Ephod

This formed part of the High Priest’s dress, and no doubt, like the office itself, was intended as typical of Christ. It was a rich dress composed of different colours, blue, purple, and crimson, and adorned with gold. On that part of it which crossed the breast was a square ornament called the choschen, containing precious stones, with the names on them of the twelve tribes of Israel. Nothing could more aptly represent our great High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, going in before the presence of JEHOVAH with the names of his people on his breast. Hence the church, in allusion to it, vehemently urgeth Christ in that request, "Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm; (Song 8. 6.) meaning, that she might be always in his remembrance, to live in his heart, and to be always looked upon as a seal, or signet, on the arm. (See Exod. 28. 4 - 29. See Urim and Thummim.)

אפוד . 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, Exo 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, Exo 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, Jdg 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.

E´phod, an article of dress worn by the Hebrew priests [PRIEST].

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, Exo 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, Jdg 8:27 ; 17:5; 18:17.\par

E’phod. (image).

1. Father of Hanniel, of the tribe of Manesseh. Num 34:23.

2. A sacred vestment originally appropriate to the high priest. Exo 28:4.

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 (1Sa 21:9; 1Sa 23:6; 1Sa 23:9; 1Sa 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 (Jdg 8:27; Jdg 17:5; Jdg 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 (Exo 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; 1Sa 14:3; 1Sa 22:18; Hos 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 (Num 34:23).

(Hebrews Ephod’, אֵפֹד, an ephod [q.v.]; Sept. Οὐφίδ v.r. Σουφί, Vulg. Ephod), the father of Hanniel, which latter, as head of the tribe of Manasseh, was one of the men appointed to assist Joshua and Eleazar in the apportionment of the land of Canaan (Num 34:23). B.C. ante 1618.

Ephod. A vestment appropriated to the high priest. Exo 28:4-36. See High Priest. An ephod is said to have been worn by Samuel, 1Sa 2:18, by the ordinary priests, 1Sa 22:18, and by David, 2Sa 6:14; 1Ch 15:27; but this vesture differed from the high priest’s, both in the extraordinary ornaments of the latter, and also in the material. The linen of the high priest’s ephod is described by another and peculiar word. When idolatrous worship was set up, ephods were sometimes made for it. Jdg 8:27; Jdg 17:5; Jdg 18:14; Jdg 18:17-18; Jdg 18:20.

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.’ Exo 28:1-39. Apparently the ordinary priestly garments worn by Aaron’s sons are also said to be ’for glory and for beauty.’ Exo 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. Exo 28:28: cf. Num 27:21; 1Sa 28:6; Ezr 2:63; Neh 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.’ Exo 29:5; Exo 35:9; Exo 35:27; Exo 39:2-22; Lev 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; 1Sa 22:18; 1Sa 23:6; 1Sa 23:9; 1Sa 30:7; Hos 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. Jdg 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. Jdg 17:5; Jdg 18:14-20.

[E’phod]

Father of Hanniel, of the tribe of Manasseh. Num 34:23.

By: Emil G. Hirsch, Immanuel Benzinger, Solomon Schechter, Louis Ginzberg

In the Old Testament this word has two meanings; in one group of passages it signifies a garment; in another, very probably an image. In the former the ephod is referred to in the priestly ordinances as a part of the official dress of the high priest, and was to be made of threads "of blue and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen," and embroidered in gold thread "with cunning work" (Ex. xxviii. 4 et seq., xxix. 5, xxxix. 2 et seq.; Lev. viii. 7). The description of the garment in these passages is not detailed enough to give a clear picture of its shape, nor does the description of Josephus do so ("B. J." v. 5, § 7; "Ant." iii. 7, § 5). All that can be gleaned from the text is the following: The ephod was held together by a girdle () of similar workmanship sewed on to it (Ex. xxviii. 8); it had two shoulder-pieces, which, as the name implies, crossed the shoulders, and were apparently fastened or sewed to the ephod in front (Ex. xxviii. 7, 27). In dressing, the shoulder-pieces were joined in the back to the two ends of the ephod. Nothing is said of the length of the garment. At the point where the shoulder-pieces were joined together in the front "above the girdle," two golden rings were sewed on, to which the breast-plate was attached (see Breastplate).

As a Garment.

