Ephah (, ''‘Êp̄āh'',
Septuagint Γαιφα, ''Gaipha'') was one of
Midian's five sons as listed in the
Hebrew Bible. Midian, a son of
Abraham, was the father of Ephah,
Epher,
Enoch,
Abida, and
Eldaah by his wife Keturah
Genesis 25:4. These five were the
progenitor
In genealogy, the progenitor (rarer: primogenitor; german: Stammvater or ''Ahnherr'') is the – sometimes legendary – founder of a family, line of descent, clan or tribe, noble house, or ethnic group..
Ebenda''Ahnherr:''"Stammvater eines G ...
s of the
Midianite
Midian (; he, מִדְיָן ''Mīḏyān'' ; ar, مَدْيَن, Madyan; grc-gre, Μαδιάμ, ''Madiam'') is a geographical place mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and Quran. William G. Dever states that biblical Midian was in the "northwest Ar ...
s.
[Charles B. Williams, "Ephah." ''International Standard Bible Encyclopedia'' (1906).]
Ephah is mentioned again i
Isaiah 60:6as a transporter of gold and frankincense from
Sheba, who shall thus bring enlargement to
Judah and praise to
Yahweh.
Ephah is described as a land whence
dromedaries would come to Israel: "A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah."
The tribe of Ephah is mentioned in inscriptions of the 8th-century BC
Assyrian kings
Tiglath-Pileser III and
Sargon II
Sargon II (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , meaning "the faithful king" or "the legitimate king") was the king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire from 722 BC to his death in battle in 705. Probably the son of Tiglath-Pileser III (745–727), Sargon is general ...
, making it the only tribe of the Midianites to be attested outside of the Bible.
[Wayne T. Pitard, "Midian", in Bruce M. Metzger and Michael D. Coogan (eds.), ''The Oxford Companion to the Bible'' (Oxford University Press]