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- Biblical or ancient Hebrew units of length are derived from Egypt
- but Except for the Old cubit of Ezekial which was
- an Egyptian Royal Cubit of 7 palms and 21"
- The Hebrew lengths don't use the royal cubit.
- The ordinary cubit is 18"
- and divided into fingers, ells, hands, spans, feet and remen
- 1 esbah (finger) = 19.05"
- 3 fingers = 1 ell = 57.15 mm = 2.25"
- 5 fingers = 1 tofah (hand)= 95.25"
- 10 fingers = 2 hands = 1 zereth (span) = 1/2 remen = 190.5 mm = 7.5"
- 15 fingers = 3 hands = 1 foot = 285.75" = 11.25"
- 20 fingers = 4 hands = 1 remen = 381 mm = 15"
- 25 fingers = 5 hands = 1 amma (cubit) = 476.25 mm = 18"
area
- 1 kings 7-2 the Hall of the Forest of Lebanon measures in cubits
- 100 long by 50 wide and 30 high
- its area is 7500 SF or about 1/6 acre
- 1 kings 7-2 the Hall of Pillara measures in cubits
- 50 long by 30 wide
- its area is 1500 SF or about 1/30 acre
Volume Dry
- Homer or Cor = 10 epah = 12.5 bu
- Lethech = 5 epah = 6.25 bu
- Ephah = 1 epah = 1.25 bu
- Seah = 1/3 epah = 3 1/3 BIG = 4 US gallons
- Issaron = 1/10 epah = 1 BIG = 1.25 US gallons
- there is close agreement to the British Imperial System
Volume Liquid
- Cor = 10 baths = 100 BIG = 120 US gallons
- Bath = 1 bath = 10 BIG = 12 US gallons
- Hin = 1/6 bath = 1 2/3 BIG = 2 US gallons
- Kab = 1/18 bath = 4 1/2 pints = 2 1/2 US quarts
- Log = 1/72 bath = 1 = 20 fl oz
Weight
Reduced to English troy-weight, the Hebrew weights were:
- 1 Gerah = 1/20 shekle (Lev. 27:25; Num. 3:47),
- a Hebrew word, meaning a grain or kernel, and
- hence a small weight. It was the twentieth part of a shekel, and
- equal to 12 grains (778 mg).
- 1 Bekah= 1/2 shekle (Ex. 38:26), meaning "a half" i.e.,
- "half a shekel," equal to 5 pennyweight (7.8 g).
- 1 Shekel, "a weight," only in the Old Testament, and
- frequently in its original form (Gen. 23:15, 16; Ex. 21:32; 30:13, 15; 38:24-29, etc.).
- It was equal to 10 pennyweight (15.6 g).
- 1 profane Ma'neh = 50 shekles, = 1 1/4 lb "a part" or "portion" (Ezek. 45:12),
- 1 sacred Ma'neh = 60 shekels (933 g), i.e., to 2 lb 6 oz (1,077 g).
- 1 Talent = 75 lb of silver (2 Kings 5:22),
- equal to 3,000 shekels (46.7 kg), i.e., 125 lb (56.7 kg).
- 1 kikkar = 3000 shekles, = 75 lb Talent of gold,
- (Ex. 25:39), double the preceding, i.e., 250 lb (113 kg).
- sources include
- The Jerusalem Bible
- "The World of Measurements" H. Arthur Klein
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Easton, Matthew George (1897). Easton's Bible Dictionary (New and revised ed.). T. Nelson and Sons. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)