Eglon (King)

Eglon , King of Moab , is a person in the Book of Judges .

etymology

The Hebrew personal name עֶגְלוֹן 'æglôn "Eglon" is an animal name. It is from the noun Hebrew עֵגֶל 'egæl , German ' calf ' derived, which is provided with a diminutive ending . Therefore the name has to be translated as "little calf". It is possible that this name is meant to illustrate Eglon's obesity.

The Septuagint gives the name with Εγλωμ Eglōn , the Vulgate with Eglon .

Biblical narration

According to Ri 3,12  EU , Eglon gains dominion over Israel, which serves him for 18 years. Then the Israelites cry out to YHWH and he appoints the judge Ehud . This is sent to Eglon with a tribute payment and stabs Eglon with a double-edged dagger. Ehud is alone with Eglon because he has announced that he will tell him a secret. The sting hits Eglon unexpectedly as Ehud is left-handed. The blade penetrates so far into the fat of Eglon that Ehud does not pull it out again ( Judg 3.22  EU ).

literature

• Karl-August Wirth: Ehud and Eglon. In: Real Lexicon on German Art History . Vol. 4, 1956, Col. 885-894.
• Heinz-Dieter Neef :  Eglon. In: Michaela Bauks, Klaus Koenen, Stefan Alkier (Eds.): The Scientific Biblical Lexicon on the Internet (WiBiLex), Stuttgart 2006 ff.