Lexical Summary ephah: Ephah Original Word: אֵיפָה 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 Definition an ephah (a measure of grain) NASB Translation bushel (1), differing measures (2), ephah (33), measure (2). Brown-Driver-Briggs אֵיפָה35, אֵפָה noun feminine ephah (etymology dubious, ᵐ5. οιφι etc., compare Coptic ôipi, Thes LagOr. ii. 2 & cit.) — ׳א Numbers 5:15 +; אֵפָה Exodus 16:36 +; construct אֵיפַת Leviticus 19:36 +; — ephah, a grain-measure. 1 a certain quantity of wheat, barley, etc. = ten omers (עֹמֶר) Exodus 16:36 (compare in measure of offerings Leviticus 5:11; Leviticus 6:13; Numbers 5:15; Numbers 28:5, all ׳עֲשִׂירִית הָא; = 1/10 chomer (חֹמֶר) Ezekiel 45:11 (= bath, בַּת, liquid measure q. v.) compare Isaiah 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; compare Judges 6:19, but also of food 1 Samuel 17:17 compare Ruth 2:17 & Isaiah 5:10 above 2 receptacle or measure, holding an ephah, in prophetic vision Zechariah 5:6,7,8,9,10; just measure אֵיפַתצֶֿדֶק Leviticus 19:36 ("" ׳מאֹזְנֵיצֿ, ׳אַבְנֵיצֿ, ׳הִֶין צ) compare Ezekiel 45:10,11; אֵיפָה ׳שׁלֵמָה וָצ Deuteronomy 25:15 ("" ׳וָצ ׳אֶבֶן שׁ); of unjust measure אֵיפָה וְאֵיפָה Deuteronomy 25:14; Proverbs 20:10; ׳הַקְטִין א Amos 8:5; אֵיפַת רָווֺן Micah 6:10. (On the actual size of ephah, compare בַּת). אֵיפֹה see below אַי. P.33 אישׁ, אושׁ (Stem assumed in Thes for אִישׁ; existence & meaning somewhat dubious Thes (Add) & most derive אִישׁ from [אִנְשְׁ] √ אנשׁ (q. v.) In favour are plural אֲנָשִׁים, feminine אִשָּׁה = [אִנְשָׁה], lack of proven √ אישׁ, & lack of clear parallels for אישׁ in cognate languages. Against the derivation of אִישׁ from inš is the vocalization (ִ י, and that fully written, not ֵ), maintained even with suffixes, the (rare) plural אִישִׁים, the impossibility of deriving אִישׁ & אִשָּׁה from same √ (אִשָּׁה from Topical Lexicon Measurement and Equivalency An 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: 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: 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. 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-Links Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Exodus 16:36 HEB: וְהָעֹ֕מֶר עֲשִׂרִ֥ית הָאֵיפָ֖ה הֽוּא׃ פ NAS: (Now an omer is a tenth of an ephah.) KJV: [is] the tenth [part] of an ephah. INT: an omer tenth an ephah he Leviticus 5:11 Leviticus 6:20 Leviticus 19:36 Numbers 5:15 Numbers 28:5 Deuteronomy 25:14 Deuteronomy 25:14 Deuteronomy 25:15 Judges 6:19 Ruth 2:17 1 Samuel 1:24 1 Samuel 17:17 Proverbs 20:10 Proverbs 20:10 Isaiah 5:10 Ezekiel 45:10 Ezekiel 45:11 Ezekiel 45:11 Ezekiel 45:13 Ezekiel 45:13 Ezekiel 45:24 Ezekiel 45:24 Ezekiel 45:24 Ezekiel 46:5 40 Occurrences |
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), the existence of אֱנוֺשׁ as parallel form, and the (exceptional) parallel Aramaic איש (Inscription of Carpentras), also Arabic 
(compare Frey) "" 
; MI, SI, Phoenician אש are not decisive; Sabean has both אסם & אנסם; the former apparently = אִישׁ, the latter אֱנוֺשׁ; but on former compare DHMZK 1884, 360 & SabDenkm37. On the whole, probability seems to favour √ אישׁ; Thes gave meaning be strong; DlHA 9, Pr 161 compare Assyrian išanu, strong (compare Dlw. p. 244), & proper name יְהוֺאָשׁ; 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 אנשׁ, אֱנוֺשׁ).