Lexical Summary ephod: Ephod Original Word: אֵפוֹד 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 Definition an ephod NASB Translation ephod (49). Brown-Driver-Briggs אֵפוֺד (28 t.) & אֵפֹד (20 t.) noun masculineExodus 28:7 ephod (Ethiopic  compare Aramaic  id. (on meaning see Lagl.c.), perhaps also Assyrian pid, pittu ZimBP 39; on form see Ges§ 84a 12. R. but Lagl.c. compares  , & thinks אֵפוֺד shortened from ׳חֵשֶׁב הָא 'robe of approach to God) — ׳א absolute Exodus 25:7 +; construct 1 Samuel 2:18 +; — 1 ephod, priestly garment, shoulder-cape or mantle; a. as worn by ordinary priest made of white stuff (בַּד) 1 Samuel 22:18; ׳נֹשֵׂא א compare 2; so Samuel as a temple-servant 1 Samuel 2:8; ׳חָגוּר א girt with an eph.; so David when dancing before ark 2 Samuel 6:14 (id.) 1 Chronicles 15:27 ׳וְעַל דוד א; b. as prescribed in P for high priest, more costly, woven of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, & linen (? שֵׁשׁ)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, also Leviticus 8:7; compare probably 1 Samuel 2:28 (׳נֹשֵׂא א) 1 Samuel 14:3; 1 Samuel 21:10 (see below 2); ׳חֵשֶׁב הָא Exodus 28:27,28; Exodus 29:5; Exodus 39:20,21; Leviticus 8:7; ׳מְעִיל הָא Lev 29:5; Lev 39:22 (compare Leviticus 8:7); with verb עַלֿ ׳נָתַן אֶתהָֿא put the ephod on Aaron Leviticus 8:7. 2 ephod used in consulting ׳י 1 Samuel 23:6 ׳א borne in hand (read בְּיָדוֺ ׳יָרַד וְהָא ᵐ5 We Dr) 1 Samuel 23:9; 1 Samuel 30:7 (twice in verse) (all with חִגִּישׁ) + 1 Samuel 14:18 (הגישׁ) & 1 Samuel 14:18, in both read ׳הָא for ארון & 1 Samuel 14:18 also נֹשֵׂא ᵐ5 Klo Dr; a. according to Thes MV Di Exodus 28:6 and elsewhere properly below 1b; consultation of ׳י in that case by Urim & Thummim in the breast-piece attached to the ephod (compare Exodus 28:28-30 & see אוּרִים); if so, in view of נשׂא 1 Samuel 2:28; 1 Samuel 14:3,18 (compare above), not used elsewhere = wear except 1 Samuel 22:18, & of 1 Samuel 23:6, the word might be used by metonymy for the breast-piece itself; b. others, e.g. StaGeschichte i. 466, 471 BuRS 115 and others, think of an image representing ׳י; compare following. 3. a. ephod of gold made by Gideon Judges 8:27 for a local sanctuary, by which Israel was ensnared; = 2b according to ᵑ6 Thes ('sine controversia') Stu and others + Sta Bu 1.c.; originally = gold sheathing of an image (compare etymology above & Isaiah 30:22 below אֲפֻדָּה); MV Be KöHauptprobleme 59 think of garment, as below 1 see above b. made (material not given) for a private, local sanctuary Judges 17:5; Judges 18:14,17,18,20 ("" מֶּסֶל, מַסֵּכָה, תְּרָפִים in all, for ᵐ5 gives מַסֵּכָה Judges 18:20, omitted by HCT); compare Hosea 3:4 Israel shall abide without king, prince, sacrifice, pillar, ephod or teraphim; according to Thes and others + Sta Bu l.c. = 2b; Stu Be Ry and others regard as below 1; in view of distinction from פסל, מסכה & תרפים 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). 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. 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·wḏLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Exodus 25:7 HEB: וְאַבְנֵ֖י מִלֻּאִ֑ים לָאֵפֹ֖ד וְלַחֹֽשֶׁן׃ NAS: stones for the ephod and for the breastpiece. KJV: to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate. INT: stones and setting the ephod the breastpiece Exodus 28:4 Exodus 28:6 Exodus 28:12 Exodus 28:15 Exodus 28:25 Exodus 28:26 Exodus 28:27 Exodus 28:27 Exodus 28:28 Exodus 28:28 Exodus 28:28 Exodus 28:31 Exodus 29:5 Exodus 29:5 Exodus 29:5 Exodus 35:9 Exodus 35:27 Exodus 39:2 Exodus 39:7 Exodus 39:8 Exodus 39:18 Exodus 39:19 Exodus 39:20 Exodus 39:20 49 Occurrences |
    |