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.

LEVITICUS 19:36KJV
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Leviticus 19:36 (KJV)

What does Leviticus 19:36 mean?

Leviticus 19:36 commands the Israelites to use honest and accurate measurements—fair balances, weights, and containers—when trading or dealing with others, reminding them that God, who brought them out of Egypt, requires this standard. The verse ties fair business practices directly to their relationship with God and their identity as His people.

In this verse, God is speaking to the people of Israel through Moses, giving them specific instructions as part of a larger set of laws about holy and just living. The context is everyday life, especially business and trade, where cheating with false weights or measures was a common temptation. By linking these commands to His own authority and the Exodus, God emphasizes that honesty in small, practical matters is part of being faithful to Him.

The Hebrew behind Leviticus 19:36

  • "Just" (צֶדֶק, tsedeq): This word means "righteous" or "fair," and it appears repeatedly in the verse to stress that every aspect of measurement—balances, weights, ephah, and hin—must be honest and upright.
  • "Balances" (מֹאזְנַיִם, moznayim): This refers to a set of scales used for weighing. The command is not just about the weights themselves, but also the tools used to measure, highlighting the need for integrity in every part of the process.
  • "Ephah" (אֵיפָה, ephah) and "hin" (הִין, hin): These are ancient units of dry and liquid measurement, respectively. By naming both, the verse covers all types of trade, whether in grain or liquid, showing that fairness is required in every transaction.
  • "LORD" (יְהוָה, YHWH): The use of God's personal name underlines that these commands come with His full authority and are central to the covenant relationship.

Why Leviticus 19:36 matters

  • This verse makes clear that faithfulness to God is not just about religious rituals but also about honesty and fairness in daily life, especially in business.
  • By tying the command to God’s deliverance from Egypt, the verse reminds the Israelites that their freedom comes with the responsibility to live differently from the corrupt practices they may have seen in Egypt.
  • The repeated use of "just" for every type of measure shows that God cares about the details of how people treat each other, not just big moral issues.

Where else these words appear

“balances” Hebrew H3976 · used in 15 verses

  • Job 6:2 Oh that my grief were throughly weighed, and my calamity laid in the balances together!
  • Proverbs 16:11 A just weight and balance are the LORD'S: all the weights of the bag are his work.
  • Ezekiel 5:1 And thou, son of man, take thee a sharp knife, take thee a barber's razor, and cause it to pass upon thine head and upon thy beard: then take thee balances to weigh, and divide the hair.

“hin” Hebrew H1969 · used in 19 verses

  • Exodus 29:40 And with the one lamb a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil; and the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink offering.
  • Numbers 15:7 And for a drink offering thou shalt offer the third part of an hin of wine, for a sweet savour unto the LORD.
  • Ezekiel 4:11 Thou shalt drink also water by measure, the sixth part of an hin: from time to time shalt thou drink.

“ephah” Hebrew H374 · used in 29 verses

  • Exodus 16:36 Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah.
  • 1 Samuel 1:24 And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bullocks, and one ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto the house of the LORD in Shiloh: and the child was young.
  • 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 58:1 To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David. Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?
  • Ecclesiastes 7:15 All things have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a just man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness.