Dictionary of Bible Themes: 5616 weights and measures, dry

5616 weights and measures, dry

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Dictionary of Bible Themes » 5000 Humanity » 5200 Human civilisation » 5613 weights and measures » 5616 weights and measures, dry

These terms derive originally from the containers used, which held a fixed amount. Measures are given in ascending order, with their approximate imperial and metric equivalents.

Cab (1/18 ephah): about 2 pints (about 1 litre)

2 Kings 6:25 This is the only mention in Scripture of this measure.

Omer (1/10 ephah): about 4 pints (about 2 litres)

Exodus 16:16-22 This incident records the only mention in Scripture of this measure. See also Exodus 16:32,36

Seah (1/3 ephah): about 13 pints (about 7.3 litres)

Genesis 18:6 The seah was a measure used for flour and cereals. See also 1 Samuel 25:18; 1 Kings 18:32; 2 Kings 7:1

Ephah: about 3/5 bushel (about 22 litres)

Ruth 2:17 The ephah was used only for flour and cereals, and had subdivisions of 1/6 and 1/10. See also Leviticus 5:11; Leviticus 24:5; Numbers 15:4-9; Judges 6:19; 1 Samuel 17:17; Ezekiel 45:10-11; Zechariah 5:6-8 The word for “measuring basket” in the Hebrew is “ephah”.

Lethek (5 ephahs or 1/2 homer): about 3 bushels (about 110 litres)

Hosea 3:2 Possibly a Phoenician measure, this is the only mention in Scripture of this measure.

Cor (10 ephahs): about 6 bushels (about 220 litres)

1 Kings 4:22 The cor was used for measuring flour and cereals, and also appears to have been used for measuring oil. See also 1 Kings 5:11; 2 Chronicles 2:10; 2 C 5; Ezra 7:22; Ezekiel 45:14

Homer (10 ephahs): about 6 bushels (about 220 litres)

Leviticus 27:16 The homer is an older word than the cor, but is equivalent to it. It originally meant “a donkey load” and was widely used throughout the ancient Near East from the second millennium B.C. as a measure for cereals. See also Numbers 11:32; Isaiah 5:10; Ezekiel 45:11,13-14; Hosea 3:2

Other dry measures found in the NT

Quart (choinix): about 1 1/2-2 pints (about 1 litre)

Revelation 6:6 The word translated “quart” is “choinix”, a Greek measure.

Saton (equivalent to the OT seah)

Matthew 13:33 pp Luke 13:21 The “large amount” referred to is “three sata” in the Greek.

Bowl (modius): about 15 1/2 pints (about 8.75 litres)

Matthew 5:15 pp Mark 4:21 pp Luke 11:33 The word translated “bowl” is the Roman measure “modius”.

Koros (equivalent to the OT cor)

Luke 16:7 The measure translated as “a thousand bushels” is “one hundred korous” in the Greek.