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Tuesday, July 8th, 2025
the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
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Good News Translation

Judges 3:24

and left. The servants came and saw that the doors were locked, but they only thought that the king was inside, relieving himself.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Deception;   Eglon;   Gilgal;   Hypocrisy;   Israel;   Judge;   Lock;   Summer;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Abishua;   Eglon;   Ehud;   Moabites;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Moab;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Ehud;   Lock;   Moabite;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Amalekites;   Bela;   David;   Eglon;   Ehud;   Moab;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Arms and Armor;   Chamber;   Gestures;   Government;   Judges, Book of;   Lock;   Moab and the Moabite Stone;   Parlour;   Quarry;   Tribes of Israel, the;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ehud;   Greek Versions of Ot;   Judah;   Judges (1);   Levi;   Moab, Moabites;   Quarry;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Closet ;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Ehud ;   Locks;   Moab, Moabites ;   Parlour;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Feet;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Ehud;   Mesopotamia;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Mo'ab;   Parlor,;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Reign of the Judges;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Banquet;   Judges, Book of:;   Male;   Parlor;   Summer;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Ehud;   Euphemism;   Joshua, Book of;   Moab;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Ehud was gone when Eglon’s servants came in. They looked and found the doors of the upstairs room locked and thought he was relieving himself in the cool room.
Hebrew Names Version
Now when he was gone out, his servants came; and they saw, and, behold, the doors of the upper room were locked; and they said, Surely he is covering his feet in the upper chamber.
King James Version
When he was gone out, his servants came; and when they saw that, behold, the doors of the parlour were locked, they said, Surely he covereth his feet in his summer chamber.
Lexham English Bible
After he left, his servants returned. When they saw that the doors of the upper room were locked, they thought, "Surely he is relieving himself in the cool inner room."
English Standard Version
When he had gone, the servants came, and when they saw that the doors of the roof chamber were locked, they thought, "Surely he is relieving himself in the closet of the cool chamber."
New Century Version
When the servants returned just after Ehud left, they found the doors to the room locked. So they thought the king was relieving himself.
New English Translation
When Ehud had left, Eglon's servants came and saw the locked doors of the upper room. They said, "He must be relieving himself in the well-ventilated inner room."
Amplified Bible
When Ehud departed, Eglon's servants came. And when they saw that the doors of the upper room were locked, they said, "He is only relieving himself in the cool room."
New American Standard Bible
When he had left, the king's servants came and looked, and behold, the doors of the roof chamber were locked; and they said, "Undoubtedly he is relieving himself in the cool room."
Geneva Bible (1587)
And when he was gone out, his seruantes came: who seeing that the doores of the parler were locked, they sayd, Surely he doeth his easement in his sommer chamber.
Legacy Standard Bible
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy,
Contemporary English Version
and left. When the king's officials came back and saw that the doors were locked, they said, "The king is probably inside relieving himself."
Complete Jewish Bible
After Ehud had left, the king's servants came. Seeing that the doors of the upper room were locked, they said, "He must be relieving himself in the inner part of the cool room."
Darby Translation
And when he was gone out, the servants of the [king] came and saw, and behold, the doors of the upper-chamber were bolted. And they said, Surely he is covering his feet in the summer chamber.
Easy-to-Read Version
Ehud then left the main room, and the servants went back in. The servants found the doors to the upper room locked, so they said, "The king must be relieving himself in his private toilet."
George Lamsa Translation
When he had gone out, the kings servants came in; and when they saw that the doors of the upper chamber were locked, they said, Perhaps he has gone to the toilet in the closet of the upper chamber.
Literal Translation
