efod · ephod

What it means

efod (אֵפוֹד) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “ephod”.

A garment of the high priest, like a vest or apron, worn over the robe (Exodus 28:6-14). In other passages, an object used in worship.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. A garment of the high priest, like a vest; or an object to inquire.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

Ephod: a priestly garment fitted to the body. That of the high priest, made of gold and colored cloth, bore on its shoulder pieces two stones with the names of the tribes and held the breastpiece. There was also a simple ephod, of linen, and ephods used to consult or as an object of worship.

• The ephod of the high priest Exodus 28:6Exodus 28:12Leviticus 8:7
• “A linen ephod” 1 Samuel 2:182 Samuel 6:14
• “Bring near the ephod”: consulting YHWH 1 Samuel 23:91 Samuel 30:7
• Ephods that become a trap Judges 8:27Judges 17:5
• “No ephod or teraphim” Hosea 3:4

Historical and cultural background

Exodus 28:6-12 describes the ephod: “of gold, blue, purple, scarlet {yarn}, and fine twisted linen”, with two stones on the shoulder pieces. Gideon made an ephod from the gold of the spoil, “and it became for Gideon and for his house a trap” (Judges 8:27).

How we translate it

Always “ephod” (49 times): the Hebrew word is transcribed because there is no English garment that corresponds to it. “A linen ephod” renders אֵפוֹד בָּד, with a note in 1 Samuel 2:18.

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Exodus×29
• Leviticus×2
• Judges×6
• 1 Samuel×9
• 2 Samuel×1
• 1 Chronicles×1
• Hosea×1

• Exodus 25:7

  onyx stones and stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece.

• Exodus 28:4

  These are the garments that they shall make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a checkered tunic, a turban, and a sash. They shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and for his sons to serve as priests for me.

• Exodus 28:6

  They shall make the ephod of gold, blue, purple, scarlet yarn, and fine twisted linen, the work of a skilled craftsman.

• Exodus 28:12

  You shall put the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as stones of memorial for the sons of Israel; and Aaron shall bear their names before YHWH on his two shoulders as a memorial.

• Exodus 28:15

  You shall make a breastpiece of judgment, the work of a skilled craftsman; like the work of the ephod you shall make it: of gold, blue, purple, scarlet yarn, and fine twisted linen you shall make it.

• Exodus 28:25

  and the other two ends of the two cords you shall put on the two settings, and put them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front of it.

• Exodus 28:26

  You shall make two rings of gold and put them on the two ends of the breastpiece, on its edge that is toward the side of the ephod, inward.

• Exodus 28:27

  You shall make two rings of gold and put them on the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, low down, on its front, close to its seam, above the woven band of the ephod.

• Exodus 28:28

  They shall bind the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue, so that it is on the woven band of the ephod, and the breastpiece shall not come loose from the ephod.

• Exodus 28:31

  You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue.

• Exodus 29:5

  You shall take the garments and clothe Aaron with the tunic, the robe of the ephod, the ephod, and the breastpiece, and gird him with the woven band of the ephod.

• Exodus 35:9

  and onyx stones, and stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece.

• Exodus 35:27

  And the chiefs brought the onyx stones and the stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece,

• Exodus 39:2

  And he made the ephod of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twisted fine linen.

• Exodus 39:7

  And he put them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as stones of memorial for the sons of Israel, as YHWH had commanded Moses.

• Exodus 39:8

  And he made the breastpiece, the work of a skilled craftsman, like the work of the ephod: of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and twisted fine linen.

• Exodus 39:18

  And the other two ends of the two cords they put on the two settings, and they put them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, at its front.

• Exodus 39:19

  And they made two rings of gold and put them on the two ends of the breastpiece, on its edge that was on the side of the ephod inward.

• Exodus 39:20

  And they made two rings of gold and put them on the two shoulder pieces of the ephod below, at its front, close to its joining, above the woven band of the ephod.

• Exodus 39:21

  And they bound the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a cord of blue, so that it would be on the woven band of the ephod, and the breastpiece would not come loose from the ephod, as YHWH had commanded Moses.

• Exodus 39:22

  And he made the robe of the ephod, the work of a weaver, all of blue.

• Leviticus 8:7

  He put on him the tunic, girded him with the sash, clothed him with the robe, put on him the ephod, and girded him with the band of the ephod, and bound it to him with it.

• Judges 8:27

  Gideon made it into an ephod and set it up in his city, in Ophrah; and all Israel prostituted themselves after it there, and it became for Gideon and for his house a trap.

• Judges 17:5

  And the man Micah had a house of Elohim, and he made an ephod and teraphim and ordained one of his sons, and he became his priest.

• Judges 18:14

  Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land of Laish spoke up and said to their brothers, “Do you know that there are in these houses an ephod and teraphim and a carved image and a cast image? Now consider what you will do.”

• Judges 18:17

  And the five men who had gone to spy out the land went up; they came in there, took the carved image, the ephod, the teraphim, and the cast image, while the priest was standing at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men armed with weapons of war.

• Judges 18:18

  These men went into Micah’s house and took the carved image of the ephod, the teraphim, and the cast image; and the priest said to them, “What are you doing?”

• Judges 18:20

  And the priest’s heart was glad, and he took the ephod, the teraphim, and the carved image, and went in the midst of the people.

• 1 Samuel 2:18

  But Samuel was ministering before YHWH, a boy girded with a linen ephod.

• 1 Samuel 2:28

  And I chose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to offer up incense in smoke, to wear an ephod before me; and I gave to the house of your father all the fire offerings of the sons of Israel.

• 1 Samuel 14:3

  And Ahijah son of Ahitub, brother of Ichabod, son of Phinehas, son of Eli, priest of YHWH at Shiloh, was carrying the ephod. And the people did not know that Jonathan had gone.

• 1 Samuel 21:9

  The priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck in the Valley of Elah, look, it is wrapped in a cloak behind the ephod. If you will take it for yourself, take it, for there is no other besides it here.” David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.”

• 1 Samuel 22:18

  The king said to Doeg, “You turn and fall upon the priests.” So Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and he put to death on that day eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod.

• 1 Samuel 23:6

  When Abiathar son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, the ephod came down in his hand.

• 1 Samuel 23:9

  David knew that Saul was plotting the evil against him, and he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring near the ephod.”

• 1 Samuel 30:7

  David said to Abiathar the priest, son of Ahimelech, “Please bring near to me the ephod.” And Abiathar brought the ephod to David.

• 2 Samuel 6:14

  David was dancing with all his strength before YHWH, and David was girded with a linen ephod.

• 1 Chronicles 15:27

  David was wrapped in a robe of fine linen, and all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and the singers, and Chenaniah, the chief of the carrying of the singers; and on David was a linen ephod.

• Hosea 3:4

  For many days the children of Israel will stay with no king and no prince, and no sacrifice and no standing stone, and no ephod or teraphim.

And 10 more times.