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and this week we will discuss "Vaikra". our Biblical Hebrew newsletter is happy to present you the Jewish weekly portion of the week, which is read during prayer services on the Sabbath.
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Dear friends,
Today we will discuss volume standards in biblical times. The system of volume standards was originally based on human standards - a handful etc. - but later was standardized, with clear relationships between the different measurements and set ways of measuring. It is difficult for us to determine their exact volume; however, archaeological artifacts can help. For example, a measurement not so prominent in the Bible, a "bat", which is a liquid measurement, is written on different vessels, that were found from the biblical period. This led to the conclusion that a "bat" is approximately 22 liters, which can help assess the size of the other measurements.
While there is a clear correlation between the measurements for liquids and solids, different names are used. For example, the "bat" we just mentioned is the liquid measurement equivalent to the "eifa" we will soon discuss, which is used for solids. They contain the same volume, but are used differently.
"Kor" or Xomer"
כֹּר, "Kor", and חֹמֶר, "Xomer", are two names denoting the same measurement - Xomer for solids and Kor for liquids. This is the largest measurement. When the Israelites craved for meat in the desert and complained, God brought quails from the sea so as to provide them with meat. We are told that the people spent that day, that night and the next day collecting quails, and that the least anyone gathered was ten Xomers. This is a large quantity, obviously more than any of them could eat. Their behavior angered God who brought a great plague upon them (Numbers 11:31-34).
Quails
"Bat" or "Eifa"
בַּת "Bat" and אֵיפָה "Eifa" are the measurements used respectively for liquids and solids. They are one tenth of a Kor or Xomer. The Eifa is used frequently, not only to describe a certain volume but also as an example for a general measurement when warning against using unjust measurements, as in Deuteronomy 25:14-16:
"You shall not have in your house two different "Eifa", a large and a small; You shall have a full and just weight, and a full and honest "Eifa", so that your days may be prolonged on the land that YHWH your God gives you; for all who do such things, all who act dishonestly, are an abomination to YHWH, your God"
An Eifa of grain is described as a considerable amount when Ruth, a poor immigrant who came to Bethlehem from Moab, gleaned in the field after the reapers in order to feed herself and her mother-in-law, Naomi, and brought an Eifa of barley home at the end of the day. It is in that field that she met Boaz, who she later marries, a marriage which results in the birth of King David's grandfather.
Boaz and Ruth, Gustave Doré
"Omer"
An עֹמֶר, "Omer", is a tenth of an Eifa. This is a measurement used only for solids, with no parallel for liquids. Another name for a tenth of an Eifa is עִשָּׂרוֹן, Isaron.
When God first gives Manna to the Israelites, they are told to collect from it only as much as they need: an Omer per person for every day. On Friday they are to collect double, so that they will have enough for the Sabbath as well.
Have a great week!
The Biblical Hebrew Online Team.
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