“for Yahweh has given your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” Ehud, the courageous yet humble warrior, gives the glory of the victory to Yahweh, and does not draw attention to himself. Beyond that, however, here we see Ehud as not only a physical warrior, but as a spiritual leader. Israel had been under servitude to Moab precisely because they did not glorify Yahweh and obey Him. Here, by Ehud’s bold declaration that it was Yahweh who delivered Israel, hopefully some Israelites will recommit themselves to serving Yahweh.

“the fords of the Jordan.” The British explorers in the 1800s apparently discovered five fords in the Jordan River close to the area of Jericho. Since most ancient Israelites and Moabites did not live near water there was no opportunity for them to learn to swim, and so flowing water like the Jordan River posed a real danger to them. Thus, the safe way to cross was to go to a fording place where the water was not very deep. So to kill the Moabite soldiers the Israelites did not have to guard the whole Jordan River, but only the fords.