Reference: Ephod
American
An ornamental part of the dress worn by the Hebrew priests. It was worn above the tunic and the robe, was without sleeves, and open below the arms on each side, consisting of two pieces, one of which covered the front of the body and the other the back, joined together on the shoulders by golden buckles set with gems, and reaching down to the middle of the thigh. A girdle was inwoven with it, by which it was fastened around the body, Ex 28:6-12. There were two kinds of ephod: one plain, of linen, for the priests, 1Sa 22:18; another embroidered, for the high priest. Young Samuel wore an ephod, though only a Levite and a child, 1Sa 2:18. David, in transferring the ark to Jerusalem, was "girt with a linen ephod," 2Sa 6:14. The Jews had a peculiar superstitious regard for this garment, and employed it in connection with idolatrous worship. Gideon's ephod became a snare to Israel; and Micah made one, that his idol might be duly worshipped, Jg 8:27; 17:5; 18:17.
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And they shall make the ephod of gold, jacinth, scarlet, purple and white twined bysse with broidered work. The two sides shall come together, closed up in the edges thereof. read more. And the girdle of the ephod shall be of the same workmanship and of the same stuff: even of gold, jacinth, scarlet, purple and twined bysse. And thou shalt take two onyx stones and grave in them the names of the children of Israel: six in the one stone, and the other six in the other stone: according to the order of their birth. After the work of a stone graver, even as signets are graven, shalt thou grave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel, and shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold. And thou shalt put the two stones upon the two shoulders of the ephod, and they shall be stones of remembrance unto the children of Israel. And Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD upon his two shoulders for a remembrance.
And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city Ophrah. And all Israel went a whoring after him there, which thing was the ruin of Gideon's house.
And the man Micah had a chapel of gods, and made an ephod and images, and filled the hand of one of his sons which became his priest.
And the five men that went to spy out the land, went in thither and took the carved image and the ephod, the graven image, and the image of metal. And the priest stood in the entering of the gate with the six hundred men that were armed unto battle,
But the lad Samuel ministered before the LORD girded about with a linen ephod.
Then said the king to Doeg, "Turn thou and smite the priests." And Doeg the Edomite turned and ran upon the priests, and slew that same day four score and five persons that did wear each man a linen ephod.
And David danced before the LORD with all his might, in a linen ephod gird unto him.
Easton
something girt, a sacred vestment worn originally by the high priest (Ex 28:4), afterwards by the ordinary priest (1Sa 22:18), and characteristic of his office (1Sa 2:18,28; 14:3). It was worn by Samuel, and also by David (2Sa 6:14). It was made of fine linen, and consisted of two pieces, which hung from the neck, and covered both the back and front, above the tunic and outer garment (Ex 28:31). That of the high priest was embroidered with divers colours. The two pieces were joined together over the shoulders (hence in Latin called superhumerale) by clasps or buckles of gold or precious stones, and fastened round the waist by a "curious girdle of gold, blue, purple, and fine twined linen" (Ex 28:6-12).
The breastplate, with the Urim and Thummim, was attached to the ephod.
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"These are the garments which they shall make: a breastlap, ephod, a tunicle, a strait coat, a mitre and a girdle. And they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother and his sons, that he may minister unto me.
And they shall make the ephod of gold, jacinth, scarlet, purple and white twined bysse with broidered work. The two sides shall come together, closed up in the edges thereof. read more. And the girdle of the ephod shall be of the same workmanship and of the same stuff: even of gold, jacinth, scarlet, purple and twined bysse. And thou shalt take two onyx stones and grave in them the names of the children of Israel: six in the one stone, and the other six in the other stone: according to the order of their birth. After the work of a stone graver, even as signets are graven, shalt thou grave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel, and shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold. And thou shalt put the two stones upon the two shoulders of the ephod, and they shall be stones of remembrance unto the children of Israel. And Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD upon his two shoulders for a remembrance.
