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The Biblical system is based upon values from Ancient Mesopotamia, the Cradle of Civilization.
The earliest mention in the Bible was Abraham's purchase of a burial cave ... see Gen.23:16
LENGTH
cubit
17 1/2 inches
long cubit=20.4" Ezekiel 40:5
fathom
4 cubits
6 feet
finger
3/4 inch
smallest measure
reed
6 cubits
long reed=134.4" Ezekiel OT
span
1/2 of a cubit
tip of thumb to little finger tip
furlong
606 feet
606 feet
handbreadth
2.9 inches
4 fingers width
mile
5000 Roman feet
1618 yards
Sabbath Day's journey
2000 cubits
900 meters
A Day's journey
22 miles
Gen 30:36
pace
1 yard - OT
Roman pace=5 Roman feet
WEIGHTS / COINS
talent (3000 shekels)
75.6 pounds
The largest weight used
mina or pound
100 silver drachmas
Luke 19: 13-25
shekel (2 bekahs) also "piece of silver" Hos. 3:2 or "piece of gold"
2/5 ounce
11.5 grams
pim or file in OT (2/3 shekel)
.27 ounce
7.6 grams
bekah (1/2 shekel)
1/5 ounce
5.5 grams
gerah (not a coin)
1/50 ounce or 1/20 shekel
0.6 gram
pound (O.T.)
1.6 pounds
12 ounces in NT
daric or dram
1/4 ounce
8.4 grams - Ezra 2:69
quesita
ancient weight
"piece of money" in KJV
lepton or mite
1/2 of a quadran or farthing
farthing or quadran
1/4 of a cent
Assarion (farthing)
one cent
1/16 of a denarius
denarius (penny)
16 cents
day's wages
drachma
"pieces of silver"
Luke 15:8
didrachma
2 drachma coin, half shekel
Matt. 17:24 - tribute money
stater
4 drachma coin
same value as shekel
DRY
homer (10 ephahs - baths) a donkey load - largest measure
6 bushels
220 liters
bushel - NT
peck or 1/4 US bushel
handful
capacity of the hand
Lev 2:2, 5:12
lethech (5 ephahs)
3 bushels
110 liters
ephah or deal KJV(10 omers)
3/5 bushel
22 liters
seah or measure (1/3 ephah)
7 quarts
7.3 liters
omer (1/10 ephah)
2 dry quarts
2.4 liters
kab or cab (1/18 ephah)
1 dry quart
1.2 liter
LIQUID
bath (6 hins)
5.8 gallons
per Josephus
hin (1/6 bath)
4 quarts
4 liters
log - olive oil measure
2/3 pint
0.3 liter
firkin
10 gallons
39 liters
cor (10 baths)
58 gallons
measure - NT
10 gallons
Luke 16:6
The mite (bronze lepton) was the smallest and most common unit of currency. It was used until the 4th century. A shekel was slightly larger than a half-dollar. Two dinarius or denarii were equal to 2 day's wages
EARLIEST HEBREW COIN 4 B.C. PERSIAN DOUBLE SHEKEL 400 B.C. EMPEROR AUGUSTUS SILVER STATER 6 B.C. BRONZE LEPTON OR WIDOW'S MITE A.D.9 EMPEROR VESPASIAN COIN A.D. 70 EMPEROR TIBERIUS DENARIUS 25 B.C. What could one silver shekel in Biblical times buy? - A Roman soldiers salary for one year was 25 shekels - The dowry of a virgin was 100 shekels - The Talit or outer cloak was 6 shekels - An ox 50 shekels, a lamb 2 shekels, a calf 10 shekels - Monthly house rental was 2 shekels. A banquet style meal 1/2 shekel or Bekah. The only measure of area in the Bible is the acre or yoke that is the area that a team of oxen can plow in a day, about half of an English acre ... see 1 Sam 14:4
* Bible Numbers
A silver Tyrian double shekel minted in Sidon 400 B.C worth about $1.30 Used for the Temple Tax
A silver denarius showing Tiberius minted in A.D. 14 worth about 16 cents- a day's wages
* Bible Colors
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