The Meaning of Judges 3:20 Explained

Judges 3:20

KJV: And Ehud came unto him; and he was sitting in a summer parlour, which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto thee. And he arose out of his seat.

YLT: And Ehud hath come unto him, and he is sitting in the upper chamber of the wall which he hath for himself, and Ehud saith, 'A word of God I have unto thee;' and he riseth from off the throne;

Darby: And Ehud came to him, as he was sitting alone in his cool roof chamber. And Ehud said, "I have a message from God for you." And he arose from his seat.

ASV: And Ehud came unto him; and he was sitting by himself alone in the cool upper room. And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto thee. And he arose out of his seat.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And Ehud  came  unto him; and he was sitting  in a summer  parlour,  which he had for himself alone. And Ehud  said,  I have a message  from God  unto thee. And he arose  out of [his] seat. 

What does Judges 3:20 Mean?

Context Summary

Judges 3:15-31 - The "message From God"
The sword is usually worn at the left hand, and Ehud escaped suspicion because his was girded under his raiment on his right thigh. Eglon was also the more ready to listen to him and give a secret audience, because he had just received a tribute from Ehud's hand. It was a terrible deed of vengeance, which must not be judged by our ethical standards. But can we not understand how the hatred of a downtrodden and high-spirited race would express itself in just this manner?
That dagger, thrust in up to the hilt, was indeed a message from God, for it ended Eglon's life and summoned his soul to stand at the bar of divine judgment. A supreme tragedy cannot befall except by the divine permission. Though God's silent permission of evil cannot be construed as acquiescence, yet the results of an evil deed may be wrought into the scheme of His providence, as in the case of Genesis 50:20-21 and Acts 2:23. It is our frequent experience to have thrusts made at us; let us ask if they may not be messages from God! There is no chance in life. [source]

Chapter Summary: Judges 3

1  The nations which were left to prove Israel
5  By communion with them they commit idolatry
8  Othniel delivered them from Chushan-Rishathaim
12  Ehud from Eglon
31  and Shamgar from the Philistines

What do the individual words in Judges 3:20 mean?

And Ehud came to him and he was sitting in upstairs chamber cool that his private And said Ehud a message from God I have for you so he arose from [his] seat
וְאֵה֣וּד ׀ בָּ֣א אֵלָ֗יו וְהֽוּא־ יֹ֠שֵׁב בַּעֲלִיַּ֨ת הַמְּקֵרָ֤ה אֲשֶׁר־ לוֹ֙ לְבַדּ֔וֹ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵה֔וּד דְּבַר־ אֱלֹהִ֥ים לִ֖י אֵלֶ֑יךָ וַיָּ֖קָם מֵעַ֥ל הַכִּסֵּֽא

וְאֵה֣וּד ׀  And  Ehud 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֵהוּד  
Sense: Benjamite judge of Israel, deliverer of Israel from Moab.
בָּ֣א  came 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
אֵלָ֗יו  to  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
וְהֽוּא־  and  he 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, third person masculine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
יֹ֠שֵׁב  was  sitting 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.
בַּעֲלִיַּ֨ת  in  upstairs  chamber 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: עֲלִיָּה  
Sense: roof-room, roof chamber.
הַמְּקֵרָ֤ה  cool 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: מְקֵרָה  
Sense: coolness, cooling.
אֲשֶׁר־  that 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
לוֹ֙  his 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
לְבַדּ֔וֹ  private 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: בַּד 
Sense: alone, by itself, besides, a part, separation, being alone.
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר  And  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אֵה֔וּד  Ehud 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֵהוּד  
Sense: Benjamite judge of Israel, deliverer of Israel from Moab.
דְּבַר־  a  message 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.
אֱלֹהִ֥ים  from  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
לִ֖י  I  have 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
אֵלֶ֑יךָ  for  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
וַיָּ֖קָם  so  he  arose 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: קוּם 
Sense: to rise, arise, stand, rise up, stand up.
הַכִּסֵּֽא  [his]  seat 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: כִּסֵּא 
Sense: seat (of honour), throne, seat, stool.