Exodus 16:36 — Word Study
WLCוְהָעֹ֕מֶר עֲשִׂרִ֥ית הָאֵיפָ֖ה הֽוּא׃ פ
BSA(Now an omerʻômer [a unit of measurement, about 2 liters] is a tenthʻăsîyrîy [one part out of ten] of an ephahʼêyphâh [a larger unit, about 9 gallons]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וְהָעֹ֕מֶר | and the omer | Conjunction, particle, noun common masculine singular absolute |
| עֲשִׂרִ֥ית | [is] [the] tenth [part] of | Adj |
| הָאֵיפָ֖ה | the ephah | Particle, noun common feminine singular absolute |
| הֽוּא׃ פ | it | Pronoun |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | (Now an omer is a tenth of an ephah.) |
| KJV | Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah. |
| ASV | Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah. |
| YLT | and the omer is a tenth of the ephah. |
| WEB | Now an omer is one tenth of an ephah. |
| BBE | Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah. |
All translations agree on the definition of an omer as a measurement, with no significant differences.
The sentence is straightforward, presenting a clear definition of the omer in relation to the ephah.
7 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Trapp, Ellicott & more — read them ›
clause
subjectהוּא
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Exodus 16:36
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — Instructions Regarding Mannagenerated
Exodus 16:36 provides a definition of the omer, a unit of measurement used in the context of the manna that God provided to the Israelites during their journey in the wilderness. This measurement is part of a larger narrative that includes instructions on how to collect and preserve the manna, emphasizing God's provision for His people.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Exodus 16:16–32 | This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Each one is to gather as much as he needs. You may take an omer for each person in your tent.’” |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 1 reference, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — עֹמֶר, ve.ha.'O.mergenerated
The word עֹמֶר (omer) is a noun referring to a unit of measurement, specifically a volume of about 2 liters. It is derived from a root meaning 'heap', indicating a quantity that is gathered or collected. In this context, it represents a standard measure for dry goods, particularly grain, as seen in Exodus 16.
The use of עֹמֶר in this verse highlights its importance in the daily life of the Israelites, as it was a common measure for food during their time in the desert.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
The translations agree on the meaning of an omer as a measurement, with all versions reflecting the definition provided in the verse.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The finite verb in this verse is הוּא (it), which serves as the predicate linking the subject to its description. The structure is straightforward, presenting the definition of the omer in relation to the ephah.
The sentence is structured to provide a clear definition, with the subject הָעֹמֶר (the omer) followed by its description as a fraction of the ephah, emphasizing the relationship between these two units of measurement.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
In the Septuagint, the Hebrew עֹמֶר is rendered as γομορ, which indicates a translation choice that emphasizes the measurement aspect of the term. This choice aligns with the context of the verse, focusing on quantifying food.
The Greek term does not carry the same agricultural connotations as the Hebrew but maintains the focus on measurement, showing a slight narrowing of the original meaning.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Exodus 16:36 tells us that an omer is a measurement used for dry goods, specifically a tenth of an ephah. An omer is about 2 liters, while an ephah is about 9 gallons. This verse clarifies how these measurements relate to the manna provided to the Israelites.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
The omer is significant as it quantifies the amount of manna that each person was to collect, ensuring everyone received their fair share.
The ephah is important as it serves as a larger unit of measurement for grain, indicating the scale of food provision in ancient Israel.
The omer represents God's provision for the Israelites during their time in the wilderness, ensuring they had enough sustenance to survive.
Yes, the term omer is also used in other contexts related to measuring grain and food, emphasizing its role in agricultural practices.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- How can understanding measurements like the omer help us appreciate God's provision?
- In what ways do we see God's care for our needs today, similar to how He provided for the Israelites?
- How might the concept of sharing resources, as indicated by the omer, apply to our lives?
- What lessons can we learn about trust and dependence on God from the Israelites' experience with manna?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Clement of Alexandria references this verse to discuss the significance of the omer in relation to God's provision.
Anyway, when the instruction is given to consecrate in a golden vessel the memorial of the food sent down by God from heaven, “the gomor,” it is written, “is a tenth part of three measures.” For our purposes,Early Church Fathers on Exodus 16 →
Commentators on this verse — 7 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Exodus 16:36 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleNow an omer is the tenth part of an ephah. Frequent mention being made of this measure in the above relation, as containing the quantity of each man's share of the manna daily, during the forty
Read John Gill on Exodus 16 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryAnd Moses said, This is the thing which the LORD commandeth, Fill an omer of it to be kept for your generations; that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought
Read Robert Jamieson on Exodus 16 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsExodus 16:36 Now an omer [is] the tenth [part] of an ephah.Ver. 36. Of an ephah.] Or, Of a bushel: a plentiful allowance.
