Lexical Summary
ephod: Ephod
Original Word:אֵפוֹד
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:ephowd
Pronunciation:ay-fode'
Phonetic Spelling:(ay-fode')
KJV: ephod
NASB:ephod
Word Origin:[probably of foreign derivation]
1. a girdle
2. (specifically) the ephod or high-priest's shoulder-piece
3. (generally) an image
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
ephod
Rarely oephod {ay-fode'}; probably of foreign derivation; a girdle; specifically the ephod or high-priest's shoulder- piece; also generally, an image -- ephod.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom an unused word
Definitionan ephod
NASB Translationephod (49).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(28 t.) & (20 t.)
Exodus 28:7 (Ethiopic
compare Aramaic
id. (on meaning see Lag
l.c.), perhaps also Assyrian
pid,
pittu Zim
BP 39; on form see Ges
§ 84a 12. R. but Lag
l.c. compares
, & thinks shortened from '
robe of approach to God) — absolute
Exodus 25:7 +; construct
1 Samuel 2:18 +; —
ephod, priestly garment, shoulder-cape or mantle; ()1 Samuel 22:18; compare
; so Samuel as a temple-servant1 Samuel 2:8;girt with an eph.; so David when dancing before ark2 Samuel 6:14 (id.)1 Chronicles 15:27 ; (? )threads, provided with shoulder-pieces & breast-piece of like material, ornamented with gems and gold,Exodus 25:7;Exodus 28:4,6,12,15;Exodus 29:5;Exodus 35:9,27 17t.Exodus 28, 39, alsoLeviticus 8:7; compare probably1 Samuel 2:28 ()1 Samuel 14:3;1 Samuel 21:10 (see below );Exodus 28:27,28;Exodus 29:5;Exodus 39:20,21;Leviticus 8:7; Lev 29:5; Lev 39:22 (compareLeviticus 8:7); with verbput the ephod on AaronLeviticus 8:7.ephod used in consulting1 Samuel 23:6 borne in hand (read We Dr)1 Samuel 23:9;1 Samuel 30:7 (twice in verse) (all with ) +1 Samuel 14:18 () &1 Samuel 14:18, in both read for &1 Samuel 14:18 also Klo Dr; according to Thes MV DiExodus 28:6 and elsewhere properly below ; in that case by Urim & Thummim in the breast-piece attached to the ephod (compareExodus 28:28-30 & see ); if so, in view of1 Samuel 2:28;1 Samuel 14:3,18 (compare above), not used elsewhere =wear except1 Samuel 22:18, & of1 Samuel 23:6, the word might be used by metonymy for the breast-piece itself; others, e.g. StaGeschichte i. 466, 471 BuRS 115 and others, think of an image representing ; compare following.
ephod of gold made by GideonJudges 8:27 for a local sanctuary, by which Israel was ensnared; = according to Thes ('sine controversia') Stu and others + Sta Bu 1.c.; originally = goldsheathing of an image (compare etymology above &Isaiah 30:22 below ); MV Be KöHauptprobleme 59 think of garment, as below see above
(material not given) for a private, local sanctuaryJudges 17:5;Judges 18:14,17,18,20 ("" , , in all, for givesJudges 18:20, omitted by HCT); compareHosea 3:4 Israel shall abide without king, prince, sacrifice, pillar, ephod or teraphim; according to Thes and others + Sta Bu l.c. = ; Stu Be Ry and others regard as below
; , & it seems more likely that this is not an image, but some means of consulting deity, perhaps in imitation of Urim & Thummim.
Topical Lexicon
Description and ConstructionThe ephod was a sacred, apron-like vestment worn over the priest’s robe and under the breastpiece. Crafted “of gold, with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and finely spun linen, the work of a skilled craftsman” (Exodus 28:6), it consisted of a front and back joined at the shoulders by onyx stones engraved with the names of the sons of Israel (Exodus 28:9-12). A skillfully woven waistband (the “curious girdle,”Exodus 28:8 KJV) bound it to the priest, securing the breastpiece and forming one integrated garment of glory and beauty (Exodus 28:2). The specifications were reiterated for Aaron’s consecration garments (Exodus 39:2-7) and later for the regular priestly wardrobe (Leviticus 8:7).
Consecrated Use in the Aaronic Priesthood
The ephod symbolized the priest’s representative role before God. When Aaron bore the names of Israel on his shoulders, he carried the nation into the LORD’s presence (Exodus 28:12). During sacrificial service it visibly marked the mediator who could approach the altar on behalf of the people (Leviticus 16:4). Its continual presence in the sanctuary is assumed throughout the priestly legislation (Exodus 29:5;Leviticus 8:7;Numbers 20:26-28).
