Ephod

Or ephod ephod (Hebrew אֵפוֹד ) designates the liturgical robe of the High Priest of the Israelites. The detailed design of the ephod, is described in Ex 28.6 to 14 EU:

" The ephod should they make an art of woven work, of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. It should have two interconnected shoulder pieces, namely at both ends they are to be interconnected. The sash at the ephod, to be of the same style and form with it a single piece of gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. Take two onyx stones and cut out the names of the sons of Israel a: six of the name in a stone, and the other six names in the other stone, in the order in which they were born. In stone cutting work as Siegelgravierung thou shalt come into the two stones the names of the sons of Israel cut, used in gold settings shalt thou make them. Attach the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as stones that remember the Lord to the Israelites. Aaron shall bear their names on the two shoulder pieces before the Lord in remembrance. Therefore thou shalt make of pure gold the wording of gold and two chains; rotating it as a string and attach the string-like chains of the sockets! "

At the ephod was the breastplate with golden cords with the Lossteinen Urim and Thummim attached (Ex 28.25 to 30 EU).

In addition to the ephod of the High Priest wore the gefertigeten entirely of blue Efodmantel (Ex 28,31 EU) as outer garment, a robe of knitted fabric and to turban and belt. (Ex 28.4 EU)

In Ri 8.27 EU there is a passage in the Bible where the word ephod has a wholly different meaning than that of the priest robe:

" Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it on one of his city Ofra. And all Israel went there so idolatry. "

Compare also Ri 17.5 EU, Ri 18,14 EU and 1 Sam 19:13 EU. In this context, the word can also refer to an idol. These idols must not be imagined in any case as a large statues, as is clear from the narrative in Genesis 31,19 ff EU gives about Rachel, Jacob's wife that her father Laban stole his house God. In the world of nomads idols were transportable; she acted as a house of God roving clans or clan elders. But maybe is " oracle machine " to think of one.