Biblical Weights and Measures

Units in the Bible

Length

• Cubit: The length from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger. In Hebrew it is called ammah. The dimensions of Noah's ark (Genesis 6:15) and of the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25:10) are given in cubits. The height of Goliath was "six cubits and a span" (1 Samuel 17:4).
• Span and handbreadth: Units smaller than the cubit. Ezekiel 40:5 describes a longer measure consisting of an ordinary cubit plus a handbreadth.
• Stadion: A Greek unit used in the New Testament for measuring long distances (Revelation 21:16).

Weight and Currency

• Shekel and gerah: "A shekel is twenty gerahs" (Exodus 30:13). In the regulations for the tabernacle, a separate standard called the "shekel of the sanctuary" was used.
• Mina and talent: Large units of weight. According to the calculation in Exodus 38:25–26, one talent equals 3,000 shekels. The mina is commonly reckoned at 50 shekels, but Ezekiel 45:12 sets it at 60 shekels.
• Denarius and lepton: Roman currency of the New Testament. One denarius was a laborer's daily wage (Matthew 20:2). The poor widow's offering was "two mites, which make a farthing" (Mark 12:42), that is, two lepta making one quadrans.

Volume

• Ephah and bath: The ephah measured grain, and the bath measured liquids. The two were equal in capacity, and each was one-tenth of a homer (Ezekiel 45:11).
• Omer: One-tenth of an ephah. It was used in gathering manna (Exodus 16:36).

Background

Before minted coinage appeared, payment was made by weighing silver on scales. Abraham, for example, weighed out four hundred shekels of silver as the price of a field (Genesis 23:16). The word shekel is understood to be related to a Hebrew verb meaning "to weigh." The actual size of the units varied by period and region. As a result, the cubit can only be estimated at roughly 45 cm (about 18 inches) and the shekel at a little over 10 g (about 0.4 oz), and scholars differ on the exact values.

Just Weights

The Law commands the use of just balances and measures (Leviticus 19:35–36; Deuteronomy 25:13–15). Proverbs says, "A false balance is abomination to the LORD" (Proverbs 11:1). Amos and Micah rebuke the deceit of merchants who make the ephah small and the shekel great (Amos 8:5; Micah 6:11). Weights and measures were treated not merely as practical rules of daily life but as a matter of justice toward one's neighbor.

In the New Testament

In the New Testament, weights and measures furnish imagery for parables. Examples include the Parable of the Talents, the Parable of the Minas, the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, and the Parable of the Lost Coin. Jesus said, "With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again" (Matthew 7:2), a saying that likens measurement to God's judgment. The book of Revelation gives the dimensions of the New Jerusalem as twelve thousand stadia (KJV "furlongs") and one hundred forty-four cubits (Revelation 21:16–17).

Interpretation and Issues

Interpretations of the dimensions of the New Jerusalem differ. Some read them as literal measurements, while others read them in terms of the symbolism of the number twelve and its multiples. Values converted into meters or grams are estimates not found in the text itself, and such conversions may differ among Bible commentaries and translations.

In the Korean Church

The New Korean Revised Version transliterates units from the original languages, such as the cubit, shekel, talent, ephah, and denarius, rather than converting them. Under the influence of the Parable of the Talents, the Korean word dallanteu ("talent") is also commonly used in Korean churches to mean "ability" or "gift." In Sunday school, programs in which children collect "talents" for attendance or Scripture memorization and exchange them for prizes have long been widespread.