Furthermore, you ponder the reason why "bad" is associated with "ephod." You also cite the subsequent verse: "A man of God came to Eli and said to him, 'Thus says the Lord: Did I not clearly reveal Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh's house? I chose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be My priest, to offer upon My altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod before Me'" (1 Sam. 2:27-28). You have thoroughly examined the text, referencing the incident where Doeg the Edomite, under the king's orders, slaughtered the priests: "And Doeg the Edomite turned and struck the priests, and killed on that day eighty-five men who wore a linen ephod" (1 Sam. 22:18). The city of Nob, where the priests resided, was similarly ravaged from the youngest to the oldest, leaving no one alive. Among those who escaped was Abiathar, son of Ahimelech, who fled to David (1 Sam. 22:20). I am compelled to address several queries; when it states "all who wear the ephod," the original Hebrew specifies "those who wear ephod bad." This will become clearer later. When Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David, he brought the ephod with him: "And it was told Saul that David had gone to Keilah" (1 Sam. 23:6-7). Fearing the impending siege by Saul, David instructed Abiathar to bring the ephod of the Lord (1 Sam. 23:9). After discussing the excerpts from the book of Kings, you shifted to the book of Judges, which recounts Micah from Mount Ephraim who gave his mother eleven hundred pieces of silver to dedicate to God, which she then used to make a carved image and a molten image. You note that this sculpted object was referred to as an ephod and teraphim, arguing that if it were merely a girdle or garment, it could not be fashioned in such a manner. I recognize a common misunderstanding among many Latin scholars, who believe that the ephod and teraphim derived from the silver Micah gave to his mother; however, Scripture states that his mother took the silver and crafted it into something carved and cast: “And it was in the house of Micah, and Micah made a shrine and set up one of his sons as a priest” (Judges 17:4-5). If you consider that the terms “sculpted” and “cast” refer to the same object later known as ephod and teraphim, understand that they are distinct. Micah created the ephod and teraphim as his mother’s idol, which is indicative of this from the subsequent verses where five men enter Micah's house and declare, “Do you know that there are in this house an ephod and teraphim?" (Judges 18:14). Moreover, they took the carved and melted images, and six hundred armed men entered and seized the ephod and teraphim (Judges 18:16-18). Thus, the belief that equates ephod with silver must be abandoned. It is essential to note that the ephod is exclusively linked to the priestly order. Samuel, who donned it, was a Levite, and the priests of Nob also wore it as a mark of their office. Additionally, when David fled from Saul and visited Ahimelech, he requested a sword, stating, "Is there not here on hand a spear or a sword? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me” (1 Sam. 21:8). The priest replied, "The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah, there it is, wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod" (1 Sam. 21:9). This indicates that the ephod was indeed kept there.
The reference to ephod in the context of “sculpted” and “melted” relates to a statue, but since this idol became an object of worship, attire designed for worship was arranged for it, just as it was also intended for the true God. We will discuss teraphim in due course. Now, let us delve into the ephod itself. In Exodus, where Moses receives directions to create the priestly garments, it states "And these are the garments which they shall make: a breastplate, an ephod, a robe, a finely woven tunic, a turban, and a sash" (Ex. 28:4). The upper robe is translated by seventy interpreters as "epomida," indicating a garment worn over the body. Following this, instructions are given for constructing the upper garment using gold, blue, purple, scarlet yarn, and fine linen (Ex. 28:5-6). Furthermore, the entire book of Exodus describes the making of such garments. Toward the conclusion, it affirms that "All who are gifted artisans among you shall come and make all that the Lord has commanded" (Ex. 36:8). Yet, while these garments were commanded and crafted, Aaron had not yet donned them; Leviticus clarifies how he was clothed in priestly garments: "And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, washed them with water, and he put the tunic on him, girded him with a sash, clothed him with a robe, and put the ephod on him" (Lev. 8:6-7). Here, Aaron too is girded with this upper garment, as was Samuel with the linen ephod. Do not weary yet, for where the seventy interpreters in our texts read "epomis" as "the upper garment," the Hebrew text actually reads "ephod." The reasons for variable translations are complex and not my place to judge; many terms face similar translational disparities. Aquila, however, translated every terms contrarily, referring to garments and outer garments distinctively. The term "ephod," in Hebrew, specifically designates the upper garment worn by priests.
If you wonder why "bad" accompanies it in various instances, I must share a brief insight. "Bad" is understood as linen in Hebrew, although it can be more precisely described as composed of flax. When it reads “you shall make for them linen undergarments to cover their nakedness” (Ex. 28:42), the Hebrew term for “linen” is "bad" instead. The figure who appeared to Daniel was attired likewise: “And I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a certain man clothed in linen” (Dan. 10:5). This demonstrates that both Samuel and the eighty-five priests wore linen attire since only the high priest was allowed to wear the more ornate garment, which was made of woven gold, linen, purple, and scarlet. Conversely, others wore plain linen ephods, simply shining in their purity.
THEOSIS