The Meaning of Judges 3:27 Explained

Judges 3:27

KJV: And it came to pass, when he was come, that he blew a trumpet in the mountain of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the mount, and he before them.

YLT: And it cometh to pass, in his coming in, that he bloweth with a trumpet in the hill-country of Ephraim, and go down with him do the sons of Israel from the hill-country, and he before them;

Darby: When he arrived, he sounded the trumpet in the hill country of E'phraim; and the people of Israel went down with him from the hill country, having him at their head.

ASV: And it came to pass, when he was come, that he blew a trumpet in the hill-country of Ephraim; and the children of Israel went down with him from the hill-country, and he before them.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And it came to pass, when he was come,  that he blew  a trumpet  in the mountain  of Ephraim,  and the children  of Israel  went down  with him from the mount,  and he before  them. 

What does Judges 3:27 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 3:27 mean?

And it came to pass when he arrived that he blew the trumpet in the mountains of Ephraim and went down with him the sons of Israel from the mountains and he [was] before them
וַיְהִ֣י בְּבוֹא֔וֹ וַיִּתְקַ֥ע בַּשּׁוֹפָ֖ר בְּהַ֣ר אֶפְרָ֑יִם וַיֵּרְד֨וּ עִמּ֧וֹ בְנֵֽי־ יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל מִן־ הָהָ֖ר וְה֥וּא לִפְנֵיהֶֽם

וַיְהִ֣י  And  it  came  to  pass 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
בְּבוֹא֔וֹ  when  he  arrived 
Parse: Preposition-b, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
וַיִּתְקַ֥ע  that  he  blew 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: תֹּוקְעִים 
Sense: to blow, clap, strike, sound, thrust, give a blow, blast.
בַּשּׁוֹפָ֖ר  the  trumpet 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: שֹׁופָר  
Sense: horn, ram’s horn.
בְּהַ֣ר  in  the  mountains 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: הַר  
Sense: hill, mountain, hill country, mount.
אֶפְרָ֑יִם  of  Ephraim 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֶפְרַיִם  
Sense: second son of Joseph, blessed by him and given preference over first son, Manasseh.
וַיֵּרְד֨וּ  and  went  down 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: יָרַד  
Sense: to go down, descend, decline, march down, sink down.
עִמּ֧וֹ  with  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: עִם  
Sense: with.
בְנֵֽי־  the  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
הָהָ֖ר  the  mountains 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: הַר  
Sense: hill, mountain, hill country, mount.
וְה֥וּא  and  he  [was] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, third person masculine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
לִפְנֵיהֶֽם  before  them 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.