And when he had made an end to offer the present, he sent away the people that bare the present.
JUDGES 3:18KJVWhat does Judges 3:18 mean?
Judges 3:18 describes a turning point in Ehud’s visit to King Eglon of Moab. Once Ehud had finished presenting the payment, he sent its carriers away. That left him free to return to the king separately, as the following verses describe.
After the meeting in verse 17, the group that carried the payment was no longer part of Ehud’s approach to Eglon. The verse is part of the narrator’s account; Ehud is not speaking in it.
The Hebrew behind Judges 3:18
- “present” — מִנְחָה (minḥah): This word can mean a gift or a payment offered to a ruler. Here it refers to the payment Israel was sending to Eglon, rather than necessarily a personal gift.
- “offer” — קָרַב (qarav): This word can carry the sense of bringing something near or presenting it. The verse pictures the payment being brought before the king.
Why Judges 3:18 matters
- The carriers’ departure marks a change in the story’s action. Ehud then turns back near the carved stones at Gilgal and tells Eglon he has a secret message (verse 19).
- The “present” was part of Israel’s service to Moab’s king (verse 15). Ehud’s visit therefore began with a payment expected by the ruler, even though his later actions had a different purpose.