And thou shalt make the tunicle unto the ephod, altogether of jacinth.
But the lad Samuel ministered before the LORD girded about with a linen ephod.
And I chose thy father out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest for to offer upon mine altar and to burn cense, and to wear an ephod before me. And I gave unto the house of thy father all the offerings of the children of Israel.
And Ahijah the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, was the LORD's priest in Shiloh and bare an ephod. But the people knew not that Jonathan was gone.
Then said the king to Doeg, "Turn thou and smite the priests." And Doeg the Edomite turned and ran upon the priests, and slew that same day four score and five persons that did wear each man a linen ephod.
And David danced before the LORD with all his might, in a linen ephod gird unto him.
Fausets
1. The high priest's vestment, with the breast-plate and Urim and Thrumhim (some material objects in the bag of the breast-plate, used for consulting Jehovah by casting lots: Speaker's Commentary; but (See HIGH PRIEST) in it. This Abiathar carried off from the tabernacle at Nob, and David consulted (9/type/mstc'>1Sa 21:9; 23:6,9; 30:7). The breast-plate, with its twelve precious stones, gave an importance to the ephod which led to its adoption in the idolatries of Gideon and Micah (Jg 8:27; 17:5; 18:14).
The large amount of gold used by Gideon on his ephod was not the material of it, but the means wherewith he completed it; including the breast-plate (choshen), the 12 precious stones, and the two for the shoulders, the gold thread throughout, and gold braid, and gold twist chains fastening the breast-plate upon the ephod, and lastly the price of the labor (Ex 28:6-30). (See GIDEON.) His aim was by wearing it to have a vehicle for inquiring the will of Jehovah, through the Urim and Thummim, the holy lot, and breast-plate.
The ephod was also used, but without the breast-plate, by the ordinary priests, as their characteristic robe (1Sa 2:28; 14:3; 22:18; Ho 3:4). David's ephod, in bringing the ark to Jerusalem, differed from the priests' in being of ordinary linen (baad), whereas theirs was of fine linen (sheesh).
2. Father of Hanniel, head of Manasseh, assisted Joshua and Eleazar in apportioning Canaan (Nu 34:23).
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And they shall make the ephod of gold, jacinth, scarlet, purple and white twined bysse with broidered work. The two sides shall come together, closed up in the edges thereof. read more. And the girdle of the ephod shall be of the same workmanship and of the same stuff: even of gold, jacinth, scarlet, purple and twined bysse. And thou shalt take two onyx stones and grave in them the names of the children of Israel: six in the one stone, and the other six in the other stone: according to the order of their birth. After the work of a stone graver, even as signets are graven, shalt thou grave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel, and shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold. And thou shalt put the two stones upon the two shoulders of the ephod, and they shall be stones of remembrance unto the children of Israel. And Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD upon his two shoulders for a remembrance. And thou shalt make hooks of gold, and two chains of fine gold: link work and wreathed, and fasten the wreathed chains to the hooks. And thou shalt make the breastlap of example with broidered work: even after the work of the ephod shalt thou make it: of gold, jacinth, scarlet, purple and twined bysse shalt thou make it. Foursquare it shall be and double, a hand breadth long and a hand breadth broad. And thou shalt fill it with four rows of stones. In the first row shall be a Sardius, a Topaz and Smaragdus. The second row, a Ruby, Sapphire and Diamond. The third, Ligurius, an Agate and Amethyst. The fourth, a Turquoise, Onyx and Jasper. And they shall be set in gold in their enclosures. And the stones shall be graven as signets be graven: with the names of the children of Israel, even with twelve names every one with his name according to the twelve tribes. And thou shalt make upon the breastlap two fastening chains of pure gold and wreathen work. And thou shalt make likewise upon the breastlap two rings of gold and put them on the edges of the breastlap, and put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings which are in the edges of the breastlap. And the two ends of the two chains thou shalt fasten in the two rings, and put them upon the shoulders of the ephod: on the foreside of it. And thou shalt yet make two rings of gold, and put them in the two edges of the breastlap even in the borders thereof toward the inside of the ephod that is over against it. And yet two other rings of gold thou shalt make, and put them on the two sides of the ephod, beneath over against the breastlap, below where the sides are joined together upon the broidered girdle of the ephod. And they shall bind the breastlap by his rings unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of jacinth, that it may lie close unto the broidered girdle of the ephod, that the breastlap be not loosed from the ephod. "And Aaron shall bear the names of the children Israel in the breastlap of example upon his heart, when he goeth into the holy place, for a remembrance before the LORD always. And thou shalt put in the breastlap of example Light and Perfectness: that they be even upon Aaron's heart when he goeth in before the LORD and Aaron shall bear the example of the children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD always.
