Left-handed men in the Bible were warriors

Left-handed individuals have a special day

Only about 12% of the population worldwide are southpaws whose left hand is the dominant one. There once were five individuals who were lefties.

My grandmother, her nephew, and my nephew are all deceased, but they were all left-handed. My youngest son and my grandson use their left hand as the dominant one. I think that's pretty unique.

There is even a special date to celebrate those who are not right-handed. International Left-Handed Day is August 13. The world is set up in a manner that favors those who use their right hands, so I applaud all whose opposite hand dominates.

They made it through school seated in desks that were not made for them and also maneuvered through other challenging situations because of their favored hand.

The Bible talks about the sheep being seated on the right of Jesus and the goats on the left in Matthew 25:33, which some believe indicates that being left-handed is not a good thing. Scripture, however, gives three specific instances where left-handed men proved themselves to be valued, so let's take a look at them.

Left-handed men in the Bible

The Bible speaks of left-handed people only in the Old Testament. The first is the story of Ehud’s assassination of Eglud the Moabite king (Judges 3:12–30).

Ehud ben‑Gera ( Hebrew אֵהוּד בֶּן־גֵּרָא, TiberianʾĒhūḏ ben‑Gērāʾ) is described in the book of Judges chapter 3 as a judge who was sent by God to deliver the Israelites from Moabite domination. He is described as being left-handed and a member of the Tribe of Benjamin.

The Israelites sent Ehud to Eglon, the Moabite Kin,g on the pretext of delivering the annual tribute to the monarch from Israel. Ehud made a double-edged shortsword about (eighteen inches) long, which works well when stabbing and thrusting.

Because he was a southpaw, he could conceal the sword on his right thigh, where it was not expected. The left side of the body is often associated with deception or darkness, and left-handedness is "a tactical advantage in war because the majority of soldiers are often right-handed".

Ehud kills Eglon

Having a dominant left hand was symbolic at that time in ancient Israel for being outside of the culturally accepted social norm of leadership. Once Ehud met with the king, he told Eglon he had a secret message for him.

The monarch unwittingly dismissed his attendants and allowed this virtual stranger to meet him in private. Scripture indicates that the king went into a private room, which some have interpreted to be a restroom. Eglon was all alone and defenseless, and Ehud used his left hand to stab him in the stomach.

Decades ago, a pastor said that the king was so overweight and his belly so big that the knife was swallowed up in the fat and did not come out. By the time the servants were curious about what was going on, and they got to the king, Ehud was long gone.

Ehud escaped to the town of Seraiah in Ephraim. He sounded the shofar and rallied the Israelite tribes, who killed the Moabites, cutting off the fords of the Jordan River, and invaded Moab itself, killing about 10,000 Moabite soldiers. After the death of Eglon, the narrative reports that there was peace in the land for 80 years.

The Benjamites and the ambidextrous men

Next, we have the 700 left-handed Benjamites who could use the sling with deadly accuracy (Judges 20:16).

Among all this people there were seven hundred chosen men lefthanded; every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss.

They went to battle with the rest of the Israeli army and killed a total of 40,000 Gibonites.

There were also two dozen ambidextrous (capable of using both hands) warriors who came to support King David in Hebron (1 Chronicles 12:2). Each of the three stories of left-handed people in the Bible appears in a military context, and all involve members of the tribe of Benjamin.

There is no known reason for this coincidence unless Benjamin's descendants were prone to being left-handed as well as strong men of valor who won in war. If you are a southpaw and are teased about it remember the exploits of the men in ancient Israel whose actions with their left hands were deemed worthy of inclusion in scripture.