374. ephah
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 Origin
of 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 ), 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).

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:
• 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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Englishman'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
HEB: חָטָ֗א עֲשִׂירִ֧ת הָאֵפָ֛ה סֹ֖לֶת לְחַטָּ֑את
NAS: the tenth of an ephah of fine flour
KJV: the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour
INT: has sinned the tenth of an ephah of fine A sin

Leviticus 6:20
HEB: אֹת֔וֹ עֲשִׂירִ֨ת הָאֵפָ֥ה סֹ֛לֶת מִנְחָ֖ה
NAS: the tenth of an ephah of fine flour
KJV: the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour
INT: is anointed the tenth of an ephah of fine offering

Leviticus 19:36
HEB: אַבְנֵי־ צֶ֗דֶק אֵ֥יפַת צֶ֛דֶק וְהִ֥ין
NAS: weights, a just ephah, and a just hin;
KJV: weights, a just ephah, and a just hin,
INT: weights just ephah A just hin

Numbers 5:15
HEB: עָלֶ֔יהָ עֲשִׂירִ֥ת הָאֵיפָ֖ה קֶ֣מַח שְׂעֹרִ֑ים
NAS: for her one-tenth of an ephah of barley
KJV: for her, the tenth [part] of an ephah of barley
INT: for her one-tenth of an ephah meal of barley

Numbers 28:5
HEB: וַעֲשִׂירִ֧ית הָאֵיפָ֛ה סֹ֖לֶת לְמִנְחָ֑ה
NAS: also a tenth of an ephah of fine flour
KJV: And a tenth [part] of an ephah of flour
INT: A tenth of an ephah of fine offering

Deuteronomy 25:14
HEB: לְךָ֛ בְּבֵיתְךָ֖ אֵיפָ֣ה וְאֵיפָ֑ה גְּדוֹלָ֖ה
NAS: in your house differing measures,
INT: have your house differing measures A large

Deuteronomy 25:14
HEB: בְּבֵיתְךָ֖ אֵיפָ֣ה וְאֵיפָ֑ה גְּדוֹלָ֖ה וּקְטַנָּֽה׃
NAS: differing measures, a large
INT: your house differing measures A large small

Deuteronomy 25:15
HEB: יִֽהְיֶה־ לָּ֔ךְ אֵיפָ֧ה שְׁלֵמָ֛ה וָצֶ֖דֶק
NAS: and just measure, that your days
KJV: and just measure shalt thou have: that thy days
INT: and just shall have measure A full and just

Judges 6:19
HEB: גְּדִֽי־ עִזִּים֙ וְאֵיפַת־ קֶ֣מַח מַצּ֔וֹת
NAS: and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour;
KJV: and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour:
INT: kid goat an ephah of flour and unleavened

Ruth 2:17
HEB: לִקֵּ֔טָה וַיְהִ֖י כְּאֵיפָ֥ה שְׂעֹרִֽים׃
NAS: she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley.
KJV: that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley.
INT: had gleaned become an ephah of barley

1 Samuel 1:24
HEB: בְּפָרִ֤ים שְׁלֹשָׁה֙ וְאֵיפָ֨ה אַחַ֥ת קֶ֙מַח֙
NAS: bull and one ephah of flour and a jug
KJV: and one ephah of flour,
INT: bull A three-year-old ephah and one of flour

1 Samuel 17:17
HEB: נָ֤א לְאַחֶ֙יךָ֙ אֵיפַ֤ת הַקָּלִיא֙ הַזֶּ֔ה
NAS: for your brothers an ephah of this
KJV: now for thy brethren an ephah of this
INT: now your brothers an ephah roasted of this

Proverbs 20:10
HEB: אֶ֣בֶן וָ֭אֶבֶן אֵיפָ֣ה וְאֵיפָ֑ה תּוֹעֲבַ֥ת
NAS: weights and differing measures,
INT: Differing weights and differing measures are abominable

