person · P0059 · bible
Ehud ben Gera אהוד בן גרא
Ehud ben Gera is the Benjaminite deliverer who ends Moabite domination. The narrative emphasizes his left-handedness, his concealed short sword, and a carefully planned private encounter with King Eglon. His victory leads to Israelite control of the Jordan crossings and an unusually long period of rest.
Who
- Hebrew
- אהוד בן גרא
- Also known as
- Ehud son of Gera
- Era
- bible
When
- Traditional
- c. 2550–2680 AM, in the Judges period
- Civil (computed)
- 2550–2680 AM · 1211–1081 BCE (trad.)
- Lifespan (traditional)
- ≈130 years
- Precision
- approximate
How do we know
| Claim | Evidence | Confidence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ehud is introduced as a Benjaminite, "a man restricted in his right hand," whom Israel sent with tribute to King Eglon of Moab.
Directly stated in the cited source. |
biblical | ★★★★★ | |
| Ehud made a two-edged sword, concealed it on his right thigh, gained a private audience with Eglon, and killed him.
Directly stated in the cited source. |
biblical | ★★★★★ | |
| After escaping, Ehud sounded the shofar in the hill country of Ephraim, rallied Israel, and seized the Jordan fords against the Moabites.
Directly stated in the cited source. |
biblical | ★★★★★ | |
| The narrative credits Ehud's victory with subduing Moab and says the land rested for eighty years.
Directly stated in the cited source. |
biblical | ★★★★★ | |
| The traditional placement c. 2550–2680 AM, in the Judges period is a schematic Mesorah Atlas reconstruction from his place after Otniel in the Judges sequence and the stated eighty-year rest after his victory; the cited sources do not state an absolute AM range.
The cited sources establish relative chronology or regnal duration; they do not state the absolute AM range.
|
tradition reconstruction | ★☆☆☆☆ |