Weights, measures and money in the Bible
Every unit of length, capacity and weight in the Bible with approximate modern equivalents, the coins of the New Testament measured in a day’s wage, and how the day and night were divided.
Length
| Unit | Metric | Imperial | Equal to | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finger ʾetsbaʿ | 1.9 cm | 0.7 inches | ¼ handbreadth | The width of a finger. (Jeremiah 52:21) |
| Handbreadth tefaḥ | 7.4 cm | 2.9 inches | 4 fingers | The width of the palm across the knuckles. (Exodus 25:25) |
| Span zeret | 22.2 cm | 8.7 inches | 3 handbreadths | Thumb to little finger, hand spread. (Exodus 28:16) |
| Cubit ʾammah | 44.5 cm | 17.5 inches | 2 spans | Elbow to fingertip, the standard unit of building; Noah’s ark was 300 cubits long (about 135 m). (Genesis 6:15) |
| Long cubit ʾammah | 51.8 cm | 20.4 inches | a cubit and a handbreadth | The “royal” cubit used in Ezekiel’s temple vision (compare 2 Chronicles 3:3). (Ezekiel 40:5) |
| Fathom orguia | 1.85 m | 2.0 yards | about 4 cubits | The reach of outstretched arms; used for sounding depth. (Acts 27:28) |
| Reed qaneh | 3.11 m | 3.4 yards | 6 long cubits | A measuring rod. (Ezekiel 40:5) |
| Furlong stadion | 185.00 m | 202.3 yards | about 400 cubits | A Greek stadium length; Emmaus was sixty furlongs (about 11 km) from Jerusalem. (Luke 24:13) |
| Sabbath day’s journey | 900.00 m | 0.56 miles | 2,000 cubits | The distance rabbinic tradition allowed on the sabbath, reckoned from Joshua 3:4. (Acts 1:12) |
| Mile milion | 1.48 km | 0.92 miles | 8 furlongs | The Roman mile of a thousand paces. (Matthew 5:41) |
Dry measures
| Unit | Metric | Imperial | Equal to | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Measure (choinix) choinix | 1.1 litres | 1.16 US quarts | About a day’s ration of grain; in famine it cost a whole day’s wage. (Revelation 6:6) | |
| Cab qab | 1.2 litres | 1.27 US quarts | 1⁄18 ephah | In the siege of Samaria a quarter of a cab of dove’s dung sold for five pieces of silver. (2 Kings 6:25) |
| Omer ʿomer | 2.2 litres | 2.32 US quarts | 1⁄10 ephah | The daily portion of manna for each person. (Exodus 16:36) |
| Measure (seah) seʾah | 7.3 litres | 1.9 US gallons | ⅓ ephah | Sarah baked with three measures of fine meal. (Genesis 18:6) |
| Bushel modios | 8.7 litres | 2.3 US gallons | A Roman grain measure, and the vessel it was measured in. (Matthew 5:15) | |
| Ephah ʾefah | 22.0 litres | 5.8 US gallons | 10 omers | The standard dry measure, equal to the liquid bath. (Exodus 16:36) |
| Half homer letekh | 110.0 litres | 29.1 US gallons | 5 ephahs | Part of the price Hosea paid for Gomer. (Hosea 3:2) |
| Homer ḥomer | 220.0 litres | 58.1 US gallons | 10 ephahs | A donkey-load; the same as the cor (Ezekiel 45:14). (Ezekiel 45:11) |
Liquid measures
| Unit | Metric | Imperial | Equal to | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Log log | 0.3 litres | 0.32 US quarts | 1⁄12 hin | A small measure of oil. (Leviticus 14:10) |
| Hin hin | 3.7 litres | 3.91 US quarts | ⅙ bath | Used for the oil and wine of the daily offerings. (Exodus 29:40) |
| Bath bat | 22.0 litres | 5.8 US gallons | 6 hins | The standard liquid measure, equal to the ephah. (Ezekiel 45:11) |
| Firkin metrētēs | 39.0 litres | 10.3 US gallons | The stone jars at Cana held two or three firkins apiece. (John 2:6) |
Weights
| Unit | Metric | Imperial | Equal to | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gerah gerah | 0.57 g | 0.02 oz | 1⁄20 shekel | The smallest weight. (Exodus 30:13) |
| Bekah beqaʿ | 5.70 g | 0.20 oz | ½ shekel | The half shekel paid by every man counted in the census. (Exodus 38:26) |
| Shekel sheqel | 11.40 g | 0.40 oz | 20 gerahs | The basic weight, used for silver before coins; Abraham paid 400 shekels of silver for the cave of Machpelah. (Genesis 23:16) |
| Pound (litra) litra | 327.00 g | 11.53 oz | The Roman pound; Mary anointed Jesus with a pound of spikenard. (John 12:3) | |
| Maneh (mina) maneh | 570.00 g | 1.3 lb | 50 shekels (60 in Ezekiel) | A weight between the shekel and the talent. (Ezekiel 45:12) |
| Talent kikkar | 34.2 kg | 75.4 lb | 3,000 shekels | The heaviest weight, about what a man can carry; the silver of the tabernacle census came to 100 talents. (Exodus 38:25) |
Money
Measured against the denarius, a labourer’s daily wage (Matthew 20:2).
