Bible Dictionary
Ephah
Ephah was the name of several persons and a descendant of Midian, and it was also the name of a dry measure for grain. An ephah contained ten omers, or three seahs, and was comparable to a bath in capacity.
Definition
Ephah was the name of several persons and also of a grain measure. Persons called Ephah included a son of Midian, a concubine of Caleb, and a descendant of Judah.
Biblical Usage
The Ephah descended from Midian is connected with a city and people mentioned by Isaiah. The measure appears in passages concerning grain, commerce, and honest weights.
Historical Background
The ephah was a measure containing three seahs or ten omers and was equivalent to the bath for liquids. A “double ephah” contrasted a false measure with a just one.
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Gloom. (1.) One of the five sons of Midian, and grandson of Abraham (Gen. 25:4). The city of Ephah, to which he gave his name, is mentioned Isa. 60:6, 7. This city, with its surrounding territory, formed part of Midian, on the east shore of the Dead Sea. It abounded in dromedaries and camels (Judg. 6:5). (2.) 1 Chr. 2:46, a concubine of Caleb. (3.) 1 Chr. 2:47, a descendant of Judah. Ephah, a word of Egyptian origin, meaning measure; a grain measure containing “three seahs or ten omers,” and equivalent to the bath for liquids (Ex. 16:36; 1 Sam. 17:17; Zech. 5:6). The double ephah in Prov. 20:10 (marg., “an ephah and an ephah”), Deut. 25:14, means two ephahs, the one false and the other just.
Smith's Bible Dictionary
[Weights And Measures AND Measures]