In other passages from the historical books, dating back to an early period, "ephod" probably means a garment set apart for the priest. In I Sam. xxii. 18 the eighty-five priests of Nob are designated as men that "did wear a linen ephod" ("efod bad"). In this passage the Septuagint omits the word "bad," and if this omission is correct, the passage might be explained as referring to the wearing of the ephod by the priests. The word "bad" is also omitted in the Septuagint I Sam. ii. 18, where it is said that Samuel was girded with a linen ephod, and likewise of II Sam. vi. 14, which relates how David, girded only with a linen ephod, danced before the Lord. Here certainly reference must have been made to a species of garment worn only by the priest on ceremonial occasions; but even this passage gives the reader no idea of what its appearance was.

As an Image.

The word "ephod" has an entirely different meaning in the second group of passages, all of which belong to the historical books. It is certain that the word can not here mean a garment. This isevident in Judges viii. 26-27, where it is recorded that Gideon took the golden earrings of the Midianites, weighing 1,700 shekels of gold, and made an "ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah," where it was worshiped by all Israel. In Judges xvii. 5 Micah made an ephod and teraphim for his sanctuary. I Sam. xxi. 9 records that an ephod stood in the sanctuary at Nob, and that Goliath's sword was kept behind it. In these passages it is clear that something other than a mantle or article of attire is meant. Even where the phrase "to carry" the ephod occurs, it is evident from the Hebrew "nasa'" that reference is made to something carried in the hand or on the shoulder (comp. I Sam. xxiii. 6).

The most natural inference from all these passages is that "ephod" here signifies an image that was set up in the sanctuary, especially since the word is cited with Teraphim, which undoubtedly refers to an image (comp. Hosea iii. 4). This assumption obtains strong confirmation from the fact that in Judges xvii. 3 et seq., which is compiled from two sources, the words "pesel" and "massekah" (graven image and molten image) are used interchangeably with "ephod" and "teraphim."

Connection Between Ephod and Oracle.

The ephod is frequently mentioned in close connection with the sacred oracle. When Saul or David wished to question Yhwh through the oracle, they commanded the priest, "Bring hither the ephod" (I Sam. xiv. 18 [A. V. "ark of God"], xxiii. 9, xxx. 7). This connection between the ephod and the oracle may also be seen very clearly in the combination of Urim and Thummim with the ephod in the official robes of the high priest. It is the prerogative of the priests to carry and to question this ephod with the oracle. The sentence "Ahiah was at that time carrying the ephod before Israel" actually means that Ahiah was then the chief among the priests of Shiloh (I Sam. xiv. 3, xiv. 18 [LXX.]; compare xxiii. 6). On the oracle compare Urim and Thummim.

This juxtaposition of "ephod" and "oracle" has led to the assumption that in the last-mentioned passages "ephod" originally meant a kind of receptacle for the sacred lots, similar to the oracle pocket in the robe of the high priest (comp. Cheyne and Black, "Encyc. Bibl." and Foote in Johns Hopkins University Circulars). This assumption would harmonize all the early passages of the historical books, for if the word "bad" be omitted, the above-mentioned passages (I Sam. ii. 18, xxii. 18) may also be taken to mean that the priests "girded" this pocket about them. But this interpretation is impossible in II Sam. vi. 14, and is not very suitable in the stories concerning the ephods of Gideon and Micah. It might be adopted, however, where "ephod" is mentioned in connection with the oracle, for the image called "teraphim" is associated with the oracle in the same way (comp. Ezek. xxi. 26 [21]; Zech. x. 2). "Ephod" would then refer to a portable image, before which the lots were cast.

It can not be definitely ascertained what connection, if any, there was between the two meanings, "image" and "priestly robe." If the designation for "image" is connected with the original meaning of "ephod" as a covering or a dress, it may be inferred that these images were made of wood, clay, or some inferior metal, and covered with a "mantle" of gold or silver (comp. Isa. xxx. 22). Smend endeavors to prove an inner connection between the two meanings by assuming ("Religionsgesch." p. 41) that the image itself was originally clothed with an "ephod bad": witness the ancient custom of the Arabs of hanging garments and swords upon their idols (Wellhausen, "Skizzen," iii. 99).

Bibliography:

Benzinger, Arch. p. 382;

Nowack, Archäologie, ii. 21 et seq., 118 et seq.;

Cheyne and Black, Encyc. Bibl.;

Hastings, Dict. Bible;

Foote, in Johns Hopkins University Circulars, May, 1900;

idem, in Journal of Biblical Literature, 1902, pp. 1-48.

E. G. H. I. Be.—In Rabbinical Literature:

Although the high priest in the Herodian temple wore an ephod (Ḳid. 31a), tannaitic tradition has little to say regarding its character. The material of which the ephod was made was a texture consisting of twenty-eight threads, one thread of leaf gold being spun with six threads of each of the four textures mentioned in Ex. xxviii. 6 (Yoma 71b). Rashi, closely following the Bible, describes the shape of the ephod as follows:

(Rashi to Ex. l.c.; similarly, also, Maimonides, "Yad," Kele ha-Miḳdash, ix. 9-10).

