And Ehud came unto him; and he was sitting in a summer parlour, which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto thee. And he arose out of his seat. (Judges 3:20)
Literally, “an upper chamber of cooling.” In modern Arabic, this room is still called by the same name as is used here in the Hebrew. It is an additional story, ordinarily a third, raised above the flat roof of the house at one corner, or upon a towerlike annex to the building. Its high elevation and latticed windows on all sides rendered it well ventilated and comfortable even in hot weather.
It is apparent that some details of the narrative have been omitted. Evidently after ordering the servants to leave, the king retired to his private chamber, where he bade Ehud follow, or perhaps the first words of Ehud (v. 19) were conveyed to the king by messengers.
Message from God.
This statement was a shrewd ruse on the part of Ehud to enable him to get close to the king. At these words the king stood up as a sign of respect for the divine oracle.