1. homer (dry measure) — A homer, a standard ancient Hebrew unit of dry measure equivalent to approximately 220 liters or 6.25 bushels, used for measuring grain, barley, and other agricultural produce. The homer equals 10 ephahs or 10 baths. Appears in legal-cultic contexts (Lev 27:16, the valuation of a field by its seed capacity in homers of barley), prophetic judgment (Isa 5:10, a homer of seed yielding only an ephah), temple regulations (Ezek 45:11/13/14, defining the homer as the standard for ephah and bath measurements), prophetic symbolism (Hos 3:2, purchasing a wife for a homer and a half of barley), and narrative (Num 11:32, the people gathering quail by the homer). Multilingual glosses consistently transliterate: homer/Homer (Eng/Deu/Spa), حُومَر (Arb), होमेर/खोमर (Hin), 호메르/호멜 (Kor). 11×
AR["الْ-حُومَرِ","حُمُرٍ","حُومَرٌ","حُومَرٍ","حُومَرِ","مِنْ-حُومَرِ","وَحومَرِ"]·ben["এবং-এক-হোমর","খোমের","হোমর","হোমর-থেকে","হোমরের"]·DE["[החמר]","[וחמר]","[חמר]","[מחמר]","ein-homer-von","homers"]·EN["a-homer-of","and-homer-of","from-homer-of","homer","homers","the-homer"]·FR["argile","et-argile","homers","un-homer-de"]·heb["ה-חומר","ו-חומר","חומר","חמר","חמרים","מ-חומר"]·HI["और-होमेर","खोमर","खोमर-का","खोमर-से","ढेर","होमेर","होमेर-का"]·ID["dan-satu-homer","dari-homer","homer"]·IT["[החמר]","[וחמר]","[חמר]","[מחמר]","homers","un-homer-di"]·jav["homer","khòmèr","lan-homèr","saking-homer"]·KO["그-호메르","그리고-호멜","에-호메르로부터","호머","호메르","호메르의"]·PT["chomer","cômeres","de-ômer-de","e-homer-de","o-ômer","ômer"]·RU["и-хомер","от-хомера","хомер","хомера","хомеров","хомеру"]·ES["de-homer-de","el-homer","homer","montones","un-homer","un-homer-de","y-homer-de"]·SW["homeri","homeri-ya-","kutoka-homeri-ya","na-homeri-ya"]·TR["homer","homer'e","homer'in","homer'inden","homer-","ve-bir-homer","ölçek"]·urd["اور-حومر","حومر","حومر-سے","حومر-کا","خومر-بھر","گٹھر"]
Lev 27:16, Num 11:32, Isa 5:10, Ezek 45:11, Ezek 45:11, Ezek 45:11, Ezek 45:13, Ezek 45:13, Ezek 45:14, Ezek 45:14, Hos 3:2
▼ 1 more sense below
Senses
2. clay / mortar — Clay or mortar as a building or pottery material, appearing in a context where the referent is clearly a physical substance rather than a unit of measurement. In Isaiah 41:25 (ref 23:41:25), a conqueror treads on rulers as a potter treads on clay. The multilingual glosses diverge sharply from the 'homer' measure sense: Arabic الطِين (clay/mud), Spanish barro (clay/mud), Hindi गारा (mortar/plaster), Korean 진흙 (mud/clay), French argile (clay). This may represent a homographic collision in the lemma assignment, as BDB lists חֹמֶר III as the dry measure distinct from חֹמֶר I (clay), but the clustering has grouped this clay occurrence under the same lemma. 1×
AR["الطِينِ"]·ben["কাদা"]·DE["[חמר]"]·EN["and-like-a-potter"]·FR["argile"]·heb["חומר"]·HI["गारा"]·ID["lumpur"]·IT["[חמר]"]·jav["lempung"]·KO["진흙"]·PT["lama"]·RU["глина"]·ES["barro"]·SW["udongo"]·TR["camur"]·urd["گل"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† III. חֹ֫מֶר n.m. homer, a dry measure (perhaps from above √, but dub.; cf. Assyrian amâru, surround, contain, ii. R 36:19 a. b Strm4760, imêru, a measure ZimBP 6 n)—ח׳ abs. Is 5:10 + 5 times Ez; cstr. Ho 3:2 + 3 times; pl. הֳמָרִים Nu 11:32;—ח׳ of barley Ho 3:2; Ez 45:13, cf. זֶרַע ח׳ שְׂעֹרִים Lv 27:16 i.e. land on which a ח׳ of barley seed was sown (taxed at 50 shekels); ח׳ of wheat Ez 45:13;…