And when he had gone out, his servants came. And they looked, and, behold, the doors of the roof room were locked. And they said, Surely he is covering his feet in the cool roof room.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Now whan he was gone, his seruauntes came in, and sawe that the dore of the Sommer perler was lockte, and they sayde: peraduenture he is gone to the preuye in the syled Sommer perler.
American Standard Version
Now when he was gone out, his servants came; and they saw, and, behold, the doors of the upper room were locked; and they said, Surely he is covering his feet in the upper chamber.
Bible in Basic English
Now when he had gone, the king's servants came, and saw that the doors of the summer-house were locked; and they said, It may be that he is in his summer-house for a private purpose.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
When he was gone out, his seruauntes came: And when they sawe that the doores of the parler were locked, they sayde, Suerly he couereth his feete in his sommer chamber.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Now when he was gone out, his servants came; and they saw, and, behold, the doors of the upper chamber were locked; and they said: 'Surely he is covering his feet in the cabinet of the cool chamber.'
King James Version (1611)
When he was gone out, his seruants came, and when they saw, that behold, the doores of the parlour were locked, they said, Surely he couereth his feet in his Summer chamber.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he went out: and Eglom’s servants came, and saw, and behold, the doors of the upper chamber were locked; and they said, Does he not uncover his feet in the summer-chamber?
English Revised Version
Now when he was gone out, his servants came; and they saw, and, behold, the doors of the parlour were locked; and they said, Surely he covereth his feet in his summer chamber.
Berean Standard Bible
After Ehud was gone, Eglon's servants came in and found the doors of the upstairs room locked. "He must be relieving himself in the cool room," they said.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Aioth yede out bi a posterne. And the `seruauntis of the king entriden, not in the parlour, but in the porche, and thei sien the doris of the parlour closid, and seiden, In hap he purgith the wombe in the somer parlour.
Young's Literal Translation
and he hath gone out, and his servants have come in, and look, and lo, the doors of the upper chamber are bolted, and they say, `He is only covering his feet in the inner chamber of the wall.'
Update Bible Version
Now when he had gone out, his slaves came; and they saw, and noticed that the doors of the upper room were locked; and they said, Surely he is relieving himself in the upper chamber.
Webster's Bible Translation
When he had gone out, his servants came; and when they saw that, behold, the doors of the parlor [were] locked, they said, Surely he covereth his feet in his summer-chamber.
World English Bible
Now when he was gone out, his servants came; and they saw, and, behold, the doors of the upper room were locked; and they said, Surely he is covering his feet in the upper chamber.
New King James Version
When he had gone out, Eglon's [fn] servants came to look, and to their surprise, the doors of the upper room were locked. So they said, "He is probably attending to his needs in the cool chamber."
New Living Translation
After Ehud was gone, the king's servants returned and found the doors to the upstairs room locked. They thought he might be using the latrine in the room,
New Life Bible
When Ehud had gone out, Eglon's servants came. They saw that the doors of the summer room were locked. So they said, "He is only resting in there away from the heat."
New Revised Standard
After he had gone, the servants came. When they saw that the doors of the roof chamber were locked, they thought, "He must be relieving himself in the cool chamber."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
When, he, had come out, his servants, went in, and looked, and lo! the doors of the parlour were bolted, - so they said, Surely he covereth his feet, in the summer chamber.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Went out by a postern door. And the king’s servants going in, saw the doors of the parlour shut, and they said: Perhaps he is easing nature in his summer parlour.
Revised Standard Version
When he had gone, the servants came; and when they saw that the doors of the roof chamber were locked, they thought, "He is only relieving himself in the closet of the cool chamber."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
When he had gone out, his servants came and looked, and behold, the doors of the roof chamber were locked; and they said, "He is only relieving himself in the cool room."

