Ephah (2)
Ephah (אֵיפָה, eyphah', rarely אֵפָה, ephah'), a measure of grain, containing "three seahs or ten omers," and equivalent in capacity to the bath for liquids (Ex 16:36; 1Sa 17:17; Zec 5:6; Jg 6:19; Ru 2:17; the "double ephah," Pr 20:10; De 25:14; Am 8:5, means two ephahs, the one just, the other false). According to Josephus (Ant. 8:2, 9), the ephah contained 72 sextarii, equal to the Attic (liquid) metretes, or 1933.95 Paris cubic inches, about 1 and one-twelfth bushels English (see Bockh, Metrolog. Untersuch. pages 259, 278). This is also confirmed by other testimony; so that there is doubtless an error in another passage of Josephus (Ant. 15:9, 2), where the ephah seems to be equal to 96 sextarii, or the Attic medimnus. The origin of this word is to be sought in the Egyptian language, where it signifies a measure, especially of corn, from which comes the Sept. rendering οἰφί (see Rediger, in Allg. Encyklop. s.v.; Gesenius, Thes. Ling. Hebrews in Append.). SEE MEASURES.