| Coin or sum | Value | Equal to | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mite lepton | 1/128 of a day’s wage | ½ farthing | The smallest bronze coin; the widow gave two. (Mark 12:42) |
| Farthing (quadrans) kodrantēs | 1/64 of a day’s wage | 2 mites | A small Roman bronze coin (Mark 12:42: “two mites, which make a farthing”). (Matthew 5:26) |
| Farthing (assarion) assarion | 1/16 of a day’s wage | 4 quadrans | Two sparrows were sold for a farthing. (Matthew 10:29) |
| Penny (denarius) dēnarion | 1 day’s wage | 16 assaria | A Roman silver coin, a labourer’s wage for a day. (Matthew 20:2) |
| Piece of silver (drachma) drachmē | 1 day’s wage | about 1 denarius | The Greek coin of about the same value as the denarius; the woman searched for one she had lost. (Luke 15:8) |
| Tribute money (didrachma) didrachmon | 2 days’ wages | 2 drachmas | The half-shekel temple tax paid each year. (Matthew 17:24) |
| Piece of money (stater) statēr | 4 days’ wages | 4 drachmas | Enough to pay the temple tax for two; Peter found one in a fish’s mouth. (Matthew 17:27) |
| Shekel of silver sheqel | 4 days’ wages | about a tetradrachm | In New Testament times the shekel was reckoned as a four-drachma coin. Thirty shekels was the price of a slave; compare the thirty pieces of silver paid to Judas (Matthew 26:15). (Exodus 21:32) |
| Pound (mina) mna | about 4 months’ wages | 100 drachmas | In the parable each servant receives one pound, about four months’ wages. (Luke 19:13) |
| Talent talanton | about 20 years’ wages | 60 minas | About twenty years’ wages; the servant in the parable owed ten thousand. (Matthew 18:24) |
Hours and watches
| Time | Clock time | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|
| Third hour | about 9 a.m. | Hours were counted from sunrise; Mark places the crucifixion at the third hour. (Mark 15:25) |
| Sixth hour | about noon | Darkness covered the land from the sixth to the ninth hour. (Matthew 27:45) |
| Ninth hour | about 3 p.m. | The hour of prayer at the evening sacrifice. (Acts 3:1) |
| Eleventh hour | about 5 p.m. | The last hour of the working day. (Matthew 20:6) |
| Twelve hours of daylight | sunrise to sunset | The day’s length varied with the season, so hours did too. (John 11:9) |
| Middle watch | about 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. | The Old Testament divides the night into three watches. (Judges 7:19) |
| Morning watch | about 2 to 6 a.m. | The last of the three watches. (Exodus 14:24) |
| Fourth watch | about 3 to 6 a.m. | The Romans divided the night into four watches; Jesus came walking on the sea in the fourth. (Matthew 14:25) |
Frequently asked questions
- How long is a cubit in the Bible?
- About 44.5 cm (17.5 inches), the length from elbow to fingertip. Ezekiel’s temple vision uses a longer “royal” cubit of about 52 cm, a cubit and a handbreadth.
- How much was a talent worth?
- In the New Testament a talent was about 6,000 denarii, and a denarius was a day’s wage for a labourer, so a talent was roughly twenty years’ wages. As a weight, a talent was about 34 kg.
- How much is a shekel?
- As a weight, about 11.4 grams. In New Testament times the silver shekel was reckoned as a four-drachma coin, about four days’ wages.
Modern equivalents are approximate: units varied between periods and regions. Compiled for Tiqvah from the biblical text and standard Bible dictionaries.