and among the children of Joseph: in the tribe of the children of Manasseh, the lord Hanniel the son of Ephod;
And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city Ophrah. And all Israel went a whoring after him there, which thing was the ruin of Gideon's house.
And the man Micah had a chapel of gods, and made an ephod and images, and filled the hand of one of his sons which became his priest.
Then answered the five men that went to spy out the country of Laish, and said unto their brethren, "Know ye not that there is in these houses an ephod and images; and a graven image and an image of metal? Now therefore consider what ye have to do."
And I chose thy father out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest for to offer upon mine altar and to burn cense, and to wear an ephod before me. And I gave unto the house of thy father all the offerings of the children of Israel.
And Ahijah the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, was the LORD's priest in Shiloh and bare an ephod. But the people knew not that Jonathan was gone.
Then the priest answered, "The sword of Goliath, the Philistine whom thou slewest in Oakdale; that is here, wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here." And David said, "There is none to that, give it me."
Then said the king to Doeg, "Turn thou and smite the priests." And Doeg the Edomite turned and ran upon the priests, and slew that same day four score and five persons that did wear each man a linen ephod.
And it chanced when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David to Keilah that he brought an ephod in his hand.
But David had knowledge that Saul imagined mischief against him, and said therefore to Abiathar the priest, "Bring the ephod."
But David took a good courage to him in the LORD his God and said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, "Bring me the ephod." And Abiathar brought the ephod to David.
Thus the children of Israel shall sit a great while without king and prince, without offering and alter, without priest and revelation.
Hastings
1. Father of Hanniel (Nu 34:23 Priestly Narrative). 2. See Dress,
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and among the children of Joseph: in the tribe of the children of Manasseh, the lord Hanniel the son of Ephod;
And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city Ophrah. And all Israel went a whoring after him there, which thing was the ruin of Gideon's house.
And the man Micah had a chapel of gods, and made an ephod and images, and filled the hand of one of his sons which became his priest.
Then answered the five men that went to spy out the country of Laish, and said unto their brethren, "Know ye not that there is in these houses an ephod and images; and a graven image and an image of metal? Now therefore consider what ye have to do."
And the five men that went to spy out the land, went in thither and took the carved image and the ephod, the graven image, and the image of metal. And the priest stood in the entering of the gate with the six hundred men that were armed unto battle, while the other went to Micah's house, and fetched the carved image, the ephod, the graven image and the image of metal. Then said the priest unto them, "What do ye?"
And the priest was glad and took the ephod and the images, and the graven image, and went with the people.
Morish
Ephod. E'phod
Father of Hanniel, of the tribe of Manasseh. Nu 34:23.
Ephod.
