King James Version:
(The Lord speaking is red text)
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.
Complete Jewish Bible:
Rather, use an honest balance-scale, honest weights, an honest bushel dry-measure and an honest gallon liquid-measure; I am ADONAI your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.
Berean Standard Bible:
You shall maintain honest scales and weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.
American Standard Version:
Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye have: I am Jehovah your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.
KJV with Strong’s Numbers:
Just{H6664} balances{H3976}, just{H6664} weights{H68}, a just{H6664} ephah{H374}, and a just{H6664} hin{H1969}, shall ye have: I am the LORD{H3068} your God{H430}, which brought you out{H3318} of the land{H776} of Egypt{H4714}.
Cross-References (KJV):
Exodus 20:2
- I [am] the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Proverbs 11:1
- ¶ A false balance [is] abomination to the LORD: but a just weight [is] his delight.
Deuteronomy 25:13
- ¶ Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers weights, a great and a small.
Deuteronomy 25:15
- [But] thou shalt have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure shalt thou have: that thy days may be lengthened in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Proverbs 20:10
- ¶ Divers weights, [and] divers measures, both of them [are] alike abomination to the LORD.
Explore This Verse Across Other Resources:
Commentary for Leviticus 19:36
Leviticus 19:36 is part of the Holiness Code in the Book of Leviticus, which contains a series of laws given by God to Moses for the Israelite community. The verse emphasizes the importance of honesty and integrity in business transactions, mandating the use of fair and accurate measures and scales.
**Themes:**
1. **Economic Justice:** The command underscores the need for fairness in economic dealings, ensuring that buyers and sellers receive exactly what they bargain for without deceit.
2. **Honesty:** It reflects the broader theme of truthfulness and integrity, requiring that all forms of measurement—balances, weights, ephahs (a unit of volume), and hins (a unit of liquid measure)—be honest and just.
3. **Holiness:** This verse is part of a larger section (Leviticus 19-26) known as the Holiness Code, which emphasizes that the Israelites are to be holy as God is holy (Leviticus 19:2). This includes ethical behavior in every aspect of life.
4. **Divine Authority:** The appeal to God's authority ("I am the LORD your God") and His past actions (freeing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt) serves as the basis for these ethical commands, suggesting that obedience to these laws is an expression of gratitude and covenant faithfulness.
**Historical Context:**
The Book of Leviticus is traditionally attributed to Moses and is set during the time of the Israelites' wandering in the wilderness after their exodus from Egypt. The laws laid out in Leviticus were intended to shape the religious and social life of the newly formed nation of Israel.
In the ancient world, it was common for merchants to use dishonest weights and measures to cheat customers. The call for just balances and measures in Leviticus 19:36 would have been a counter-cultural command, setting the Israelites apart from their neighbors and reinforcing the ethical standards expected by God.
This command also reflects the broader ancient Near Eastern context where economic transactions were governed by a complex system of weights and measures. The specificity of the command indicates an awareness of the common fraudulent practices of the time and seeks to establish a standard of fairness that reflects the character of God.
*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model
Strong's Numbers and Definitions:
Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)
- Strong's Number: H6664
There are 109 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: צֶדֶק
Transliteration: tsedeq
Pronunciation: tseh'-dek
Description: from צָדַק; the right (natural, moral or legal); also (abstractly) equity or (figuratively) prosperity; [idiom] even, ([idiom] that which is altogether) just(-ice), (un-)right(-eous) (cause, -ly, -ness). - Strong's Number: H3976
There are 15 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: מֹאזֵן
Transliteration: môʼzên
Pronunciation: mo-zane'
Description: from אָזַן; (only in the dual) a pair of scales; balances. - Strong's Number: H68
There are 1276 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אֶבֶן
Transliteration: ʼeben
Pronunciation: eh'-ben
Description: from the root of בָּנָה through the meaning to build; a stone; [phrase] carbuncle, [phrase] mason, [phrase] plummet, (chalk-, hail-, head-, sling-) stone(-ny), (divers) weight(-s). - Strong's Number: H374
There are 112 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אֵיפָה
Transliteration: ʼêyphâh
Pronunciation: ay-faw'
Description: or (shortened) אֵפָה ; of Egyptian derivation; an ephah or measure for grain; hence, a measure in general; ephah, (divers) measure(-s). - Strong's Number: H1969
There are 19 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: הִין
Transliteration: hîyn
Pronunciation: heen
Description: probably of Egyptian origin; a hin or liquid measure; hin. - Strong's Number: H3068
There are 5521 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: יְהֹוָה
Transliteration: Yᵉhôvâh
Pronunciation: yeh-ho-vaw'
Description: from הָיָה; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God; Jehovah, the Lord. Compare יָהּ, יְהֹוִה. - Strong's Number: H430
There are 2334 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אֱלֹהִים
Transliteration: ʼĕlôhîym
Pronunciation: el-o-heem'
Description: plural of אֱלוֹהַּ; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative; angels, [idiom] exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), [idiom] (very) great, judges, [idiom] mighty. - Strong's Number: H3318
There are 992 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: יָצָא
Transliteration: yâtsâʼ
Pronunciation: yaw-tsaw'
Description: a primitive root; to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct and proxim.; [idiom] after, appear, [idiom] assuredly, bear out, [idiom] begotten, break out, bring forth (out, up), carry out, come (abroad, out, thereat, without), [phrase] be condemned, depart(-ing, -ure), draw forth, in the end, escape, exact, fail, fall (out), fetch forth (out), get away (forth, hence, out), (able to, cause to, let) go abroad (forth, on, out), going out, grow, have forth (out), issue out, lay (lie) out, lead out, pluck out, proceed, pull out, put away, be risen, [idiom] scarce, send with commandment, shoot forth, spread, spring out, stand out, [idiom] still, [idiom] surely, take forth (out), at any time, [idiom] to (and fro), utter. - Strong's Number: H776
There are 2739 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אֶרֶץ
Transliteration: ʼerets
Pronunciation: eh'-rets
Description: from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth (at large, or partitively a land); [idiom] common, country, earth, field, ground, land, [idiom] natins, way, [phrase] wilderness, world. - Strong's Number: H4714
There are 602 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: מִצְרַיִם
Transliteration: Mitsrayim
Pronunciation: mits-rah'-yim
Description: dual of מָצוֹר; Mitsrajim, i.e. Upper and Lower Egypt; Egypt, Egyptians, Mizraim.