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H261 · Hebrew · Old Testament
אֵחוּד
Echud
Proper noun, masculine
Ehud (united / strong)

Definition

The Hebrew proper name Echud (אֵחוּד) likely means "united" or "strong", related to the root echad (one, united, H259). Ehud was the second judge of Israel, a Benjaminite who delivered Israel from eighteen years of Moabite oppression under King Eglon.

Usage & Theological Significance

Ehud's story (Judges 3:15–30) is one of Scripture's most unexpected accounts of deliverance. He was left-handeditter yad yemino ("bound/restricted in his right hand") — an ironic detail since "Benjamin" means "son of the right hand." His left-handedness allowed him to conceal a short double-edged sword on his right thigh, undetected by Eglon's guards. After delivering Israel's tribute, he returned alone with the message: "I have a secret message for you, O king." The rest is a darkly comic tale of liberation. God uses the unexpected, the overlooked, and the "wrong hand" to accomplish His purposes — no human limitation disqualifies someone from being used by God.

Key Bible Verses

Judges 3:15 Again the Israelites cried out to the LORD, and he gave them a deliverer — Ehud, a left-handed man, the son of Gera the Benjaminite.
Judges 3:20 Ehud then approached him while he was sitting alone in the upper room of his palace and said, 'I have a message from God for you.'
Judges 3:28 'Follow me,' he ordered, 'for the LORD has given Moab, your enemy, into your hands.'
Judges 3:30 That day Moab was made subject to Israel, and the land had peace for eighty years.
1 Chronicles 8:6 These were the descendants of Ehud, who were heads of families of those living in Geba and were deported to Manahath.

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