Original Word: בַּת
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: bath
Pronunciation: baht
Phonetic Spelling: (bath)
KJV: bath
NASB: baths, bath
Word Origin: [probably from the same as H1327 (בַּתּתָּה - steep)]

1. a bath or Hebrew measure (as a means of division) of liquids

bath

Probably from the same as battah; a bath or Hebrew measure (as a means of division) of liquids -- bath.

see HEBREW battah

Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
a bath (a Heb. measure)
NASB Translation
bath (6), baths (7).

II. בַּת bath (a measure), בָּתָה see below בתת.

II. בַּת noun masculine^{Ezekiel 45:14} (feminine^{Isaiah 5:10}) bath (Thes and others from above √ in sense of define, measure; compare τέμνω; Lag^{Or. ii. 10 f.} makes = בדת, = בד + feminine ת; compare Syriac , instrument for pressing olives; compare Epiphanius βάδος = ἐλαιοτριβεῖον; & βάδος also Hesychius Jos^{Ant. viii. 2}. 9 but ed. Niese βάτους, βάτος — ׳בּ absolute Isaiah 5:10 6t.; (בָּ֑ת Ezekiel 45:11) construct Ezekiel 45:10; plural בַּתִּים2Chron 2:9 (twice in verse) + 3t.; — a liquid measure = אֵיפָה of dry measure, each being 1/10 חֹמֶר (q. v.) Ezekiel 45:11 (twice in verse); Ezekiel 45:14 (twice in verse); also Isaiah 5:10; 1 Kings 7:26,38; 2Chron 2:9 (twice in verse); 2Chronicles 4:5 + Ezekiel 45:14 (twice in verse) (4 t. in this see, Co strike out a & d). Ezekiel 45:10 בַּתצֶֿדֶק a righteous (right, accurate, full) bath ("" אֵיפַתצֶֿדֶק). The actual size of bath (= ephah) is apparentlyapproximately 40 litres (= Attic metretes compare Jos^{Ant. viii. 2}. 9; = 39.39 lit. compare Boeckh^{Metrol. Untersuch. 259 f.}; see also J. Brandis^{Münz- Mass- u. Gewichtswesen 29 f.} Smith^{Dict. Bible, article Weights & Measures} Ri^{HWB 934 f.}). — 1. בַּת see below בֵּן.

Summary of Biblical Usage

Bath (Strong’s Hebrew 1324) appears thirteen times in Scripture, always as a liquid measure. The contexts fall into four categories: construction of sacred vessels (1 Kings 7:26, 7:38; 2 Chronicles 4:5), royal provisions for laborers (2 Chronicles 2:10), prophetic warning (Isaiah 5:10), and regulations for righteous commerce and future temple worship (Ezekiel 45:10-14). Together these passages underscore the integrity, abundance, and accountability that flow from covenant relationship with the LORD.

Standard of Sacred Architecture

When Solomon constructed the temple, the capacity of the great Sea and the ten lavers was recorded in baths. “It could hold two thousand baths” (1 Kings 7:26). The unit therefore fixed the scale for the priests’ ritual washing—daily reminders that cleansing precedes approach to a holy God. The Chronicler echoes the same figure (2 Chronicles 4:5), reinforcing continuity between Samuel-Kings and Chronicles and testifying to the reliability of the historical record.

Provision for Skilled Labor

To secure the finest craftsmen from Tyre, Solomon promised precise amounts of grain, wine, and oil: “I will give your servants… twenty thousand baths of wine and twenty thousand baths of olive oil” (2 Chronicles 2:10). The specified measure highlights the king’s generosity and logistical foresight. Material sufficiency enabled the workmen to focus on building a dwelling place for the Name of the LORD—a principle that still applies when churches equip those called to Gospel labor.

Prophetic Warning of Futility

Isaiah’s vineyard parable contrasts human expectation with divine judgment: “A ten-acre vineyard will yield only a bath of wine” (Isaiah 5:10). The drastic shortfall confronts the complacent landowner with the barrenness of covenant unfaithfulness. The bath here functions as a stark metric of loss—abundant acreage producing a meager return—anticipating later exile yet also inviting repentance that could reverse the curse.

Ethics of Commerce and Justice

Ezekiel’s temple vision insists on honest measurements: “You shall have just balances, a just ephah, and a just bath” (Ezekiel 45:10). Verse 11 fixes the ratio between dry (ephah) and liquid (bath) measures, while verse 14 ties the bath to offerings of oil. Precision in trade is therefore inseparable from purity in worship; fraudulent scales profane the sanctuary just as surely as idolatry. The prophet projects these standards into the Messianic age, portraying a society where holiness governs economics.

Eschatological Restoration and Worship

Four times in Ezekiel 45:14 the bath regulates the grain-and-oil offerings that support communal fellowship with God in the restored temple. The repetition stresses that future worship will not abandon Israel’s historical patterns but will perfect them under righteous leadership. The bath thus becomes a unit of covenant continuity, linking Solomon’s temple, Ezekiel’s vision, and the ultimate reality in which redeemed people serve the LORD “without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all their days” (compare Luke 1:74-75).

Practical Ministry Implications

1. Integrity: The bath teaches pastors, elders, and business leaders to pursue exactness and fairness in all transactions.
2. Stewardship: Careful measurement encourages wise allocation of resources for building up the body of Christ.
3. Holiness: Just as priests washed in vessels measured in baths, believers today continually draw on Christ’s cleansing to serve acceptably.
4. Hope: Even when judgment reduces a vineyard to “only a bath,” God’s redemptive purposes endure, pointing to the abundance found in the Messiah.

Key Selected Passages

1 Kings 7:26 – “It was a handbreadth thick, and its rim was fashioned like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It could hold two thousand baths.”

Isaiah 5:10 – “A ten-acre vineyard will yield only a bath of wine, and a homer of seed will yield but an ephah of grain.”

Ezekiel 45:10-11 – “You shall have just balances, a just ephah, and a just bath. The ephah and the bath shall be the same measure, so that the bath contains a tenth of a homer, and the ephah a tenth of a homer; the measurement shall be based on the homer.”

Through its varied appearances the bath quietly affirms that God values accuracy, purity, generosity, and eschatological hope—truths that remain foundational for the life and mission of the Church.

בַּ֖ת בַּ֜ת בַּ֣ת בַּתִּ֔ים בַּתִּ֖ים בַּתִּים֙ בת בתים הַבַּ֣ת הַבַּת֙ הַבַּתִּ֖ים הַבָּ֑ת הבת הבתים וְהַבַּ֗ת וּבַת־ ובת־ והבת bat baṯ bat·tîm batTim battîm hab·baṯ hab·bāṯ hab·bat·tîm habBat habbaṯ habbāṯ habbatTim habbattîm ū·ḇaṯ- ūḇaṯ- uvat vehabBat wə·hab·baṯ wəhabbaṯInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts