Ye shall have just balances, and a just ephah, and a just bath.

EZEKIEL 45:10KJV
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Ezekiel 45:10 (KJV)

What does Ezekiel 45:10 mean?

Ezekiel 45:10 commands the people to use honest measurements in their dealings: fair balances (scales), a fair ephah (a dry measure), and a fair bath (a liquid measure). The verse insists that all forms of trade and exchange must be done with integrity and accuracy.

The prophet Ezekiel is relaying God’s instructions to the people of Israel as they prepare for a renewed life after exile. In this section, God is setting out detailed rules for worship and community life, emphasizing that justice and fairness must be at the heart of everyday transactions, not just religious rituals.

The Hebrew behind Ezekiel 45:10

  • "just" (צֶדֶק, tsedeq): This word means "righteous" or "just," and it appears three times in this verse to stress the importance of fairness in every measurement. The repetition highlights that God cares deeply about honesty, not only in worship but also in daily business.
  • "balances" (מֹאזְנַיִם, moznayim): This refers to scales used for weighing goods. The command for just balances points to the need for accurate and trustworthy tools in trade.
  • "ephah" (אֵיפָה, ephah): An ephah was a standard dry measure, roughly equivalent to 22 liters or 5.8 gallons. Insisting on a just ephah means not cheating others by using a short measure.
  • "bath" (בַּת, bath): A bath was a standard liquid measure, about 22 liters or 5.8 gallons, matching the ephah’s volume. The pairing of ephah and bath shows that both dry and liquid goods must be measured honestly.

Why Ezekiel 45:10 matters

  • Ezekiel 45:10 clears up any idea that God’s concern is only with religious rituals; it shows that fairness in everyday business is just as important.
  • The verse emphasizes that justice is not just a legal or court matter but something that should shape every transaction among God’s people.
  • By placing this command in the context of restoring Israel, Ezekiel highlights that a just society starts with honest, trustworthy dealings at the most basic level.

Where else these words appear

“bath” Hebrew H1324 · used in 8 verses

  • 1 Kings 7:26 And it was an hand breadth thick, and the brim thereof was wrought like the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies: it contained two thousand baths.
  • 2 Chronicles 2:10 And, behold, I will give to thy servants, the hewers that cut timber, twenty thousand measures of beaten wheat, and twenty thousand measures of barley, and twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.
  • Isaiah 5:10 Yea, ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and the seed of an homer shall yield an ephah.

“balances” Hebrew H3976 · used in 15 verses

  • Leviticus 19:36 Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye have: I am the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt.
  • Proverbs 11:1 A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight.
  • Jeremiah 32:10 And I subscribed the evidence, and sealed it, and took witnesses, and weighed him the money in the balances.

“ephah” Hebrew H374 · used in 29 verses

  • Exodus 16:36 Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah.
  • Ruth 2:17 So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley.
  • Ezekiel 46:7 And he shall prepare a meat offering, an ephah for a bullock, and an ephah for a ram, and for the lambs according as his hand shall attain unto, and an hin of oil to an ephah.

“just” Hebrew H6664 · used in 109 verses

  • Leviticus 19:15 Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.
  • Psalms 52:3 Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah.
  • Ecclesiastes 5:8 If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they.