Ehud

Ehud (meaning he that praises) was the second major judge of Israel, raised up by God to deliver Israel from eighteen years of oppression under Eglon king of Moab (Judges 3:15–30). He was the son of Gera, a Benjaminite, and notably left-handed — an unusual characteristic that became central to the deliverance narrative. Sent to bring tribute to Eglon, Ehud concealed a cubit-long double-edged dagger on his right thigh (where a left-handed man would not normally be expected to carry a weapon), gained a private audience with the king on the pretext of a secret message from God, and killed him.

After the assassination, Ehud escaped before the body was discovered, summoned the Israelites, seized the Jordan fords, and led a victory against Moab in which ten thousand men were killed. Following Ehud's judgeship, the land had peace for eighty years (Judges 3:30). A second Ehud appears in 1 Chronicles 7:10 as a great-grandson of Benjamin. Ehud is listed in Judges among the judges who were raised up as deliverers, demonstrating that God works through morally complex means and unlikely instruments to preserve his covenant people.