Judges 18:17Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Letters that lack the flavor of nourishing food, which have not been spiced by Apicius, and from which the essence of the teachings of our time does not emanate, are far from enjoyable. However, with our conversation's mediator eager to depart, I will address the pressing matter at hand as swiftly as possible: it is not mere words but deep understanding that should accompany those who engage with the holy Scriptures. Therefore, should we seek eloquence, we ought to delve into works of Demosthenes or Cicero; but if we desire to grasp divine mysteries, we must revisit our sacred texts, noting that the Latin translations do not fully align with the original Hebrew.

At the outset of your letter, you inquired about the meaning of a passage from the first book of Samuel: “And Samuel ministered before the Lord, being girded with a linen ephod. Moreover, his mother made him a little robe and brought it to him year by year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice” (1 Sam. 2:18-19). You seek to understand the phrase "linen ephod" and whether it refers to a belt, a censer, or a type of garment. If it is indeed a garment, you ponder how Samuel was attired with it, and why "linen" is appended afterward. You continue by referencing the passage about the man of God who approached Elijah, saying, "Thus says the Lord, ‘You have chosen your father's house from all the tribes of Israel to be my priests, to offer upon my altar, to burn incense, and to wear the ephod’” (1 Sam. 2:27, 28). You meticulously trace the entirety of the narrative and draw examples from the account of Doeg the Edomite, who executed the priests on the king's orders: "And Doeg turned and struck the priests of the Lord, and killed on that day eighty-five men who wore a linen ephod" (1 Sam. 22:18). Doeg's slaughter included every male and female, youth and elder, as well as livestock, in the city of Nob, the priests’ sanctuary. Only one son of Ahimelech, named Abiathar, managed to escape and fled to David (1 Sam. 22:19-20). I must caution you as I respond to numerous questions; when we read "those who wear a linen ephod," it should be noted that the Hebrew denotes "who wear linen ephod."

You will grasp this concept further along. "And it came to pass when Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech, fled to David, that he went down with David to Keilah, and Abiathar had an ephod in his hand” (1 Sam. 23:6). Fearing King Saul’s impending siege of the city, David instructs Abiathar, "Bring the ephod here" (1 Sam. 23:9). After presenting excerpts from the book of Kings, you proceed to the book of Judges, where it recounts that Micah, a man from Mount Ephraim, gave his mother a sum of silver that she had vowed to God. She crafted from it an idol, termed both "ephod" and "teraphim." You note that if it were a girdle or a garment, sculpting and melting would not apply.

I recognize a widespread error among Latin scholars, who mistakenly believe that the ephod and teraphim discussed here originated from the silver Micah gave to his mother. Yet Scripture clarifies that, "His mother took the silver and gave it to the silversmith, and he made a graven image, and it was in the house of Micah," signifying that Micah's home became a site of idolatry (Judges 17:4-5). Should you consider that the same item is described as sculpted and melted, and later identified as an ephod and teraphim, remember they are distinct. Micah created ephod and teraphim in imitation of his mother's idol, an entity described as sculpted and melted in a deceptive manner.

As illustrated in Judges, "And the five men went and saw the land, and they said to their brothers, 'Do you know that there are in this house an ephod and teraphim, an engraved image and a molten image?'" (Judges 18:14). Moreover, "The five men went up and entered the house of Micah and took the carved image, the ephod, and the teraphim" (Judges 18:16-18). The notion professed by some that the ephod refers to silver must be rejected. It’s noteworthy that the ephod is only referred to in the context of the priestly order. Samuel wore it as a Levite, and so did the priests of Nob as a sign of their holy status. While fleeing from Saul, David approached Ahimelech seeking weaponry, asking, "Is there not here a spear or a sword?" Ahimelech replied, "The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed, is here, wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod" (1 Sam. 21:8-9); thus, the ephod was also preserved there. The term ephod retains significance in the context of sacrificial worship, despite its association with fabric.

In Exodus, when Moses receives commands for priestly garments, it states, “And these are the garments which they shall make: a breastplate, an ephod, a robe, a woven tunic, and a girdle” (Ex. 28:4). Here, the term “upper robe” is translated in Greek as “epodim,” implying that it is a garment worn above. This is further reinforced as the sacred craftsman makes various priestly garments as commanded by God. However, while these garments are prepared, Aaron had yet to be clothed. In Leviticus, it is revealed how he donned them: “And Moses brought Aaron and his sons and washed them with water. And he put on the tunic and girded him with the sash” (Lev. 8:6-7). It is clear that Aaron, like Samuel, wore a significant garment, yet its exact nature prompts inquiry.

Understand, as the seventy translators noted, they rendered "upper garment" as "ephod," whereas the original terms vary in translation. Questions arise as to why "bad" sometimes appears with "ephod." The Hebrew term translates to a form of linen, acknowledging the delicate nuances lost in translation. The term denotes the fabric, which appeared in the garments of priests, including the glorious attire of the high priest made from varied materials.

Let us also touch briefly on the term "teraphim," translated by Aquila as “images.” The episode when Saul sends messengers to capture David illustrates this; rather than a goat's liver, it refers to a figure, resembling a head laid upon a bed, crafted from goatskin. To summarize both meanings at once, in the prophetic book of Hosea, God forewarns Israel, saying, “The days will come when there will be neither king nor prince, nor sacrifice nor altar, nor priesthood nor teraphim" (Hos. 3:4), indicating both ephods and teraphim are associated with the priesthood. Thus, the explicit distinction suggests a deeper understanding that Micah also fashioned items categorized under priestly ornaments alongside the ephod.

While I yearn to elaborate on the priestly vestments and their divine significance, I have exceeded my letter's length, and much has been explored by esteemed scholars such as Josephus and Philo. Therefore, if you wish to pursue further insights, I would be glad to share, allowing for an exchange of knowledge in a faithful manner. I hope our mutual mother is faring well; I pray for her health. Engrossed in Jewish texts, I have grown somewhat detached from Latin, leading to a blend in pronunciation that strays from traditional norms. Kindly forgive the abruptness of my language. The Apostle mentioned, “For we may be unskilled in speech, yet we are not in knowledge” (2 Cor. 11:6); he acknowledged the humility in his circumstance. Yet, we find ourselves yearning for that simple clarity of youth while grappling with unfulfilled understanding, reminiscent of Aesop’s fable of the dog who, in pursuit of the bigger bone, relinquished the one it already possessed.