Lexical Summary
ephah: Ephah
Original Word:אֵיפָה
Part of Speech:Noun Feminine
Transliteration:eyphah
Pronunciation:ay-fah
Phonetic Spelling:(ay-faw')
KJV: ephah, (divers) measure(-s)
NASB:ephah, differing measures, measure, bushel
Word Origin:[of Egyptian derivation]
1. an ephah or measure for grain
2. (hence) a measure in general
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
ephah, divers measures
Or (shortened) ephah {ay-faw'}; of Egyptian derivation; an ephah or measure for grain; hence, a measure in general -- ephah, (divers) measure(-s).
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originof foreign origin
Definitionan ephah (a measure of grain)
NASB Translationbushel (1), differing measures (2), ephah (33), measure (2).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
35,
(etymology dubious, . etc., compare Copticôipi, Thes LagOr. ii. 2 & cit.) —Numbers 5:15 +;Exodus 16:36 +; constructLeviticus 19:36 +; —ephah, a grain-measure.
, etc. = ten omers ()Exodus 16:36 (compare in measure of offeringsLeviticus 5:11;Leviticus 6:13;Numbers 5:15;Numbers 28:5, all ; = 1/10 chomer ()Ezekiel 45:11 (= bath, , liquid measure q. v.) compareIsaiah 5:10; chiefly of offerings, see above &1 Samuel 1:24;Ezekiel 45:13 (twice in verse);Ezekiel 45:24 (3 t. in verse);Ezekiel 46:5 (twice in verse);Ezekiel 46:7 (3 t. in verse);Ezekiel 46:11 (3 t. in verse);Ezekiel 46:14; compareJudges 6:19, but also of food1 Samuel 17:17 compareRuth 2:17 &Isaiah 5:10 above
, in prophetic visionZechariah 5:6,7,8,9,10; just measureLeviticus 19:36 ("" , , ) compareEzekiel 45:10,11;Deuteronomy 25:15 ("" ); of unjust measureDeuteronomy 25:14;Proverbs 20:10;Amos 8:5;Micah 6:10. (On the actual size of ephah, compare ).
see below . P.33
, (Stem assumed in Thes for ; existence & meaning somewhat dubious Thes (Add) & most derive from [] √ (q. v.) In favour are plural , feminine = [], lack of proven √ , & lack of clear parallels for in cognate languages. Against the derivation of frominš is the vocalization (, and that fully written, not ), maintained even with suffixes, the (rare) plural , the impossibility of deriving & from same √ ( from
), the existence of as parallel form, and the (exceptional) parallel Aramaic (Inscription of Carpentras), also Arabic
(compare Frey) ""
; MI, SI, Phoenician are not decisive; Sabean has both & ; the former apparently = , the latter ; but on former compare DHMZK 1884, 360 & SabDenkm37. On the whole, probability seems to favour √ ; Thes gave meaningbe strong; DlHA 9, Pr 161 compare Assyrianišanu,strong (compare Dlw. p. 244), & proper name ; compare also PrätLOPh Feb. 1884; otherwise DHMl. e. & ZMG 1883, 330 & especially NöZMG 1886, 739 LagBN 68; compare also Wetzst in DePsalmen, ed. 4, p. 888 and others see also , ).
Topical Lexicon
Measurement and EquivalencyAn ephah is the principal Old Testament dry measure, equal to ten omers (Exodus 16:36) and one-tenth of a homer or cor (Ezekiel 45:11). In modern terms it is a little over twenty liters, roughly three-fifths of a bushel. Its liquid counterpart is the bath, which shares the same ratio to the larger homer. Whereas the omer and seah are fractions of the ephah (one-tenth and one-third respectively), the ephah itself functions as the basic unit from which larger or smaller measures are computed.
Foundational Use in the Law of Moses
The ephah enters Scripture in the wilderness when the LORD defined the daily manna ration: “Now an omer is a tenth of an ephah” (Exodus 16:36). From that point forward the ephah became the benchmark for all grain offerings. In the priestly ordination rite a “tenth of an ephah of fine flour” was required morning and evening (Leviticus 6:20). For the daily tamid, “together with a tenth of an ephah of fine flour” was brought with each lamb (Numbers 28:5), and the same proportion governed the jealousy offering (Numbers 5:15) and individual vows (Numbers 15:4).
Sacrificial and Festal Functions
Every major feast employed ephah calculations:
• Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread—two-tenths with each ram and one-tenth with each lamb (Numbers 28:20–21).
• Feast of Weeks—“two loaves of bread as a wave offering... made of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour” (Leviticus 23:17).
• Feast of Tabernacles—the daily scale of three-, two-, and one-tenths (Numbers 29).
