Little Bobby was spending the weekend with his grandmother after a particularly trying week in kindergarten. His grandmother decided to take him to the park on Saturday morning. It had been snowing all night and everything was beautiful. His grandmother remarked… “Doesn’t it look like an artist painted this scenery? Did you know God painted this just for you?”
Bobby said, “Yes, God did it and he did it left-handed.” This confused his grandmother a bit, and she asked him, “What makes you say God did this with his left hand?”.
“Well,” said Bobby, “we learned at Sunday School last week that Jesus sits on God’s right hand!”
The Bible sometimes uses the “right hand” symbolically to represent favor or honor, which may have led to a negative interpretation of the “left hand,” but this is a symbolic, not a literal, condemnation of being left-handed.
Despite the symbolic prominence of the right hand, the Bible specifically mentions left-handed people in a neutral or positive context, particularly when describing their military prowess.
Ehud: The most prominent example is Ehud, a judge chosen by God to deliver the Israelites from the Moabites (Judges 3:12-30). His left-handedness gave him a strategic advantage, allowing him to conceal a weapon on his right thigh, where guards would not expect it.
Benjamite warriors: In Judges 20:16, the Bible mentions a contingent of 700 elite Benjamite soldiers who were left-handed and famous for their accuracy with a sling. In another instance, Benjamite warriors who joined David are described as being ambidextrous, capable of using both hands effectively (1 Chronicles 12:2).
Historical context and interpretation:
The biblical narratives do not suggest that left-handedness was a seen as an immoral or inferior trait, but rather a distinguishing characteristic. Some scholars note that the phrase describing Ehud and the Benjamite’s could literally mean “impeded of his right hand,” which might suggest a deliberate training practice rather than a disability. This training could have been intended to give warriors an advantage by making them unpredictable in combat.
In summary, the Bible does not condemn left-handedness; rather, it shows instances where left-handedness was a valuable and even critical asset.
Chosen Gems 