{
  "id": "dict_002560",
  "term": "Homer",
  "slug": "homer",
  "letter": "H",
  "entry_type": "biblical_measurement_term",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "A homer is an ancient biblical dry measure, roughly equal to ten ephahs.",
  "simple_one_line": "A homer is a large Old Testament unit of dry measure, especially for grain and other produce.",
  "tooltip_text": "An Old Testament dry measure, about ten ephahs; exact modern equivalent is uncertain.",
  "aliases": [
    "Homer (Measure)"
  ],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "ephah",
    "omer",
    "weights and measures",
    "bath",
    "hin"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "weights and measures",
    "ephah",
    "omer",
    "measure",
    "dry measure"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "A homer is an ancient unit of dry measure mentioned in the Old Testament. It is a practical measurement term, not a theological concept, and its exact modern equivalent is uncertain.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "Biblical dry measure",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Used for grain and other dry commodities",
    "Appears in legal, economic, and prophetic contexts",
    "Roughly equal to ten ephahs",
    "Exact modern size is debated"
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "A homer is a large ancient Hebrew unit of dry measure found in the Old Testament, used in legal, agricultural, and prophetic contexts. It is generally understood as equal to ten ephahs, though its precise modern equivalent is uncertain.",
  "description_academic_full": "A homer is an Old Testament unit of dry measure used for commodities such as grain and related produce. It appears in legal regulations, temple-related contexts, and prophetic imagery. Biblically, the homer serves as a practical unit of quantity rather than a theological idea in itself. The term is commonly defined as ten ephahs, but modern conversion remains approximate and should not be overstated.",
  "background_biblical_context": "The homer appears in passages dealing with valuation, provision, and prophetic description. It is part of the ordinary measurement system of Israelite life and worship, helping readers understand quantities mentioned in laws and prophecies.",
  "background_historical_context": "In the ancient Near East, standard measures were essential for agriculture, trade, taxation, and temple offerings. The homer belongs to that broader world of practical commercial and cultic measurement, though the exact size varied by scholarly reconstruction.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "Ancient Jewish life used agreed units for grain and produce in ordinary commerce and in temple-related administration. The homer functioned as a large dry measure within that system, and later interpreters generally treated it as a practical unit rather than a symbolic one.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Leviticus 27:16",
    "Ezekiel 45:11, 14",
    "Hosea 3:2"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "Related measurement contexts include other Old Testament passages that mention dry measures and grain quantities."
  ],
  "original_language_note": "Hebrew: חֹמֶר (ḥōmer), a standard dry measure.",
  "theological_significance": "The homer has little direct theological weight by itself, but it helps establish the concreteness of biblical law and prophecy. It reminds readers that Scripture often speaks in ordinary, historically grounded terms.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "The term illustrates how language and measurement depend on historical context. Interpretation should distinguish between the biblical unit itself and any approximate modern conversion.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Do not press modern metric or imperial equivalents too hard, since the exact size of the homer is debated. Also avoid treating the term as symbolic unless the context clearly does so.",
  "major_views_note": "Most interpreters agree that the homer is a large dry measure and that it corresponds to ten ephahs. Discussion mainly concerns the best modern approximation.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "This term is descriptive and non-doctrinal. It should not be used to build theology beyond the general principle that Scripture is historically concrete and culturally situated.",
  "practical_significance": "Understanding the homer helps readers read Old Testament laws and prophecies more accurately, especially where quantities, offerings, or economic values are involved.",
  "meta_description": "Homer is an Old Testament dry measure, roughly equal to ten ephahs, used in legal, economic, and prophetic passages.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/homer/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/homer.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}