And he said to them: Ehud addresses his troops, the Israelites, and more specifically the people of Ephraim. The Hebrew waw conjunction rendered And does not necessarily introduce a new event here, so it could be omitted. He could have said these words at any time during this rallying period. If 3.27-28 is taken to reflect a strict chronological order, Ehud first rallied his troops with the call from the ram’s horn and then speaks to them. But these could have been simultaneous actions as well. Though the verb for said appears in Hebrew, some versions are more specific. For example, New International Version says “ordered,” and Contemporary English Version has “shouted.”

Follow after me: The Hebrew verb rendered Follow can mean “chase” or “pursue” in some contexts. For this reason some scholars think that this verb should be emended (with the omission of one letter) to read “Come down.” However, the text is understandable without this change. Translators can say “Follow me!” or “Come after me!”

For the LORD has given your enemies the Moabites into your hand: The call to the troops is justified, since their victory is sure. Ehud tells the soldiers that God will give, or indeed, has already given them the victory. Revised Standard Version renders the Hebrew rather literally here. For translates the Hebrew conjunction ki, which can introduce a reason or an emphatic statement. Either interpretation is possible here. Some versions leave the word untranslated, but the majority retain the connector for. Other possibilities are “since” and “because” (New Jerusalem Bible).

This clause gives the first overt reference to the role of the LORD in saving the people through Ehud. Revised Standard Version correctly renders the Hebrew perfect verb form here as has given. In many languages a similar form is used to refer to a future act that is sure or is “as good as done.” If this is the case, that form can be used here. For the idiom has given … into your hand, see verse 1.2. The pronoun your refers to the Israelites, but in some languages this pronoun will have to be changed to an inclusive “our” with Ehud being part of the group. The enemies are immediately identified as the Moabites. The Hebrew has the singular “Moab,” but Revised Standard Version gives a more natural rendering here. For enemies see the discussion at verse 2.14. Translators should try to communicate the encouragement in the voice of Ehud as he shouts “Follow me! The LORD is giving you the victory over your enemies the Moabites” or “… The LORD will certainly give us victory over the Moabite enemy!”

So they went down after him: The people heard what Ehud had said, put their confidence in him, and moved out to follow him into battle. So correctly renders the Hebrew waw conjunction to introduce the response of the people. Once again, went down can refer to going down the mountains, but also going to battle, as in verse 3.27. After him means they followed Ehud, as he had asked them to do.

And seized the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites: Seized indicates that the Israelites “took” or “captured” the fords. Fords renders a word derived from the Hebrew root meaning “pass/cross over” (ʿ-v-r), which has already occurred once in verse 3.26. The root appears twice in this verse. A “ford” refers to the place in the river where the water is shallow enough for people to cross over. Such places are very strategic from a military point of view. Therefore Ehud wisely seized the fords to prevent the Moabites from crossing over and pursuing his troops. Fords can be translated “river-crossings” or “places where people cross over the river.” The Jordan is a river that runs north and south, parallel to the seacoast, from the mountains of Lebanon to the Dead Sea. Most languages will prefer to make explicit “the Jordan River,” and some translators may want to add a map that shows these various important geographic locations.

Against the Moabites renders a Hebrew prepositional phrase that could have any one of several meanings. The Hebrew preposition l- can show possession, so it could mean “for” or “belonging to,” but the same preposition could also mean “at” or “toward” or “against.” In this context it is possible that Ehud and his men are trying to stop a Moabite attack coming from the east across the Jordan River (Revised Standard Version/New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). Following such an interpretation we might say “they took position against the Moabites at the Jordan River crossings” or “they stood guard at the places where the Moabites would cross the Jordan River.” However, several versions suggest that the Israelites were blocking the way leading to Moab, so Ehud and his men would be “taking possession of the fords of the Jordan that led to Moab” (New International Version). Contemporary English Version seems to take this approach, saying “they captured the places where people cross the river on the way to Moab.” Translators must choose between these different interpretations.

And allowed not a man to pass over: The subject here is still the Israelite soldiers under the leadership of Ehud. This clause in Hebrew is literally “and they did not give a man to pass over.” In this context “give” means “let,” “allow,” or “permit.” Not a man refers to the group just mentioned, that is, “not one of the Moabites,” “not a single Moabite,” or “none of the Moabites.” The Hebrew word for man (ʾish) occurs very frequently in this section, repeated three times in the next verse. The frequent reference to this word is another feature of this book, where it refers at times to certain individuals (verse 1.26), sometimes has the sense of “each” (verse 2.6), and at other times means “anyone,” as here.

Pass over renders the Hebrew verb ʿavar used in verse 3.26. As there, it is an important keyword, evoking Israel’s past victories. Here this verb may be rendered “cross” (Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), “cross over” (New Revised Standard Version, New International Version), or “go across” (Contemporary English Version). In many languages it will be necessary to provide an object for the verb, for example, “cross the river” or “cross the Jordan [River].”

A model for the translation of this verse is:

• Ehud shouted, “Follow me! The LORD has given us victory over the Moabite enemies.” So they [all] went out to battle and set up a guard at the river crossings of the Jordan against the Moabites. They would not let a single Moabite across.

If indirect speech is preferred, the following model may be used, though this form seems to tone down the liveliness of the passage:

• Ehud called them to join him in battle, telling them the LORD had already given them victory over their enemies, the Moabites. So they went with him, defending the places where the Moabites would try to cross the Jordan River. They did not allow even one Moabite to cross.

Quoted with permission from Zogbo, Lynell and Ogden, Graham S. A Handbook on Judges. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .