Eglon
“Calf-like, or place of heifers”
Summary
The name of an obese Moabite king who oppressed Israel for eighteen years before being assassinated by Ehud, and also of a Canaanite city whose king joined the coalition against Gibeon.
☩Eglon, King of Moab
Eglon was king of Moab during the period of the judges, who allied with the Ammonites and Amalekites to oppress Israel. He crossed the Jordan and captured Jericho, 'the city of palm trees,' where according to Josephus he built himself a palace. For eighteen years he oppressed the Israelites, who paid him tribute. Scripture describes him as a 'very fat man.' The deliverer God raised up was Ehud, a left-handed Benjamite who gained access to the king under pretense of bringing a message from God. When Eglon rose reverentially to receive the divine word, Ehud stabbed him with a concealed dagger, and the king's fat closed over the blade. Ehud escaped while the servants delayed, assuming their master was relieving himself, and subsequently led Israel to victory over the Moabites.
☩Eglon, the Canaanite City
Eglon was also a royal Canaanite city in the maritime plain of Judah, near Lachish. Its Amorite king Debir joined the confederation of five kings who attacked Gibeon because that city had made peace with Joshua and Israel. Joshua met and routed the coalition near Gibeon, pursuing them as far as Azekah and Makkedah. Afterward, Joshua systematically conquered each of the five cities, including Eglon, destroying them completely. The ruins now called Ajlan, about fourteen miles from Gaza on the southern edge of the great coastal plain, mark the location of ancient Eglon.
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Eglon," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. III (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Eglon," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).
- 3.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Eglon," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).
- 4.George Morrish, "Eglon," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).