The ephah thus standardized worship, ensuring uniformity from household offerings to national celebrations.
Justice in Commerce
Because the ephah was foundational to trade, the Law repeatedly links it with honest scales. “You shall maintain honest scales and honest weights, an honest ephah and an honest hin” (Leviticus 19:36). Deuteronomy warns against two differing ephahs in one house (Deuteronomy 25:14). Prophets later confronted Israel’s corruption:
• “We can reduce the ephah, inflate the price, and cheat with dishonest scales!” (Amos 8:5).
• “A short ephah that is cursed” exposes the rot of Micah’s day (Micah 6:10).
Ezekiel’s temple vision restores the standard: “You must use honest scales, a just ephah and a just bath” (Ezekiel 45:10-12). Integrity in measurement is therefore both civil obedience and covenant faithfulness.
Domestic and Agricultural Scenes
Beyond ritual law, the ephah appears in ordinary life: Ruth gleaned “about an ephah of barley” after a day’s work (Ruth 2:17); Hannah carried “an ephah of flour” when dedicating Samuel (1 Samuel 1:24); Jesse sent David with “an ephah of roasted grain” to his brothers at the battlefront (1 Samuel 17:17). These narratives anchor the ephah in the daily rhythm of sowing, reaping, and feeding families, revealing a society ordered around consistent, tangible measures.
Prophetic Employments
Zechariah’s sixth vision centers on “the ephah that is going forth” (Zechariah 5:6-11). The measure becomes a vessel containing personified Wickedness, lifted to Shinar for judgment. The familiar household measure now conveys the idea that sin saturates commerce and will be decisively removed. The same prophet simultaneously affirms God’s commitment to purity in the marketplace and His ultimate sovereignty over global trade.
Future Temple Ordinances
Ezekiel 45–46 specifies millennial offerings by ephah: a sixth of an ephah from every homer of wheat or barley (Ezekiel 45:13); an ephah with each bull or ram (45:24; 46:5-7). The repetition highlights both continuity with Mosaic regulation and the heightened righteousness of the coming age—“the prince shall provide” these measures, ensuring that worship remains orderly and accessible.
Archaeological and Historical Insights
Stone and ceramic weights inscribed with the early Hebrew letters for ephah have been recovered from Iron Age strata, confirming a standardized, kingdom-wide system. Jar fragments bearing capacity marks corroborate the biblical ratio of one-tenth homer. Such discoveries reinforce the historic reliability of the Old Testament’s economic details.
Practical and Ministry Applications
1. Integrity: The condemnation of a “short ephah” challenges believers to uphold transparent business practices.
2. Generosity: Grain offerings, quantified by ephah fractions, remind worshipers that material provision belongs to the LORD and is to be returned in proportionate gratitude.
3. Anticipation: Zechariah’s vision of the ephah being carried away prefigures the ultimate removal of corruption when Christ reigns.
4. Discipleship: Just as Ruth’s ephah of barley testified to Boaz’s kindness, meeting tangible needs through measurable gifts remains a powerful witness of covenant love.
The ephah therefore stands at the intersection of worship, work, and justice—an ancient measure still measuring the hearts of God’s people.
Forms and Transliterations
אֵ֥יפַת אֵיפַ֤ת אֵיפָ֣ה אֵיפָ֤ה אֵיפָ֥ה אֵיפָ֧ה אֵיפָֽה׃ אֵיפָה֙ איפה איפה׃ איפת הָ֣אֵיפָ֔ה הָֽאֵיפָ֑ה הָֽאֵיפָ֔ה הָֽאֵיפָה֙ הָאֵיפָ֖ה הָאֵיפָ֛ה הָאֵיפָ֣ה הָאֵיפָֽה׃ הָאֵפָ֛ה הָאֵפָ֥ה האיפה האיפה׃ האפה וְאֵֽיפַת־ וְאֵיפַ֥ת וְאֵיפַת־ וְאֵיפָ֑ה וְאֵיפָ֣ה וְאֵיפָ֤ה וְאֵיפָ֥ה וְאֵיפָ֨ה ואיפה ואיפת ואיפת־ כְּאֵיפָ֥ה כאיפה לָאֵיפָֽה׃ לאיפה׃ ’ê·p̄āh ’ê·p̄aṯ ’êp̄āh ’êp̄aṯ eiFah Eifat hā’êp̄āh hā·’ê·p̄āh haeFah haeiFah kə’êp̄āh kə·’ê·p̄āh keeiFah lā’êp̄āh lā·’ê·p̄āh laeiFah veeiFah veeifat wə’êp̄āh wə’êp̄aṯ wə’êp̄aṯ- wə·’ê·p̄āh wə·’ê·p̄aṯ wə·’ê·p̄aṯ-
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