Ephah

Ephah (/ˈiː.fɑː/,[1] Hebrew: עֵיפָה‎‎ ‘Êp̄āh) was one of Midian's five sons as listed in the Hebrew Bible.[2] The son of Abraham, Midian's five sons were Ephah, Epher, Enoch, Abida,[3] and Eldaah. These five were the progenitors of the Midianites.

Other uses

Biblical Figure

The name of three persons in the Old Testament, two men and one woman.

(1) The son of Midian, descended from Abraham by his wife Keturah (Genesis 25:4 ; 1 Chronicles 1:33), mentioned again in Isaiah 60:6 as a transporter of gold and frankincense from Sheba, who shall thus bring enlargement to Judah and praise to Yahweh. According to Fried. Delitzsch, Schrader, and Hommel, `Ephah is an abbreviation of `Ayappa, the Kha-yappa Arabs of the time of Tiglath-pileser III and Sargon.

(2) A concubine of Caleb (1 Chronicles 2:46).

(3) The son of Jahdai, a descendant of Judah (1 Chronicles 2:47).[4]

Geography

The Book of Isaiah, chapter 60, mentions a land of Ephah whence camels and dromedaries would come to Israel: "A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah". K E Bailey suggests Ephah is a tribal land in northern Arabia.[5]

Measurement

The Hebrew word "ephah" (איפה) means a particular measure for grain, and "measure" in general.

The measurement for an ephah is about 21.14 litres, or ten omers.[6] A dry measure of about 3/5 of a bushel capacity. It corresponds to the bath (Ezekiel 45:11) in liquid measure and was the standard for measuring grain and similar articles since it is classed with balances and weights (Leviticus 19:36 ; Amos 8:5) in the injunctions regarding just dealing in trade. In Zechariah 5:6 - 5:10 it is used for the utensil itself.

We learn from Ezekiel 45:11 that the bath and ephah were equivalent, or about 1,290.04 cubic inches, which would correspond to about 4.65 gallons English measure.[7]

References

  1. ↑ LDS.org: "Book of Mormon Pronunciation Guide" (retrieved 2012-02-25), IPA-ified from «ē´fä»
  2. ↑ Genesis 25:1–4; I Chronicles 1:32–33
  3. ↑ R. V. "Abida"
  4. ↑ "Bibler.org - Dictionary - Ephah". 2012-05-27.
  5. ↑ K E Bailey, Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes, SPCK London 2008 p. 54
  6. ↑ Exodus 16:36
  7. ↑ "convert-me.com - Ephah". 2015-07-17.
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