### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Hebrew word **bath**, represented by `{{H1324}}`, is a specific unit of measure for liquids. It appears 13 times across 8 unique verses in the Bible. As a standard unit, the **bath** is used to quantify large volumes of liquids like oil and wine and to specify capacities for sacred vessels, making it a key term in commerce, construction, and worship.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
In the biblical narrative, `{{H1324}}` is central to the construction of Solomon's Temple. The great bronze sea "contained two thousand **baths**" [[1 Kings 7:26]], a capacity later noted as "three thousand **baths**" [[2 Chronicles 4:5]]. Additionally, ten bronze lavers were made, each with a capacity of "forty **baths**" [[1 Kings 7:38]]. The term is also used in commerce and agriculture; Solomon provides Hiram's servants with "twenty thousand **baths** of wine, and twenty thousand **baths** of oil" [[2 Chronicles 2:10]]. In a prophecy of scarcity, Isaiah states that "ten acres of vineyard shall yield one **bath**" [[Isaiah 5:10]].
### Related Words & Concepts
Several related words clarify the system of measures in which the **bath** functions:
* `{{H374}}` **ʼêyphâh**: This is an ephah or measure for grain, established as an equivalent dry measure to the liquid **bath**. The prophet Ezekiel mandates, "The **ephah** and the **bath** shall be of one measure" [[Ezekiel 45:11]].
* `{{H2563}}` **chômer**: Defined as a homer or dry measure, this is a larger unit to which the **bath** is indexed. Scripture specifies that "ten **baths** are an **homer**" [[Ezekiel 45:14]], making the **bath** a tenth part of a **homer** [[Ezekiel 45:11]].
* `{{H3734}}` **kôr**: A cor or measure for things dry, it is used interchangeably with the homer. The relationship is clarified in the ordinance for oil: a portion is taken "out of the **cor**, which is an **homer** of ten **baths**" [[Ezekiel 45:14]].
### Theological Significance
The theological weight of `{{H1324}}` is tied to principles of justice and divine order.
* **Economic Justice:** The command "Ye shall have... a just **bath**" [[Ezekiel 45:10]] places the term at the heart of God's requirement for fairness and integrity in all dealings. It is part of a system of just balances and measures.
* **Sanctified Measurement:** The **bath** is used to define the precise volumes for sacred items in the Temple, such as the lavers and the molten sea ([[1 Kings 7:26]], [[1 Kings 7:38]]). This shows that God's plan for worship includes specific, orderly details.
* **Standard of Provision:** The measure is used to quantify provisions for the Temple's construction [[2 Chronicles 2:10]] and is established as part of a divine standard where it is a "tenth part of an homer" [[Ezekiel 45:11]]. This standardization reflects divine order.
### Summary
In summary, `{{H1324}}` is not merely an archaic unit of liquid volume. It is a cornerstone of the biblical system of weights and measures, essential for understanding the scale of major construction projects, the logistics of commerce, and the specifics of religious ordinances. The **bath** illustrates a divine concern for justice, order, and precision in both sacred and secular life.
TRV