Exodus 16:36

Summary

This verse gives an explanatory gloss defining the omer ("omer", H6016B) as one-tenth of an eifah ("ephah", H0374), both being units of dry measure. The sentence functions as an editorial clarification appended to the manna narrative, using a nominal (verbless) construction typical of definitional statements in Biblical Hebrew.

Key words

• ha-'Omer ("the omer", H6016B) — definite noun with article ha (H9009), the subject of the sentence.
• 'asirit ("tenth part of", H6224) — feminine singular ordinal in construct state, meaning it must attach to a following noun ("tenth of X"); here it governs ha-eifah.
• ha-eifah ("the ephah", H0374) — definite noun, the second measurement unit, functioning as the genitive complement of the construct chain 'asirit ha-eifah.
• hu' ("it/he", H1931) — third-person singular pronoun placed at the end, serving as a copula ("it is") in this verbless clause, a common Hebrew strategy for equating two nouns.

What the text says

The Hebrew sentence has no verb "to be" in the present tense; instead, it relies on word order and the pronoun hu ("it", H1931) to create an equative statement: ha-omer ("the omer") stands as the grammatical subject, 'asirit ha-eifah ("a tenth of the ephah") functions as the predicate, and hu reinforces the identification between them, essentially meaning "the omer — it is a tenth of the ephah." This construction (subject + predicate + resumptive pronoun) is a recognized pattern in Biblical Hebrew for definitional or equational clauses.

The construct chain 'asirit ha-eifah ("tenth of the ephah") links the ordinal number directly to the noun it measures, without any intervening preposition — a standard feature of Hebrew construct relationships where the first noun (or ordinal) is grammatically bound to the second.

Differences between versions

The Septuagint (LXXSWETE) renders the second measurement not as "ephah" but as "τῶν τριῶν μέτρων" ("of the three measures"), diverging from the Hebrew ha-eifah ("the ephah", H0374). The Vulgate (VULCLEM) follows the Hebrew more closely, using "ephi" (ephah) and "decima pars" ("tenth part") to match 'asirit (H6224). The Spanish RV1909 and BSB align with the Hebrew/Vulgate tradition, preserving "ephah" as the unit of comparison, while the SBLIBRE offers a paraphrastic explanatory note ("about two liters") rather than a direct translation of the measurement terms.