"The ephod was made like a girdle which women wear in riding, and was fastened in the back, against the heart, under the arms. In breadth it was somewhat wider than the back, and in length it reached to the heels; a girdle, long enough to be used as a belt, was fastened lengthwise above. The shoulder-bands, which were fastened to this girdle, were made of the same material as the ephod, and fell in front a little below the shoulders. The 'shoham' [A. V. "onyx"] stones were then fastened to the shoulder-bands, and golden threads connected the edges of the shoham stones with the breastplate () by means of the rings on the latter"

Even in the tannaitic tradition there was a difference of opinion as to the order in which the names of the twelve tribes were put on the "shoham" stones (Soṭah 36a). According to Rashi's explanation of the passage, the Tannaim differ in that according to the one opinion the names followed in the sequence of the ages of the Patriarchs, with the exception of Judah, who headed the list; while according to the other opinion, the names of Leah's sons were on the stones of the right shoulder-band, and on the left side the name of Benjamin came first, followed by those of the four sons of the concubines , with Joseph's name at the end. Maimonides, however, probably basing his reasons on a lost baraita, says (l.c.) that there were 25 letters on each side and that the sequence was as follows:

According to this opinion, if the list was read from right to left, the names were arranged in the sequence of the ages of the Patriarchs, with the exception, however, that Naphtali's name, instead of following Dan's, preceded it. That Joseph's name was spelled in the unusual form Yehosef is assertedin the Talmud (l.c. 36b). In conformity with the view that the garments of the high priest possessed the power of absolving from sin (compare High Priest in Rabbinical Literature), it is asserted that the ephod was used in atoning for idolatrous sins, "ephod" meaning also "the idol" (Zeb. 87b). The ephod of the high priest must be distinguished from the linen ephod which is mentioned in Scripture as a common garment of priests and of the disciples of prophets (Maimonides, l.c. x. 13; Ibn Ezra on Ex. l.c.; but compare Yer. Sanh. x. 29a). Compare Breastplate of the High Priest; Gems; Urim and Thummim.

Bibliography:

Epstein, Mi-Ḳadmoniyyot, pp. 83-90;

A. Portaleone, Shilṭe ha-Gibborim, xliv.

EPHOD.—1. Father of Hanniel (Num 34:23 P [Note: Priestly Narrative.] ). 2. See Dress, § 2 (c), and Priests and Levites. 3. The ‘ephod’ of Jdg 8:27; Jdg 17:5; Jdg 18:14; Jdg 18:17-18; Jdg 18:20 is probably an image.

(Hebrew: aphad, clothe)

A robe of the high priest, mentioned in the Old Testament, like the scapular worn externally by monks. The two parts were clasped together on the shoulders with two onyx stones, on each of which were engraved the names of six tribes; it was probably held in place by the girdle. It was made of finest linen and wonderfully embroidered in gold, blue, purple, and carmine.

