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H334 · Hebrew · Old Testament
אִטֵּר
itter
Adjective
left-handed; restricted

Definition

From an unused root meaning to shut or close off. Itter literally means bound, shut up, or restricted in the right hand, and is used to describe individuals who were left-handed or ambidextrous. The term appears in Judges to describe select Benjaminite warriors — men who were left-handed or possibly ambidextrous slingers of exceptional skill.

Usage & Theological Significance

The term itter reveals something fascinating about God's providential use of apparent limitations. In Judges 3:15, God raises up Ehud ben-Gera as a deliverer for Israel — and his being left-handed was the very thing that caught Eglon's guards off guard, as swords were typically worn on the left hip. God uses the restricted to liberate. This same pattern appears in Judges 20:16 where 700 left-handed Benjaminites could each sling a stone at a hair's breadth without missing. What appears to be limitation becomes lethal precision in God's hand. The theology here is one of divine irony and sovereign reversal — the shut hand becomes the open hand of deliverance.

Key Bible Verses

Judges 3:15 Again the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and he gave them a deliverer — Ehud, a man who was left-handed, the son of Gera the Benjaminite.
Judges 20:16 Among all these soldiers there were 700 chosen men who were left-handed, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.
1 Chronicles 12:2 They were armed with bows and were able to shoot arrows or to sling stones right-handed or left-handed; they were Saul's relatives from the tribe of Benjamin.
Judges 3:21 Ehud reached with his left hand, drew the sword from his right thigh and plunged it into the king's belly.
Judges 3:30 That day Moab was made subject to Israel, and the land had peace for eighty years.

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