Duality in the Ehud Story: Human Initiative or Divine Providence?
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This paper deals with how one sees Ehud’s murder through deception and violence. Can his deception and violence be justified? After presenting the two contrastive views on Ehud's murder, this study discusses about how one should see his actions. The comic character of the story makes moral judgments irrelevant. The story should be understood as a humorous satire mocking the Israelites’ enemy, the Moabites. An advocate of the negative view against Ehud might argue that God providentially granted Ehud’s success in spite of his deceptive methods. But Ehud’s deception is at the core of what he does. One cannot separate his success from his deception. The narrator elaborates Ehud’s tactics at each scene and highlights his extraordinary shrewdness, decisiveness, and courage out of faith. Nevertheless, human scheme and execution is not enough; Ehud’s perfect success was possible with the help of the timing opportunities provided by God. Duality frame works in the story: (1) Ehud’s physical abnormality fits his dual roles (conveyor of tribute / assassin); (2) double meaning of dabar; (3) Eglon’s fatness represents both his greed and his vulnerability; (4) Elohim could mean Israel’s YHWH or general other gods; (5) Ehud’s dagger had “two mouths” (Judg. 3:16), which means the double-edged blade or may symbolize Ehud’s double meaning words; (6) dual hero (visible hero - Ehud / invisible hero - YHWH). In conclusion, Ehud’s deception is providentially directed by God.
Abstract
This paper deals with how one sees Ehud’s murder through deception and violence. Can his deception and violence be justified? After presenting the two contrastive views on Ehud's murder, this study discusses about how one should see his actions. The comic character of the story makes moral judgments irrelevant. The story should be understood as a humorous satire mocking the Israelites’ enemy, the Moabites. An advocate of the negative view against Ehud might argue that God providentially granted Ehud’s success in spite of his deceptive methods. But Ehud’s deception is at the core of what he does. One cannot separate his success from his deception. The narrator elaborates Ehud’s tactics at each scene and highlights his extraordinary shrewdness, decisiveness, and courage out of faith. Nevertheless, human scheme and execution is not enough; Ehud’s perfect success was possible with the help of the timing opportunities provided by God. Duality frame works in the story: (1) Ehud’s physical abnormality fits his dual roles (conveyor of tribute / assassin); (2) double meaning of dabar; (3) Eglon’s fatness represents both his greed and his vulnerability; (4) Elohim could mean Israel’s YHWH or general other gods; (5) Ehud’s dagger had “two mouths” (Judg. 3:16), which means the double-edged blade or may symbolize Ehud’s double meaning words; (6) dual hero (visible hero - Ehud / invisible hero - YHWH). In conclusion, Ehud’s deception is providentially directed by God.
참고문헌 (23)
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