1. The ephod worn by the high priest. Minute instructions were given as to its construction. It was to be made of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work. The gold was beaten into thin plates and then cut into wires, which were woven into the fabric. Its GIRDLE was also to be of the same materials with embroidered work. On the shoulders were fastened two stones, engraved with the names of the twelve tribes, six names on each stone; so that whenever Aaron wore the ephod the twelve tribes were represented. We read also of the ROBE OF THE EPHOD, which was all of blue, and along the bottom of which were pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet, with bells of gold between them. The robe was doubtless much longer than the ephod, which is supposed not to have reached the knees, and which was worn over the robe, and the BREASTPLATE over the ephod. There was also a broidered coat of fine linen; this was worn under the robe. These with the mitre constituted Aaron's garments 'for glory and for beauty.' Ex 28:1-39. Apparently the ordinary priestly garments worn by Aaron's sons are also said to be 'for glory and for beauty.' Ex 28:40.
In the various textures of the ephod there are typified divine righteousness, heavenliness, royalty, dignity, and the graces of the Spirit: the virtues that characterised the Lord Jesus. Inseparably attached to the ephod was the breastplate, in which were the Urim and Thummim; thus in wearing the ephod the judgement of the children of Israel was borne before the Lord, according to His lights and perfections. Though not worn on ordinary occasions, it was required when directions were sought from God: cf. 1Sa 21:9. Thus receiving answers from God is also associated with the Urim and Thummim, which were placed in the breastplate. Ex 28:28: cf. Nu 27:21; 1Sa 28:6; Ezr 2:63; Ne 7:65. The word 'Ephod' is the same in the Hebrew, and is from 'to bind round or gird,' so that its meaning does not seem to go beyond 'a priestly garment.' Ex 29:5; 35:9,27; 39:2-22; Le 8:7; 1Sa 2:28.
2. Besides the above, which may be called the ephod, there were others which the priests wore, but which are not described. 1Sa 14:3; 22:18; 23:6,9; 30:7; Ho 3:4. David, on the occasion of bringing up the ark, wore a linen ephod. 2Sa 6:14; 1Ch 15:27. Samuel also, when only a child, wore a linen ephod. 1Sa 2:18. In all the above passages the ephod bears the character of a priestly garment, though David was not of the tribe of Aaron. Type of the kingly Priest of the order of Melchisedec.
3. A strange deviation from the above was the ephod which Gideon made of the gold, the ornaments, and the purple raiment taken from the Midianites, after which all Israel went astray, and which became a snare to Gideon and his house. Jg 8:27. Still worse was the case of Micah who, having a house of gods, made an ephod, and consecrated one of his sons to be priest. A Levite coming to the house fell in with the whole arrangement, and pretended to inquire of God by the ephod. When the gods were stolen by the children of Dan, the Levite was glad to accompany the idols and the ephod, and to be a priest to this tribe. Thus was the priestly garment that should have been restricted to the service of Jehovah associated with idolatry. Jg 17:5; 18:14-20.
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And take thou unto thee, Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me: both Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons. And thou shalt make holy raiment for Aaron thy brother, both honorable and glorious. read more. Moreover, speak unto all that are wise hearted, which I have filled with the spirit of wisdom: that they make Aaron's raiment to consecrate him with, that he may minister unto me. "These are the garments which they shall make: a breastlap, ephod, a tunicle, a strait coat, a mitre and a girdle. And they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother and his sons, that he may minister unto me. And they shall take thereto, gold, jacinth, scarlet, purple and bysse. And they shall make the ephod of gold, jacinth, scarlet, purple and white twined bysse with broidered work. The two sides shall come together, closed up in the edges thereof. And the girdle of the ephod shall be of the same workmanship and of the same stuff: even of gold, jacinth, scarlet, purple and twined bysse. And thou shalt take two onyx stones and grave in them the names of the children of Israel: six in the one stone, and the other six in the other stone: according to the order of their birth. After the work of a