Decoding the Ephod

The ephod, a garment worn upon the priestly breastplate described in the Hebrew Bible, carries linguistic ties that shed light on its origins, design, and even its material. These connections, drawn from related words in other languages (which I expand upon in my book Talking With God), suggest that the ephod was more than a simple vestment.

According to G.R. Driver in Canaanite Myths and Legends, the Ugaritic word epd translates to “garment” or “robe,” aligning with the Hebrew term for ephod. In Assyrian, eppatu means “wrapper,” while Cyrus Gordon’s Ugaritic Textbook Glossary identifies ipd as having the same meaning. The Dictionary of the Language of Ugarit (DLU) also classifies it as a type of garment, reinforcing its broader linguistic ties.

Perhaps most intriguingly, the Egyptian word ifd offers clues about the ephod’s physical characteristics. With different determinatives (symbols that clarify meaning), ifd can mean “rectangular” or “cloth.” When associated with the idea of “quadruple,” it points to a possible four-cornered design, suggesting the ephod might have been a rectangular cloth folded or shaped in a specific way.