(Heb. aphwd or aphd; Gr. &#146epomís, ’ephód, ’ephoúd; Lat. superhumerale).The ephod is a kind of garment mentioned in the O.T., which differed according to its use by the high-priest, by other persons present at religious services, or as the object of idolatrous worship.Ephod of the High-PriestSupplementing the data contained in the Bible with those gleaned from Josephus and the Egyptian monuments, we may distinguish in the ephod three parts: a kind of waistcoat or bodice, two shoulder-pieces, and a girdle. The first of these pieces constituted the main part of the ephod; it is described by some as being an oblong piece of cloth bound round the body under the arms and reaching as far as the waist. Its material was fine-twisted linen, embroidered with violet, purple, and scarlet twice-dyed threads, and interwoven with gold (Exodus 28:6; 39:2). The ephod proper must not be confounded with the "tunick of the ephod" (Exodus 28:31-35), nor with the "rational of judgment" (Exodus 28:15-20). The tunick was worn under the ephod; it was a sleeveless frock, made "all of violet", and was put on by being drawn over the head, something in the manner of a cassock. Its skirt was adorned with a border of pomegranates "of violet, and purple, and scarlet twice dyed, with little bells set between", whose sound was to be heard while the high-priest was ministering. The "rational of judgment" was a breastplate fastened on the front of the ephod which it resembled in material and workmanship. It was a span in length and width, and was ornamented with four rows of precious stones on which were inscribed the names of the twelvfe tribes. It held also the Urim and Thummim (doctrine and truth) by means of which the high-priest consulted the Lord. The second part of the ephod consisted of a pair of shoulder-pieces, or suspenders, fastened to the bodices in front and behind, and passing over the shoulders. Each of these straps was adorned with an onyx stone engraved with the names of six of the tribes of Israel, so that the high-priest while ministering wore the names of all the tribes, six upon each shoulder (Exodus 28:9-12; 25:7; 35:9; 39:16-19). The third part of the ephod was the cincture, of the same material as the main part of the ephod and woven in one piece with it, by which it was girt around the waist (Leviticus 8:7). Some writers maintain that the correct Hebrew reading of Ex., xxviii, 8, speaks of this band of the ephod; the contention agrees with the Syriac and Chaldee versions and with the rendering of Josephus (cf. Exodus 28:27 sq.; 29:5; 39:20 sq.). It must not be imagined that the ephod was the ordinary garb of the high-priest; he wore it while performing the duties of his ministry (Exodus 28:4; Leviticus 8:7; 1 Samuel 2:28) and when consulting the Lord. Thus David learned through Abiathar’s ephod the disposition of the people of Ceila (1 Samuel 23:11 sq.) and the best plan of campaign against the Amalecites (1 Samuel 30:7 sqq.). In I K., xiv, 18, it appears that Saul wished the priest Achias to consult the Lord by means of the Ark; but the Septuagint reading of this passage, its context (1 Samuel 14:3), and the text of Josephus (Ant. Jud., VI, vi, 3) plainly show that in I K., xiv, 18, we must read "take the ephod" instead of "bring the ark".The Common EphodAn ephod was worn by Samuel when serving in the time of Heli (1 Samuel 2:18), by the eighty-five priests slain by Doeg in the sanctuary of Nobe (1 Samuel 22:18), and by David dancing before the Ark (2 Samuel 6:14). This garment is called the linen ephod; its general form may be supposed to have resembled the ephod of the high-priest, but its material was not the celebrated fine white linen, nor does it appear to have been adorned with the variegated colours of the high-priest’s ephod. The Septuagint translators seem to have intended to emphasize the difference between the ephod of the high-priest and that worn by David, for they call this latter the idolatrous ephod.The Idolatrous EphodAccording to Judges, viii, 26 sq., Gedeon made an ephod out of part of the spoils taken from the Madianites, their golden earlets, jewels, purple raiment, and golden chains. All Israel paid idolatrous worship to this ephod, so that it became a ruin to Gedeon and all his house. Some writers, following the Syriac and Arabic versions, have explained this ephod as denoting a gold casing of an oracular image. But there is no other instance of such a figurative meaning of ephod; besides, the Hebrew verb used to express the placing of the ephod on the part of Gedeon denotes in Judges, vi, 37, the spreading of the fleece of wool. The opinion that Gedeon’s ephod was a costly garment like that of the high-priest, is, therefore, preferable.-----------------------------------     HAGEN, Lexicon Biblicum (Paris, 197), II, 188 sq.; LEVESQUE in VIG., Dict. de la Bible, s. v.; DRIVER in HAST., Dict. of the Bible, s. v.; MAYER in Kirchenlex., s. v.A.J. MAAS Transcribed by WGKofron With thanks to St. Mary’s Church, Akron, Ohio The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume VCopyright © 1909 by Robert Appleton CompanyOnline Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. KnightNihil Obstat, May 1, 1909. Remy Lafort, CensorImprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York

ef´od (אפוד, ’ēphōwdh (28 times), אפד, ’ēphōdh (20 times); Septuagint ἐπωμίς, epōmı́s, ἐφώθ, ephō̇th, ἐφώδ, ephō̇d, ἐφούδ, ephoúd, στολὴ ἔξαλλος, stolḗ éxallos, στολὴ βυσσίνη, stolḗ bussinē):

(1) A sacred vestment originally designed for the high priest (Exo 28:4; Exo 39:2), and made “of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen,” held together by two shoulder-pieces and a skillfully woven band which served as a girdle for the ephod. On the shoulderpieces were two onyx stones on which were engraved the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. It is not known whether the ephod extended below the hips or only to the waist. Attached to the ephod by chains of pure gold was a breastplate containing twelve precious stones in four rows. Underneath the ephod was the blue robe of the ephod extending to the feet of the priest. The robe of the ephod was thus a garment comprising, in addition to the long robe proper, the ephod with its shoulderpieces and the breastplate of judgment.

