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issaron

עִשָּׂרוֹן

HebrewH6241tenth of an ephah, tenth deal, ...

Appears 33 times · tap a cell to see the verses

Exo 29:40Lev 14:10Lev 14:21Lev 23:13Lev 23:17Lev 24:5Num 15:4Num 15:6Num 15:9Num 28:9Num 28:12 (2×)Num 28:13 (2×)Num 28:20 (2×)Num 28:21 (2×)Num 28:28Num 28:29 (2×)Num 29:4Num 29:10 (2×)Num 29:15 (2×)
Root family
Word studyish-shaw-ROHNnoun

What issaron means

a tenth of an ephah: a fixed dry measure of flour, roughly two quarts, used in the grain offerings

TranslatabilityPartialCertaintySettled

This word names a set amount of flour, not a vague fraction. It is one tenth of an ephah, the standard large dry measure, which works out to about two quarts or two liters. The same amount was elsewhere called an omer, the measure used for gathering the manna.

Almost every time it appears, it is a recipe line in the sacrificial laws: so many tenths of fine flour, mixed with oil, to accompany a burnt offering or other sacrifice. The quantity scales with the animal being offered, so the texts speak of one tenth for a lamb, two tenths for a ram, and three tenths for a bull.

Because it is a unit of measure rather than a description, it carries no shades of meaning to sort out. The interest of the word is practical: it tells the reader exactly how much flour a given offering required.

Exo 29:40Lev 14:10Lev 14:21Lev 23:13Lev 23:17Lev 24:5Num 15:4Num 15:6Num 15:9Num 28:9Num 28:12 (2×)Num 28:13 (2×)

What scholars say about issaron

The lexica agree that this noun denotes a tenth part of an ephah as a dry-capacity measure, and that Exodus 16:36 equates the omer with the same fraction; it functions almost exclusively as a technical quantity term in the priestly sacrificial legislation (HALOT, BDB, DCH). The absolute modern volume of an ephah is debated among metrologists, but this affects the estimated liter-equivalent, not the sense of the word.

Sources

  • HALOT, s.v. עִשָּׂרוֹןlexicon
  • BDB, s.v. עִשָּׂרוֹןlexicon
  • DCH, s.v. עִשָּׂרוֹןlexicon

All attested forms of עִשָּׂרוֹן

m p absolute

עֶשְׂרֹנִים

Lev 14:10, Lev 23:13, Lev 23:17, Lev 24:5, Num 15:6, Num 15:9, Num 28:9, Num 28:12

m s absolute

עִשָּׂרוֹן, עִשָּׂרׄוֹן, עִשָּׂרֹן

Num 15:4, Num 28:21, Num 28:21, Num 28:29, Num 28:29, Num 29:4, Num 29:10, Num 29:10

m s construct

עִשָּׂרוֹן, עִשָּׂרֹן

Lev 14:21, Num 28:13, Exo 29:40