Association with Divine Guidance (Urim and Thummim)
Fastened to the ephod was the breastpiece of judgment containing the mysterious Urim and Thummim (Exodus 28:30). Through this arrangement the high priest sought specific guidance for the covenant community. “He shall carry the judgment of the Israelites over his heart before the LORD continually” (Exodus 28:30). In later narratives the ephod becomes shorthand for the entire apparatus of priestly inquiry. Saul commands Ahijah, “Bring the ephod” (1 Samuel 14:18-19), and David repeatedly asks Abiathar to “Bring me the ephod” before receiving military direction from the LORD (1 Samuel 23:9-12; 30:7-8). The text consistently portrays this access as legitimate when exercised by an authorized priest.
Worn by Others Outside the High-Priestly Office
1 Samuel 2:18 mentions the young Samuel “ministering before the LORD—a boy wearing a linen ephod,” indicating a simpler, all-linen version used by Levites serving at Shiloh (cf.2 Samuel 6:14 where David “danced before the LORD with all his might, wearing a linen ephod”). These references emphasize humility and wholehearted devotion in worship rather than usurping the high-priestly prerogative, for neither linen ephod carried engraved stones or the breastpiece.
The Ephod in Episodes of Apostasy
Scripture also records the ephod’s corruption when detached from the law of God:
• Gideon fashioned a golden ephod from Midianite spoil and “all Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his household” (Judges 8:27).
• Micah of Ephraim erected a private shrine with a carved image, teraphim, and an ephod, employing a Levite as his domestic priest (Judges 17:5; 18:14-20).
• Hosea laments that Israel will be “without sacrifice or sacred pillar, without ephod or household idols” until they return to the LORD (Hosea 3:4), equating loss of authorized worship with spiritual exile.
These incidents reveal how sacred objects, when divorced from covenant obedience, become instruments of idolatry rather than means of grace.
Prophetic and Poetic Allusions
Psalm 132:9 (“May Your priests be clothed with righteousness, and Your saints shout for joy”) evokes the imagery of priestly garments—including the ephod—as a prayer for spiritual fidelity.Isaiah 61:10 similarly depicts garments of salvation, building on the rich symbolism of priestly vesture to portray future restoration.
Typological Significance in New Covenant Perspective
Hebrews views the entire Levitical cultus as “a shadow of the good things to come” (Hebrews 10:1). The jeweled shoulders that carried Israel’s names prefigure the Messiah who “always lives to intercede for them” (Hebrews 7:25). The ephod’s role in receiving divine guidance foreshadows Christ, the incarnate Word, in whom “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). The linen ephod worn by David while leading the ark into Jerusalem anticipates the union of kingly and priestly offices ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ (Zechariah 6:12-13).
Summary Themes
• The ephod embodies mediation: its design bore the tribes before God while its attached breastpiece facilitated divine counsel.
• God’s precise instructions underscore His holiness; obedience produced blessing, while deviation invited judgment.
• The ephod’s misuse warns against substituting external forms for covenant loyalty.
• Ultimately, the ephod points beyond itself to the perfect High Priest whose once-for-all sacrifice secures eternal access to the Father.
Forms and Transliterations
אֵפ֑וֹד אֵפ֖וֹד אֵפ֣וֹד אֵפ֥וֹד אֵפֹ֑ד אֵפֹ֖ד אֵפוֹד֙ אפד אפוד הָ֣אֵפ֔וֹד הָֽאֵפֹ֔ד הָאֵפ֑וֹד הָאֵפ֔וֹד הָאֵפ֖וֹד הָאֵפ֤וֹד הָאֵפֹ֑ד הָאֵפֹ֔ד הָאֵפֹ֖ד הָאֵפֹ֜ד הָאֵפֹ֤ד הָאֵפֹֽד׃ הָאֵפֹד֙ הָאֵפֽוֹד׃ הָאֵפוֹד֒ האפד האפד׃ האפוד האפוד׃ וְאֵפוֹד֙ ואפוד לְאֵפ֗וֹד לָאֵפ֖וֹד לָאֵפֹ֖ד לאפד לאפוד ’ê·p̄ō·wḏ ’ê·p̄ōḏ ’êp̄ōḏ ’êp̄ōwḏ eFod hā’êp̄ōḏ hā’êp̄ōwḏ hā·’ê·p̄ō·wḏ hā·’ê·p̄ōḏ haeFod lā’êp̄ōḏ lā’êp̄ōwḏ lā·’ê·p̄ō·wḏ lā·’ê·p̄ōḏ laeFod lə’êp̄ōwḏ lə·’ê·p̄ō·wḏ leeFod veefOd wə’êp̄ōwḏ wə·’ê·p̄ō·wḏ
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