Contextual Overview

12 The people of Israel sinned against the Lord again. Because of this the Lord made King Eglon of Moab stronger than Israel. 13 Eglon joined the Ammonites and the Amalekites; they defeated Israel and captured Jericho, the city of palm trees. 14 The Israelites were subject to Eglon for eighteen years. 15 Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord , and he sent someone to free them. This was Ehud, a left-handed man, who was the son of Gera, from the tribe of Benjamin. The people of Israel sent Ehud to King Eglon of Moab with gifts for him. 16 Ehud had made himself a double-edged sword about a foot and a half long. He had it fastened on his right side under his clothes. 17 Then he took the gifts to Eglon, who was a very fat man. 18 When Ehud had given him the gifts, he told the men who had carried them to go back home. 19 But Ehud himself turned back at the carved stones near Gilgal, went back to Eglon, and said, "Your Majesty, I have a secret message for you." So the king ordered his servants, "Leave us alone!" And they all went out. 20 Then, as the king was sitting there alone in his cool room on the roof, Ehud went over to him and said, "I have a message from God for you." The king stood up. 21 With his left hand Ehud took the sword from his right side and plunged it into the king's belly.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

covereth: etc. or, doeth his easement, 1 Samuel 24:3

Cross-References

Genesis 3:2
"We may eat the fruit of any tree in the garden," the woman answered,
Genesis 3:8
That evening they heard the Lord God walking in the garden, and they hid from him among the trees.
Genesis 3:9
But the Lord God called out to the man, "Where are you?"
Genesis 3:16
And he said to the woman, "I will increase your trouble in pregnancy and your pain in giving birth. In spite of this, you will still have desire for your husband, yet you will be subject to him."
Genesis 3:17
And he said to the man, "You listened to your wife and ate the fruit which I told you not to eat. Because of what you have done, the ground will be under a curse. You will have to work hard all your life to make it produce enough food for you.
Genesis 3:18
It will produce weeds and thorns, and you will have to eat wild plants.
Genesis 3:22
Then the Lord God said, "Now these human beings have become like one of us and have knowledge of what is good and what is bad. They must not be allowed to take fruit from the tree that gives life, eat it, and live forever."
Exodus 25:2
"Tell the Israelites to make an offering to me. Receive whatever offerings anyone wishes to give.
Numbers 22:23
When the donkey saw the angel standing there holding a sword, it left the road and turned into the fields. Balaam beat the donkey and brought it back onto the road.
Joshua 5:13
While Joshua was near Jericho, he suddenly saw a man standing in front of him, holding a sword. Joshua went up to him and asked, "Are you one of our soldiers, or an enemy?"

Gill's Notes on the Bible

When he was gone out, his servants came,.... When Ehud was gone through the porch, and out of the palace, the servants of Eglon, who had been put out, came to the parlour door to reassume their former place, and finish their business with the king, or in order to wait upon him as usual:

and when they saw that behold the doors of the parlour [were] locked; which they supposed were done by the king himself with inside, having no suspicion of Ehud:

they said, surely, or "perhaps", as Noldius f renders it,

he covereth his feet in his summer chamber; that is, was easing nature; and, as the eastern people wore long and loose garments, when they sat down on such an occasion, their feet were covered with them; or they purposely gathered them about their feet to cover them, and so this became a modest expression for this work of nature, see 1 Samuel 24:3; though some think that in that place, and also in this, is meant lying down to sleep; and that Eglon's servants supposed that he had laid himself down on his couch in his summer chamber to take sleep, when it was usual to cover the feet with long garments, to hide those parts of nature which otherwise might be exposed; and it must be owned that this seems more agreeable to a summer parlour than the former, and better accounts for the servants waiting so long as they did; and Josephus g is express for it, that his servants thought he had fallen asleep. Indeed, the Jews in later times used the phrase in the first sense h, which seems to be taken from hence.

f Ebr. Concord. part. p. 47. No. 237. g Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 5. c. 4. sect. 2.) h Misn. Yoma, c. 3. sect. 2.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

He covereth his feet - Compare the marginal references. The explanation of the phrase as “taking sleep” suits both passages best.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Judges 3:24. He covereth his feet — He has lain down on his sofa in order to sleep; when this was done they dropped their slippers, lifted up their feet, and covered them with their long loose garments. But the versions, in general, seem to understand it as implying a certain natural act.


 
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