Read John Trapp on Exodus 16 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(36) Now an omer.—The “omer” and the “ephah” were both of them Egyptian measures. One—the latter—continued in use among the Hebrews, at any rate, until the captivity (Ezekiel 45, 46); the other—the omer—fell out of use very early. Hence this parenthetic verse, which is exegetical of the word “omer,” and may have been added by the completer of Deuteronomy, or by some later editor—perhaps Ezra.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Exodus 16 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 36. Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah.] About six pints, English. See Clarke on Exodus 16:16. The true place of this verse seems to be immediately after Exodus 16:18, for here it has no connection. 1. ON the miracle of the manna, which is the chief subject in this chapter, a good deal has already been said in the preceding notes. The sacred historian has given us the most circumstantial proofs that it was a supernatural and miraculous supply; that nothing of the kind had ever been seen before, and probably nothing like it had ever afterwards appeared. That it was a type of our blessed Redeemer, and of the salvation which he has provided for man, there can be no doubt, for in…
Read AdamClarke on Exodus 16 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges36. An explanatory note: cf. on v. 16. The manna of the Peninsula of Sinai is the sweet juice of the Ṭ ?arfa, a species of Tamarisk. It exudes in summer by night from the trunk and branches, and forms small round white grains, which (as observed by Seetzen in 1809) partly adhere to the twigs of the trees, and partly drop to the ground: in the early morning it is of the consistency of wax, but the sun’s rays soon melt it (cf. v. 21, above), and later in the day it disappears, being absorbed in the earth. A fresh supply appears each night during its season (June and July). The Arabs gather it in the early morning, boil it down, strain it through coarse stuff, and keep it in leather skins…
Read Cambridge on Exodus 16 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible36. An omer — The reason for here specially mentioning the capacity of the omer seems to be that given by Michaelis and Hengstenberg.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Exodus 16 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
(Now an omer is a tenth of an ephah.)
Now an omer is one tenth of an ephah.
(Now an omer is a tenth of an ephah.)
(Now an omer is one tenth of an ephah.)
Tyndale line
Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah.
Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah.
Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah.
Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah.
The Omer is the tenth part of the Ephah.
Strictly literal
Now an omer is the tenth [part] of an ephah.
and the omer is a tenth of the ephah.
And the omer is a tenth of the ephah.
But the omer is a tenth part of an ephah.
Now an omer is a tenth of an ephah.
From the Latin
Now a gomor is the tenth part of an ephi.
Simplified
(An omer is a tenth of an ephah.)
Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text is supported by the Septuagint, which matches three of the four words. The Samaritan Pentateuch differs by using the word עשׂירת (tenth) instead of the Masoretic עֲשִׂרִית. The Dead Sea Scrolls show no variations in the text but are partially restored by an editor.
וְהָעֹ֕מֶר עֲשִׂרִ֥ית הָאֵיפָ֖ה הֽוּא׃ פ
3 of the 4 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
והעמר עשׂירת האיפה הוא
1 word differs from the Masoretic Text: עשׂירת (tenth)
[והעמר] [עשרית] [האיפה] [הוא]
nothing on the leather here — 4 supplied entire by an editor.
[והעמר] [עשרית] [האיפה] [הוא]
nothing on the leather here — 4 supplied entire by an editor.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Exodus 16:36
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
עֹ֫מֶר (omer) refers to both a sheaf and a measure of dry volume, specifically one-tenth of an ephah, approximately two liters. The term is derived from a root meaning 'heap.' It appears in the context of agricultural produce, particularly in Exodus 16.
עֹ֫מֶר n.m. sheaf
base
עֹ֫מֶר n.m. omer;—a measure, only Ex 16
base
H6016a עֹ֫מֶר sheaf H6016b עֹ֫מֶר omer;—a measure
6016 `omer o'-mer
from 6014; properly, a heap, i.e. a sheaf; also an omer, as a
dry measure:--omer, sheaf.
see HEBREW for 06014
עֹ֫מֶר (o.mer) — sheaf.
sheaf
עֹ֫מֶר (o.mer) — omer.
1) omer
1a) a dry measure of 1/10 ephah (about 2 litres)
Conj | Art | N-ms — Conjunction · particle · noun common masculine singular absoluteHC/Td/Ncmsa
o'-mer (`omer): A dry measure, the tenth of an ephah, equal to about 7 1/2 pints.
See WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.
Omer
A handful, one-tenth of an ephah=half a gallon dry measure (Ex. 16:22, 32, 33, 36)=“tenth deal.”
[WEIGHTS AND MEASURES AND MEASURES.]
A measure of capacity among the Hebrews; the tenth part of an ephah; a little more than five pints.
