bushels

September 21, 2017

The Babylonian god Bel (Dan 14:3-14:4)

“Now the Babylonians

Had an idol

Called Bel.

Every day,

They provided for it

Twelve bushels

Of choice flour,

Forty sheep,

Six measures

Of wine.

The king revered it.

He went every day

To worship it.

But Daniel worshiped

His own God.”

This god Bel was Bel Marduk, the great god of the Babylonians, mentioned by Jeremiah and Isaiah. Every day, the people provided this idol 12 bushels of choice flour, 40 sheep, and 6 measures or about 50 gallons of wine. The king Cyrus revered Bel, as he worshipped this god on a daily basis. Bel may have been popular in Persia also. However, Daniel worshipped his own God, but there is no indication where he did this.

July 15, 2017

Just measurements (Ezek 45:10-45:12)

“You shall have

Honest balances.

There must be

An honest ephah,

There must be

An honest bath.

The ephah

With the bath

Shall be

Of the same measure.

The bath

Contains one tenth

Of a homer.

The ephah contains

One tenth

Of a homer.

The homer shall be

The standard measure.

The shekel shall be

Twenty gerahs.

Twenty shekels,

Twenty-five shekels,

Shall make a mina

For you.”

Yahweh, via Ezekiel, was going to tell them how to keep their measurements just and correct. What are all these measurements? Ezekiel loved to be exact. First, a homer was a measure for liquids, about 60 gallons or 6 bushels of grain. The bath was about 6 gallons. The ephah was a measurement for grains about 2/3rd of a bushel or about 6 gallons. The gerah was the smallest size coin, about 1/50th of ounce. The shekel coin was 2/5th of an ounce. The mina was the largest coin, about 1.25 pounds. Thus, these were to be the standard measurements.

July 9, 2016

A reproach against large estates (Isa 5:8-5:10)

“Woe to you

Who join house to house!

Woe to you

Who add field to field!

Finally there is room

For no one but you.

You are left

To live alone

In the midst of the land.

Yahweh of hosts has sworn

In my hearing.

‘Surely many houses

Shall be desolate.

Large houses

Will be without inhabitants.

Beautiful houses

Will be without inhabitants.

Ten acres of vineyard

Shall yield but one bath.

A homer of seed

Shall yield a mere ephah.’”

Next Isaiah issues a series of curses or reproaches to the people of Judah. First of all, he rants about the idea of people wanting too much land. If you add house to house, or field to field, you make it difficult for others. Your huge estate will leave you to live alone on your land. Yahweh had spoken to Isaiah to say that many houses will lay desolate. Large and beautiful houses will be empty. The land will not yield much. 10 acres will only produce about 6 gallons (a bath) of a crop. 6 bushels of seed (a homer) will produce less than a bushel of grapes (an ephah). The more you try to expand your living area and your fields, the more it will come to very little.