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Biblical measures converter
Convert the weights and measures of the Bible to modern units: how long a cubit is, how much a shekel or a talent weighs and how many liters an ephah or a bath holds.
Category
Appears in Genesis 6:15. Use a period as the decimal point.
Result
m · Meter
1 cubit = 0.445 m
The common cubit was about 44.5 cm (17.5 in), the distance from the elbow to the fingertips. Ezekiel's long cubit added one handbreadth, about 52 cm (20.4 in).
Table of biblical weights and measures
Approximate equivalents, with a passage where each measure appears.
Length
| Measure | Equals | Appears in |
|---|---|---|
| Cubit | 44.5 cm | Genesis 6:15 |
| Long or royal cubit | 51.9 cm | Ezekiel 40:5 |
| Span | 22.5 cm | 1 Samuel 17:4 |
| Handbreadth | 7.4 cm | Exodus 25:25 |
| Finger | 1.85 cm | Jeremiah 52:21 |
| Reed (6 long cubits) | 3.11 m | Ezekiel 40:5 |
| Fathom | 1.8 m | Acts 27:28 |
| Stadion | 180 m | Luke 24:13 |
| Roman mile | 1.48 km | Matthew 5:41 |
Weight
| Measure | Equals | Appears in |
|---|---|---|
| Shekel | 11.4 g | Genesis 23:16 |
| Beka or half shekel | 5.7 g | Exodus 38:26 |
| Gerah | 0.57 g | Exodus 30:13 |
| Pim | 7.8 g | 1 Samuel 13:21 |
| Mina (50 shekels) | 571.2 g | Ezekiel 45:12 |
| Talent (3,000 shekels) | 34.3 kg | Exodus 38:25 |
| Roman pound (litra) | 327.5 g | John 12:3 |
Dry measures
| Measure | Equals | Appears in |
|---|---|---|
| Ephah | 22 L | Ruth 2:17 |
| Omer (1/10 ephah) | 2.2 L | Exodus 16:36 |
| Seah (1/3 ephah) | 7.3 L | 1 Samuel 25:18 |
| Kab | 1.2 L | 2 Kings 6:25 |
| Lethech (5 ephahs) | 110 L | Hosea 3:2 |
| Homer or cor (10 ephahs) | 220 L | Leviticus 27:16 |
| Modios (basket) | 7.4 L | Matthew 5:15 |
Liquid measures
| Measure | Equals | Appears in |
|---|---|---|
| Bath | 22 L | 1 Kings 7:26 |
| Hin (1/6 bath) | 3.6 L | Exodus 29:40 |
| Log (1/12 hin) | 0.35 L | Leviticus 14:10 |
| Cor (10 baths) | 220 L | Ezekiel 45:14 |
| Metretes (Cana water jar) | 39 L | John 2:6 |
Frequently asked questions
- How long is a biblical cubit?
- The common cubit was about 44.5 centimeters (17.5 inches), the distance from the elbow to the fingertips. The long or royal cubit used by Ezekiel added one handbreadth, about 52 centimeters (20.4 inches).
- How big was Noah's ark?
- Genesis 6:15 gives 300 cubits for its length, 50 for its breadth and 30 for its height. With the common cubit, that is about 133 meters long, 22 wide and 13 high (roughly 438 by 73 by 44 feet).
- How much did a shekel weigh?
- About 11.4 grams. It was a unit of weight before it was a coin: the 400 shekels of silver that Abraham paid for the cave of Machpelah (Genesis 23:16) weighed about 4.5 kilograms (10 pounds).
- How much did a talent weigh?
- A talent was 3,000 shekels, about 34 kilograms (75 pounds). In the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:15), five talents were a fortune: more than 170 kilograms of precious metal.
- Why are the values approximate?
- Measures varied by period, region and use, and no official standards have survived. The equivalents come from weights found in excavations and from comparing texts, which is why the tables in different Bibles can differ slightly.
Sources
- American Bible Society (2017). “Pesos y medidas en el antiguo Israel” [Weights and measures in ancient Israel]. View online. The source of almost all the values (in Spanish).
- Crossway. “Table of Weights and Measures,” ESV Global Study Bible. View online. Used for comparison.
- Bible references and measure names follow the English Standard Version (ESV). Some names vary between translations: the modios of Matthew 5:15, for example, appears as “basket.”