עֲשִׂירִי (asiyriy) means 'tenth' and is used as an ordinal number. It can refer to a tenth part or the tenth month, derived from the root meaning 'ten' (H6235). The entries consistently define it as relating to the number ten without any noted disagreements.
עֲשִׂירִי, עֲשִׂירִיָּה, עֲשִׂירִית tenth
base
H6224 עֲשִׂירִי, עֲשִׂירִיָּה, עֲשִׂירִית tenth
6224 `asiyriy as-ee-ree'
from 6235; tenth; by abbreviation, tenth month or (feminine)
part:--tenth (part).
see HEBREW for 06235
עֲשִׂירִי (a.si.ri) — tenth.
1) ordinal number
1a) a tenth
Adj — AdjHAofsc
ov:
(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.
OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]
1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.
I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.
For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.
Lamentations 3:1.
The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.
Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.
That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.
Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…
אֵיפָה (ephah) refers to a dry measure used for grain, equivalent to about 9 imperial gallons or 40 liters. It can denote both the quantity itself and the container used for measuring that amount. The term is derived from Egyptian and is mentioned in contexts related to measuring grain.
אֵיפָה 35, אֵפָה n.f. ephah
a certain quantity of wheat, barley, etc. = ten omers
receptacle or measure, holding an ephah
base
H374 אֵיפָה, אֵפָה ephah
374 'eyphah ay-faw'
or (shortened) ephah {ay-faw'}; of Egyptian derivation; an
ephah or measure for grain; hence, a measure in general:--
ephah, (divers) measure(-s).
אֵיפָה (e.phah) — ephah.
1) ephah
1a) a dry measure of quantity, equal to 3 seahs, 10 omers; the same as the liquid measure bath; (about 9 imperial gallons (40 l), rabbinical writings give sizes of one-half this amount)
1b) the receptacle for measuring or holding that amount
Art | N-fs — Particle · noun common feminine singular absoluteHTd/Ncfsa
Ephah
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;
[WEIGHTS AND MEASURES AND MEASURES]
1. A measure of capacity used among the Hebrews, containing three pecks and three pints. The Ephah was a dry measure, as of barley, Ru 2:17; and meal, Nu 5:15 Jud 6:19; and was of the same capacity with the bath in liquids. See BATH, or Ephah.
2. The son of Midian, and grandson of Abraham, Ge 25:4, who settled and gave his name to a region in Arabia supposed to have been near Midian, Isa 60:6.
weary; tired
הוּא (hu) is a third-person singular pronoun meaning he, she, or it, used for emphasis or when no verb is present. It can also refer to oneself or serve as a demonstrative pronoun. The word has various nuances, including resuming the subject with emphasis or expressing it unobtrusively. It can indicate 'that' or 'those' when used with the definite article.
הוּא m. הִיא f., pron. of the 3rd ps. sing. he, she, used also (in both genders) for the neuter it
an emph. he (she, it, they), sometimes equivalent to himself (herself, itself, themselves), or (esp. with the art.) that (those)
It resumes the subj. with emph.
Where, however, the pron. follows the pred., its position gives it the minimum of emphasis, and it expresses (or resumes) the subject as unobtrusively as possible
It anticipates (as it seems) the subject
As an emph. predicate, of God
In a neuter sense, that, it (of an action, occurrence, matte, etc.)
With the art.: so regularly when joined to a subst. defined itself by the art.
base
H1931 הוּא, הִיא he, she, used also (in both genders) for the neuter it . an emph. he (she, it, they), sometimes equivalent to himself (herself, itself, themselves), or (esp. with the art.) that (those)
. It resumes the subj. with emph.
. Where, however, the pron. follows the pred., its position gives it the minimum of emphasis, and it expresses (or resumes) the subject as unobtrusively as possible
. It anticipates (as it seems) the subject
. As an emph. predicate, of God
. In a neuter sense, that, it (of an action, occurrence, matte, etc.)
. With the art.: so regularly when joined to a subst. defined itself by the art.
1931 huw' hoo
of which the feminine (beyond the Pentateuch) is hiyw {he}; a
primitive word, the third person pronoun singular, he (she or
it); only expressed when emphatic or without a verb; also
(intensively) self, or (especially with the article) the same;
sometimes (as demonstrative) this or that; occasionally
(instead of copula) as or are:--he, as for her, him(-self),
it, the same, she (herself), such, that (...it), these, they,
this, those, which (is), who.
הוּא (hu) — he/she/it.
pron 3p s
1) he, she, it
1a) himself (with emphasis)
1b) resuming subj with emphasis
1c) (with minimum emphasis following predicate)
1d) (anticipating subj)
1e) (emphasising predicate)
1f) that, it (neuter) demons pron
2) that (with article)
HPp3ms — PronounHPp3ms