stone graver, even as signets are graven, shalt thou grave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel, and shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold. And thou shalt put the two stones upon the two shoulders of the ephod, and they shall be stones of remembrance unto the children of Israel. And Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD upon his two shoulders for a remembrance. And thou shalt make hooks of gold, and two chains of fine gold: link work and wreathed, and fasten the wreathed chains to the hooks. And thou shalt make the breastlap of example with broidered work: even after the work of the ephod shalt thou make it: of gold, jacinth, scarlet, purple and twined bysse shalt thou make it. Foursquare it shall be and double, a hand breadth long and a hand breadth broad. And thou shalt fill it with four rows of stones. In the first row shall be a Sardius, a Topaz and Smaragdus. The second row, a Ruby, Sapphire and Diamond. The third, Ligurius, an Agate and Amethyst. The fourth, a Turquoise, Onyx and Jasper. And they shall be set in gold in their enclosures. And the stones shall be graven as signets be graven: with the names of the children of Israel, even with twelve names every one with his name according to the twelve tribes. And thou shalt make upon the breastlap two fastening chains of pure gold and wreathen work. And thou shalt make likewise upon the breastlap two rings of gold and put them on the edges of the breastlap, and put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings which are in the edges of the breastlap. And the two ends of the two chains thou shalt fasten in the two rings, and put them upon the shoulders of the ephod: on the foreside of it. And thou shalt yet make two rings of gold, and put them in the two edges of the breastlap even in the borders thereof toward the inside of the ephod that is over against it. And yet two other rings of gold thou shalt make, and put them on the two sides of the ephod, beneath over against the breastlap, below where the sides are joined together upon the broidered girdle of the ephod. And they shall bind the breastlap by his rings unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of jacinth, that it may lie close unto the broidered girdle of the ephod, that the breastlap be not loosed from the ephod.
And they shall bind the breastlap by his rings unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of jacinth, that it may lie close unto the broidered girdle of the ephod, that the breastlap be not loosed from the ephod. "And Aaron shall bear the names of the children Israel in the breastlap of example upon his heart, when he goeth into the holy place, for a remembrance before the LORD always. read more. And thou shalt put in the breastlap of example Light and Perfectness: that they be even upon Aaron's heart when he goeth in before the LORD and Aaron shall bear the example of the children of Israel upon his heart before the LORD always. And thou shalt make the tunicle unto the ephod, altogether of jacinth. And there shall be a hole for the head in the midst of it, and let there be a bond of woven work round about the collar of it: as it were the collar of a partlet, that it rend not. And beneath upon the hem, thou shalt make pomegranates of Jacincth, of scarlet, and of purple round about the hem, and bells of gold between them round about: that there be ever a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, round about upon the hem of the tunicle. And Aaron shall have it upon him when he ministereth, that the sound may be heard when he goeth into the holy place before the LORD and when he cometh out, that he die not. And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave thereon, as signets are graven, 'The holiness of the LORD,' and put it on a lace of Jacincth and tie it unto the mitre, upon the forefront of it, that it be upon Aaron's forehead: that Aaron bear the sin of the holy things which the children of Israel have hallowed in all their holy gifts. And it shall be always upon Aaron's forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD. And thou shalt make an alb of bysse, and thou shalt make a mitre of bysse and a girdle of needle work. And thou shalt make for Aaron's sons also coats, girdles and bonnets; honorable and glorious,
and take the garments, and put upon Aaron: the strait coat, and the tunicle of the ephod, and the ephod and the breastlap: and girth them to him with the broidered girdle of the ephod.
and onyx stones and stones to be set for the ephod and for the breastlap.'