(2) From the historical books we learn that ephods were worn by persons other than the high priest. Thus, the boy Samuel was girded with a linen ephod while assisting the aged high priest (1Sa 2:18); the priests at Nob, 85 in number, are described as men wearing a linen ephod (1Sa 22:18); and David was girded with a linen ephod when he danced in the procession that brought the ark into Jerusalem (2Sa 6:14). The ephod was considered appropriate for the king on this solemn and happy occasion; but it would be reading into the narrative more than it contains to infer that lay worshippers were regularly clothed with the ephod; nor are we to suppose that priests other than the high priest were accustomed to wear ephods as rich and elaborate as that of the high priest. Abiathar, who became high priest after the assassination of his father by Doeg, probably brought to the camp of David the ephod worn by the high priest in his ministrations at Nob (1Sa 23:6), and through this ephod David sought in certain crises to learn Yahweh’s will (1Sa 23:9; 1Sa 30:7). Some have argued that the ephod, which Abiathar brought in his hand, was an image rather than a priestly garment, but there seems no sufficient reason for regarding it as other than a vestment for the high priest. The ephod behind which the sword of Goliath was kept wrapped in a cloth may well have been a garment suspended from the wall or itself wrapped in a protecting cloth (1Sa 21:9).

(3) The ephod mentioned in Jdg 17:5; Jdg 18:14 f; Hos 3:4 is associated with teraphim and other idolatrous images. We may frankly confess that we do not know the shape, size and use of the ephod in these cases, though even here also the ephod may well have been a priestly garment. The same remark holds good of the ephod made by Gideon, and which became an object of idolatrous worship in Israel (Jdg 8:27). It has been argued that a vestment would not cost seventeen hundred shekels of gold. Possibly Gideon set up an apparatus of worship containing other articles just as the mother of Micah began with the promise to make a graven image and a molten image, and afterward added an ephod and teraphim (Jdg 17:1-5). Moreover, if gems and brilliants were put on Gidcon’s ephod, who can say that it did not cost seventeen hundred shekels?

Literature

Braun, De vestitu sacerdotum (1698), 462ff; Ugolini, Thesaurus antiquitatum sacrarum (1744-69), XII, 785 f; Ancessi, Annales de philos. chrétienne, 1872; König, Rel. Hist. of Israel, 107ff; Van Hoonackcr, Le sacerdoce lévitique (1899), 370ff; Foote, The Ephod, in “Johns Hopkins University Circulars,” 1900.

Exo 25:7 (c) This garment represents part of that wardrobe described in Isa 61:10 as the "garments of salvation." It was on this garment that the twelve stones were set in the breastplate and fastened to the garment. It may represent that part of our Christian experience in which and through which we show forth the virtues of our Lord JESUS CHRIST. The ephod contained gold, blue, purple crimson and cotton. These colors and materials represent the various and glorious characteristics of our Lord JESUS, and are imparted and imputed to us when we are made children of GOD. On the shoulder pieces of this garment were two large stones on which were engraved the names of the twelve tribes, six on each stone. All of this refers in some way to our Lord JESUS who carries us on His shoulders and on His breast.

An ephod was a short sleeveless linen garment, something like a long shirt or coat. It was a common piece of Hebrew clothing (1Sa 2:18; 2Sa 6:14), but in most cases where the Bible mentions an ephod the reference is to an article of the high priest’s dress (Exo 28:4-30; Exo 29:5).

The high priest’s ephod was made of multi-coloured embroidered linen similar to the curtains of the tabernacle, but with gold thread woven into the cloth (Exo 39:2-3; cf. Exo 26:31). It was held in place by two shoulder straps and bound at the waist by a sash (Exo 28:7-8). (For further details and an illustration of the high priest’s dress see PRIEST.)

Since the ephod was the most distinctive article of the high priest’s dress, people often referred to priests as those who ‘wore the ephod’ (1Sa 2:28; 1Sa 14:3; 1Sa 22:18; Hos 3:4). Sometimes a priest was asked to ‘bring the ephod’. This was because within the flat pouch, or breastpiece, on the front of the ephod were two objects, the Urim and the Thummim, which the priest used to find out God’s will (1Sa 23:9-12; 1Sa 30:7-8; Ezr 2:63; see URIM AND THUMMIM).

During the time of Israel’s unfaithfulness in the period of the judges, Gideon made a golden ephod that soon became an object of idolatrous worship (Jdg 8:26-27). On another occasion idolatrous priests, who were not even legally entitled to be priests, wore the traditional priestly ephod (Jdg 17:5-6; Jdg 18:14-20).

A special vest (coat) worn by the

Israelite high priest. See Ex. 28:6–14.