Proverbs 20:10
HEB: וָ֭אֶבֶן אֵיפָ֣ה וְאֵיפָ֑ה תּוֹעֲבַ֥ת יְ֝הוָ֗ה
NAS: and differing measures, Both
INT: weights and differing measures are abominable to the LORD

Isaiah 5:10
HEB: חֹ֖מֶר יַעֲשֶׂ֥ה אֵיפָֽה׃ פ
NAS: will yield [but] an ephah of grain.
KJV: of an homer shall yield an ephah.
INT: homer will yield an ephah

Ezekiel 45:10
HEB: מֹֽאזְנֵי־ צֶ֧דֶק וְאֵֽיפַת־ צֶ֛דֶק וּבַת־
NAS: a just ephah and a just
KJV: and a just ephah, and a just
INT: balances just ephah A just bath

Ezekiel 45:11
HEB: הָאֵיפָ֣ה וְהַבַּ֗ת תֹּ֤כֶן
NAS: The ephah and the bath
KJV: The ephah and the bath shall be of one
INT: the ephah and the bath quantity

Ezekiel 45:11
HEB: וַעֲשִׂירִ֤ת הַחֹ֙מֶר֙ הָֽאֵיפָ֔ה אֶל־ הַחֹ֖מֶר
NAS: of a homer and the ephah a tenth
KJV: of an homer, and the ephah the tenth part
INT: A tenth of a homer and the ephah shall be according to the homer

Ezekiel 45:13
HEB: תָּרִ֑ימוּ שִׁשִּׁ֤ית הָֽאֵיפָה֙ מֵחֹ֣מֶר הַֽחִטִּ֔ים
NAS: a sixth of an ephah from a homer
KJV: the sixth part of an ephah of an homer
INT: shall offer A sixth of an ephah A homer of wheat

Ezekiel 45:13
HEB: הַֽחִטִּ֔ים וְשִׁשִּׁיתֶם֙ הָֽאֵיפָ֔ה מֵחֹ֖מֶר הַשְּׂעֹרִֽים׃
NAS: a sixth of an ephah from a homer
KJV: and ye shall give the sixth part of an ephah of an homer
INT: of wheat A sixth of an ephah A homer of barley

Ezekiel 45:24
HEB: וּמִנְחָ֗ה אֵיפָ֥ה לַפָּ֛ר וְאֵיפָ֥ה
NAS: as a grain offering an ephah with a bull,
KJV: a meat offering of an ephah for a bullock,
INT: offering an ephah A bull an ephah

Ezekiel 45:24
HEB: אֵיפָ֥ה לַפָּ֛ר וְאֵיפָ֥ה לָאַ֖יִל יַֽעֲשֶׂ֑ה
NAS: with a bull, an ephah with a ram
KJV: for a bullock, and an ephah for a ram,
INT: an ephah A bull an ephah A ram shall provide

Ezekiel 45:24
HEB: וְשֶׁ֖מֶן הִ֥ין לָאֵיפָֽה׃
NAS: and a hin of oil with an ephah.
KJV: and an hin of oil for an ephah.
INT: of oil hin an ephah

Ezekiel 46:5
HEB: וּמִנְחָה֙ אֵיפָ֣ה לָאַ֔יִל וְלַכְּבָשִׂ֥ים
NAS: and the grain offering shall be an ephah with the ram,
KJV: And the meat offering [shall be] an ephah for a ram,
INT: offering shall be an ephah the ram the lambs

40 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 374
40 Occurrences


’ê·p̄āh — 8 Occ.
’ê·p̄aṯ — 2 Occ.
hā·’ê·p̄āh — 2 Occ.
hā·’ê·p̄āh — 13 Occ.
kə·’ê·p̄āh — 1 Occ.
lā·’ê·p̄āh — 4 Occ.
wə·’ê·p̄āh — 7 Occ.
wə·’ê·p̄aṯ- — 3 Occ.

373
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