And the lords brought onyx stones and setstones for the ephod, and for the breastlap,
And they made the ephod of gold, jacinth, scarlet, purple, and twined bysse. And they did beat the gold into thin plates, and cut it into wires: to work it in the jacinth, scarlet, purple, and the bysse, with broidered work. read more. And they made the sides come together, and closed them up by the two edges. And the broidering of the girdle that was upon it, was of the same stuff and after the same work of gold, jacinth, scarlet, purple and twined bysse, as the LORD commanded Moses. And they wrought onyx stones closed in ouches of gold and graved as signets are graven with the names of the children of Israel, and put them on the shoulders of the ephod that they should be a remembrance of the children of Israel, as the LORD commanded Moses. And they made the breastlap of cunning work, after the work of the ephod: even of gold, jacinth, scarlet, purple and twined bysse. And they made it four square and double, a hand breadth long and a hand breadth broad. And they filled it with four rows of stones - the first row: Sardius, a Topaz and Smaragdus; the second row: a Ruby, a Sapphire and a Diamond; the third row: Ligurius, an Agate and an Amethyst; The fourth row: a Turquoise, an Onyx and a Jasper - closed in ouches of gold in their enclosures. And the twelve stones were graven as signets with the names of the children of Israel: every stone with his name, according to the twelve tribes. And they made, upon the breastlap, two fastening chains of wreathen work and pure gold. And they made two hooks of gold and two gold rings, and put the two rings upon the two corners of the breastlap. And they put the two chains of gold in the two rings, in the corners of the breastlap. And the two ends of the two chains they fastened in the two hooks, and put them on the shoulders of the ephod upon the forefront of it. And they made two other rings of gold and put them on the two other corners of the breastlap along upon the edge of it, toward the inside of the ephod that is over against it. And they made yet two other gold rings, and put them on the two sides of the ephod, beneath on the fore side of it: even where the sides go together, above upon the broidering of the ephod, and they strained the breastlap by his rings unto the rings of the ephod, with laces of jacinth, that it might lie fast upon the broidering of the ephod, and should not be loosed from of the ephod: as the LORD commanded Moses. And he made the tunicle unto the ephod of woven work and all together of jacinth,
and put upon him the alb and gird him with a girdle, and put upon him the tunicle, and put the ephod thereon, and girded him with the broidered girdle of the ephod, and bound it unto him therewith.
And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest which shall ask counsel for him, after the manner of the light, before the LORD: And at the mouth of Eleazar shall both he and all the children of Israel with him, and all the congregation, go in and out."
and among the children of Joseph: in the tribe of the children of Manasseh, the lord Hanniel the son of Ephod;
And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city Ophrah. And all Israel went a whoring after him there, which thing was the ruin of Gideon's house.
And the man Micah had a chapel of gods, and made an ephod and images, and filled the hand of one of his sons which became his priest.
Then answered the five men that went to spy out the country of Laish, and said unto their brethren, "Know ye not that there is in these houses an ephod and images; and a graven image and an image of metal? Now therefore consider what ye have to do." And they turned thitherward and came to the house of the young man the Levite in the house of Micah, and saluted him peaceably. read more. And the six hundred men girded with weapons of war, which were of the children of Dan, stood in the entering of the gate. And the five men that went to spy out the land, went in thither and took the carved image and the ephod, the graven image, and the image of metal. And the priest stood in the entering of the gate with the six hundred men that were armed unto battle, while the other went to Micah's house, and fetched the carved image, the ephod, the graven image and the image of metal. Then said the priest unto them, "What do ye?" And they answered him, "Hold thy peace, and put thine hand upon thy mouth, and come with us, and be unto us a father and a priest. Whether is it better for thee to be a priest? Unto the house of one man, or to be priest unto a tribe or a kindred in Israel?" And the priest was glad and took the ephod and the images, and the graven image, and went with the people.
But the lad Samuel ministered before the LORD girded about with a linen ephod.
And Ahijah the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, was the LORD's priest in Shiloh and bare an ephod. But the people knew not that Jonathan was gone.
Then the priest answered, "The sword of Goliath, the Philistine whom thou slewest in Oakdale; that is here, wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here." And David said, "There is none to that, give it me."
Then said the king to Doeg, "Turn thou and smite the priests." And Doeg the Edomite turned and ran upon the priests, and slew that same day four score and five persons that did wear each man a linen ephod.
And it chanced when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David to Keilah that he brought an ephod in his hand.
But David had knowledge that Saul imagined mischief against him, and said therefore to Abiathar the priest, "Bring the ephod."
