yoor´im
And Thummim (thum´im), a device consulted by the chief priest (in an unexplained manner) to determine God’s response to “yes” or “no” questions asked by the leader of the people (Num 27:21; 1Sam 14:41; 1Sam 28:6). It was borne in a pouch worn by the priest, over the heart, on the ephod garment (Exod 28:30). Apparently, the use of the Urim and Thummim is sometimes indicated by the term “ephod” (1Sam 23:9-12; 1Sam 30:7-8), by reference to the Ark of the Covenant (Judg 20:27; 1Sam 14:18), and by the phrase “ask of God” (1Sam 23:2; 1Sam 23:4). The Urim and Thummim may have been superseded by prophetic oracles after the time of David, and by the period of the return of the Babylonian exiles they were just a memory transmuted into an indefinite future (Ezra 2:63; Neh 7:65).
