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This article examines the occurrence of left-handedness in the book of Judges and argues that the double mention of the left-handed abilities of Benjaminites in this book is significant and rich in meaning. The notice of this ability, both in the story of Ehud (Judg 3) and in the tale of the Benjaminite-induced civil war (Judg 19-21), serves as a connecting motif that ties these pericopes to those of the most infamous Benjaminite, King Saul. The symbolic connotations associated with left and right in different cultures as well as the various occurrrences of left-handedness in Judges foreshadow the rise and eventual fall of Israel's first monarch.
Two places in the book of Judges-3:15 and 20:16-succinctly note the extraordinary left-handed abilities of the tribe of Benjamin. Though rarely discussed in depth,1 this particular Benjaminite feature is significant and rich in meaning. By closely examining the symbolic connotations of left and right in the narratives about the Benjaminite warrior Ehud (Judg 3) and the rape of the Levite's concubine (Judg 19-21), I will show that the notices of left-handed Benjaminites serve as an inclusio in the book of Judges; the stories reveal a literary pattern that subtly foreshadows the reign and eventual downfall of King Saul.
I. Terminology and Translation
The ambiguous phrase ??? ?? ????? appears only twice in the Hebrew Bible (Judg 3:15 and 20:16), both times to describe Benjaminites. The first occurrence appears in the description of Ehud; the second, as an aside, to describe the special, select military unit that forms part of the Benjaminite army. The ambiguous term ??? comes from the root ???, meaning "to shut up, close, or bind," and a more literal translation of Judg 3:15 and 20:16 is that the Benjaminites were "bound" or "restricted on the right."
The limited occurrence of this phrase, as well as the use of the term ???, has led to two possible readings of the phrase ??? ?? ?????: either that Ehud and the Benjaminites were left-handed2 or that they were ambidextrous.3 The vowel pattern of ??? has added to the ambiguity. Because the qittel adjectival vowel pattern usually refers to mental or physical defects (e.g., ?? ?? ? "blind" or ?? ???? "lame"),4 scholars have suggested that this phrase connotes...