But David took a good courage to him in the LORD his God and said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, "Bring me the ephod." And Abiathar brought the ephod to David.
And David danced before the LORD with all his might, in a linen ephod gird unto him.
And Hathirsatha said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy, till there rose up a priest with the light and perfectness.
And Hathirsatha said unto them that they should not eat of the most holy, till there came up a Priest with light and perfectness.
Thus the children of Israel shall sit a great while without king and prince, without offering and alter, without priest and revelation.
Smith
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and among the children of Joseph: in the tribe of the children of Manasseh, the lord Hanniel the son of Ephod;
Watsons
EPHOD, ????. This article of dress was worn by laymen as well as by the high priest. The sacred ephod, the one made for the high priest, differed from the others, in being fabricated of cotton, which was coloured with crimson, purple, and blue, and in being ornamented with gold. In the time of Josephus, it was a cubit of the larger size in length, and was furnished with sleeves. The high priest's ephod had a very rich button upon each shoulder, made of a large onyx stone set in gold. This stone was so large, that the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were engraven, six on each stone, Ex 28:9-12. The word shoham, which we render onyx, is translated, by the Septuagint, smaragdos, an emerald; but as we have no certain knowledge either of this, or of any of the twelve stones of the breastplate, we may as well be satisfied with our translation as with any other. To the ephod belonged a curious girdle, of the same rich fabric as the ephod itself. This girdle is said to be upon the ephod, Ex 28:8; that is, woven with the ephod, as Maimonides understands; and, coming out from the ephod on each side, it was brought under the arms like a sash, and tied upon the breast. Samuel, though Levite only, and a child, wore a linen ephod, 1Sa 2:18. And David, in the ceremony of removing the ark from the house of Obed-edom to Jerusalem, was girt with a linen ephod, 2Sa 6:14. The Levites were not generally allowed to wear the ephod; but in the time of Agrippa, as we are told by Josephus, a little before the taking of Jerusalem by the Romans, they obtained of that prince permission to wear the linen stole, as well as the priests. Spencer and Cunaeus are of opinion, that the Jewish kings had a right to wear the ephod, because David, coming to Ziklag, and finding that the Amalekites had plundered the city, and carried away his and the people's wives, ordered Abiathar, the high priest, to bring him the ephod, which being done, David inquired of the Lord, saying, "Shall I pursue after this troop?" 1Sa 30:8. Whence they infer, that David consulted God by urim and thummim, and consequently put on the ephod. But it is probable the text only means that he ordered the priest to do what he is himself said to have done. The ephod of Gideon is remarkable for having become the occasion of a new kind of idolatry to the Israelites, Jg 8:27. What this consisted in, is matter of dispute among the learned. Some authors are of opinion that this ephod, as it is called, was an idol; others, that it was only a trophy in memory of the signal victory obtained by Gideon, and that the Israelites paid a kind of divine worship to it; so that Gideon was the innocent cause of their idolatry, in like manner as Moses had been in making the brazen serpent, which was afterward worshipped.
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And the girdle of the ephod shall be of the same workmanship and of the same stuff: even of gold, jacinth, scarlet, purple and twined bysse. And thou shalt take two onyx stones and grave in them the names of the children of Israel: read more. six in the one stone, and the other six in the other stone: according to the order of their birth. After the work of a stone graver, even as signets are graven, shalt thou grave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel, and shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold. And thou shalt put the two stones upon the two shoulders of the ephod, and they shall be stones of remembrance unto the children of Israel. And Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD upon his two shoulders for a remembrance.
And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city Ophrah. And all Israel went a whoring after him there, which thing was the ruin of Gideon's house.
But the lad Samuel ministered before the LORD girded about with a linen ephod.
And David asked the LORD, saying, "Shall I follow after this company? And shall I overtake them?" And he said to him, "Follow, for thou shalt overtake them and recover the prey."
And David danced before the LORD with all his might, in a linen ephod gird unto him.