The word hand
is mentioned twice in this verse: Ehud is a left-handed man. The people of Israel sent tribute by him [literally, by his hand] to Eglon.
The repetition of the word suggests that his suitability for serving as judge consisted precisely in his physical deformity: the choice of Ehud could not be construed by Eglon as a provocation, because Ehud appeared to be harmless.”1
Furthermore, hand
is mentioned an additional three times in this passage: Judges 3:3, Judges 3:28, and Judges 3:30. The word serves to unify the Ehud episode, and also appears to be picking up the hand theme from the Othniel narrative—which mentions the hand of Cushan, and the hand of Othniel.
15 Then the people of Israel cried out to the LORD, and the LORD raised up for them a deliverer, Ehud, the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, a left-handed man. The people of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab.