Hebrew word · H5891

עֵיפָה

'eifah

Ephah

A personal name, given to a woman (v. 46) and a man (here). It is also a Midianite tribe and region (Genesis 25:4; Isaiah 60:6). It may come from a root meaning 'darkness' or 'gloom', though that is not certain.

Appears 5 times in 5 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

A man of the Midianites living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.25.4;

son of: Midian (H4080);

brother of: Epher (H6081), Hanoch (H2585I), Abida (H0028) and Eldaah (H0420)

§ Ephah = "gloomy"

1) a son of Midian

2) a Judaite, son of Jahdai

3) a concubine of Caleb in the line of Judah

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of 1 Chronicles 2:47

Range of meaning

A personal name, given to a woman (v. 46) and a man (here). It is also a Midianite tribe and region (Genesis 25:4; Isaiah 60:6). It may come from a root meaning 'darkness' or 'gloom', though that is not certain.

Against the English

All versions render it 'Ephah'. Readers may miss that it is the same word as the concubine's name one verse earlier.

Used elsewhere in the period

Genesis 25:4 and 1 Chronicles 1:33 (Ephah, son of Midian); Isaiah 60:6 (camels of Midian and Ephah).

Where it appears

Genesis · 1

  1. Genesis 25:4 עֵיפָ֤ה [were] Ephah

    The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah.

1 Chronicles · 3

  1. 1 Chronicles 1:33 עֵיפָ֤ה Ephah

    The sons of Midian: Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All of these were Keturah’s sons.

  2. 1 Chronicles 2:46 וְעֵיפָה֙ and Ephah

    Caleb’s concubine Ephah was the mother of Haran, Moza, and Gazez. Haran was the father of Gazez.

  3. 1 Chronicles 2:47 וְעֵיפָ֥ה and Ephah

    The sons of Jahdai: Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph.

    Here: Here a man. The name is the same as Caleb's concubine Ephah in the verse before (v. 46). That overlap is one reason some readers think Jahdai's line is somehow tied to hers. Elsewhere Ephah is also a Midianite tribal name (Genesis 25:4; Isaiah 60:6).

Isaiah · 1

  1. Isaiah 60:6 וְעֵיפָ֔ה and Ephah

    Caravans of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah, and all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and frankincense and proclaiming the praises of the LORD.

    Here: A Midianite clan (Genesis 25:4 lists Ephah as a son of Midian). Assyrian records probably name the same group as an Arabian tribe paying tribute. The word is paired with Midian to make up one north-Arabian picture.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.