the Trinity is the Father. The Second is the Son. The Son´s role in the Covenant of Grace is to redeem or save a people by defeating the enemy, Satan. 

Ehud´s father is "œGera the Benjamite." Benjamin means "œSon of the Right Hand." The right hand is portrayed prominently in the Bible as a source of strength and is often associated particularly with God´s strength. For example, Psalm 118:15-16 reads: "The right hand of the lord doeth valiantly, the right hand of the lord is exalted." See also Ps. 80:17; Ps. 44:3. Gera may represent God the Father. 

Ehud is not right-handed. He is left handed, a fact that is emphasized twice in the story. For most people, the left hand does not possess this strength. In the Bible it can (though, not always) represent weakness or imperfection. The emphasis on the left hand in the story of Ehud is a clue that the Devil would be destroyed through weakness, through the left hand.

Human expectations would naturally lead us to think that the power of God would directly reach out and smite the Devil. As the Psalm would say, the right hand of God would destroy His Enemy. A right handed man would certainly use his right hand to fight and enemy. Yet, the Devil was destroyed through weakness. This is a surprise, like right-handed man fighting a mortal battle using his left hand. 

Christ defeated the Devil through His weakness. Paul wrote: "œFor to be sure, [Christ] was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God's power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God's power we will live with him to serve you." 2 Cor. 13:4. Yet, it was through this weakness that Christ destroyed the Devil.


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