Cubit

Occurrences in the Bible

The cubit is the unit of length most frequently used in the Old Testament to measure objects and structures. Representative examples include the following:

• Noah's ark: 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high (Genesis 6:15). During the flood, the waters are recorded as rising fifteen cubits above the mountains (Genesis 7:20). See Noah's Flood.
• The tabernacle and the ark of the covenant: The Ark of the Covenant measured two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high (Exodus 25:10). The furnishings and curtains of the tabernacle were likewise specified in cubits.
• Solomon's temple: 60 cubits long, 20 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high (1 Kings 6:2). See Temple in Jerusalem.
• People and objects: Goliath stood "six cubits and a span" tall (1 Samuel 17:4). The bedstead of Og king of Bashan measured nine cubits by four cubits (Deuteronomy 3:11), and the golden image set up by Nebuchadnezzar was 60 cubits high (Daniel 3:1).
• Measurements in visions: In Ezekiel 40 and following, an angel measures the temple with a measuring reed. In Revelation 21:17, the wall of the New Jerusalem is measured at "an hundred and forty and four cubits."

Background

The Hebrew word ammah originally means "forearm." The unit is based on the distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger. In biblical times, one cubit is generally understood to have been divided into two spans, and one span into three handbreadths.

Because it was based on the human body, the length of the cubit varied by region and period.

• The phrase "after the cubit of a man" in Deuteronomy 3:11 indicates that a distinct cubit was in common everyday use.
• The reference to "the first measure" in 2 Chronicles 3:3 reflects the same situation.
• Ezekiel 40:5 uses a long cubit, measured "by the cubit and an hand breadth."

The Egyptian royal cubit was about 52 cm. Many scholars hold that the ordinary Israelite cubit was about 44–45 cm. The Siloam Tunnel Inscription is frequently cited as evidence: the inscription gives the tunnel's length as 1,200 cubits, and the actual tunnel is known to be about 533 m long.

Usage in the New Testament and Significance in Scripture as a Whole

In the New Testament, the cubit (pēchys) appears only a few times. It is the word rendered "cubit" in Matthew 6:27: "Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?" Some translations understand "stature" in this verse as "lifespan."

In Scripture, measuring sometimes carries significance beyond the determination of length. The dimensions of the tabernacle and the temple are presented as a design given by God. The measuring scenes in Ezekiel and Revelation are also interpreted by some as a sign that God possesses and protects the place being measured.

Interpretation and Points of Debate

• The actual size of the ark: Taking one cubit as 45 cm, the ark would be about 135 m long. Some take this figure literally and calculate the ark's capacity and structure, while others place greater weight on the theological message of the text. This difference also bears on the creation and evolution debate.
• Goliath's height: The Masoretic Text reads "six cubits and a span" (about 2.9 m). The Septuagint and one manuscript of Samuel among the Dead Sea Scrolls read "four cubits and a span" (about 2 m), and scholars are divided over which reading is original.
• The 144 cubits of Revelation: The text does not state whether this figure refers to the height or the thickness of the wall. Many interpretations focus on the symbolism of the number as 12 × 12.
• All conversions of the cubit into modern units are estimates. The text itself provides no metric equivalents.

In Korean Bibles and the Korean Church

The Korean term gyubit is a phonetic transliteration of the English word "cubit." The New Korean Revised Version uses this form. The Revised New Korean Standard Version and the Common Translation Bible generally render the term with ja, a traditional Korean unit of length. However, the Korean ja (about 30 cm) differs in length from the biblical cubit.

In church education and preaching, the dimensions of the ark and the tabernacle are often converted into modern units to convey their scale.