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Boyd’s Bible Dictionary
:
(elbow). Distance from the elbow to end of the middle finger, or about 21.8 inches (
Gen. 6:15
15
And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. (Genesis 6:15)
;
1 Sam. 17:4
4
And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. (1 Samuel 17:4)
).
Concise Bible Dictionary
:
Many
efforts
have
been made to ascertain
the
length of
this
measure
, from which others could be calculated. Its
name
signifies that it was the measure of a
man
’s
arm
from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger. Of
course
this would vary in different persons, and
some
measure would have to be taken as a
standard
. In the
Palestine
Exploration this subject has not been lost sight of. Many tombs have been measured, but
they
give
no definite result. The inscription found in the
Siloam
tunnel states the length of the tunnel to be 1,200 cubits, as read by Major Condor; but 1,000 cubits as interpreted by Professor Sayce. Doubtless
only
a round
number
is intended. Its length has been found to be 1,750 feet; which makes the
cubit
by the two interpretations, 17.5 or 21 inches.
There
are however many
other
measurements that seem to give a cubit of 16 inches. Many of the
ancient
stones
in the base of
the
temple
area, the breadth of the pilasters found in the
north
-western
corner
of the area, together
with
their distances apart, and
also
the Galilean synagogues,
all
give a measure of 16 inches. “Quarterly Statement,” Jan., 1894.
In
Ezekiel 41:8
8
I saw also the height of the house round about: the foundations of the side chambers were a full reed of six great cubits. (Ezekiel 41:8)
we read of a “
great
cubit,” and in the commencement of the description of the future temple the
reed
is described as being “
six
cubits
long
by the cubit and a
handbreadth
” (
Ezek. 40:5
5
And behold a wall on the outside of the house round about, and in the man's hand a measuring reed of six cubits long by the cubit and an hand breadth: so he measured the breadth of the building, one reed; and the height, one reed. (Ezekiel 40:5)
). This agrees with the former
passage
which speaks of “a full reed of six great cubits.” From this we
gather
that there was an ordinary cubit, and a great cubit, the difference being a handbreadth, which is accounted to be the same as the
palm
, a
sixth
of a cubit. In
Deuteronomy 3:11
11
For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man. (Deuteronomy 3:11)
we find a cubit “after the cubit of a man”; and in
2 Chronicles 3:3
3
Now these are the things wherein Solomon was instructed for the building of the house of God. The length by cubits after the first measure was threescore cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits. (2 Chronicles 3:3)
, a cubit “after the first measure,” or “former” or “older” measure. From these passages it is clear that there were different
measures
called the cubit. The 16 inches above
named
may have been the shortest, but
what
was the length of the longest is quite uncertain. See
WEIGHTS and MEASURES
.
From
Manners and Customs of the Bible
:
Exodus 25:10
10
And they shall make an ark of shittim wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. (Exodus 25:10)
. Two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a
cubit
and a half the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.
The word
cubit is derived directly from the
Latin
cubitus, the lower
arm
. The
Hebrew
word is
ammah
, the
mother
of the arm, that is, the forearm. It is evidently a measure taken from the human body; as were other
measures
of length among the Hebrews and other nations. There seem to be two kinds of cubits, and some say
three
kinds, mentioned in
Scripture
. In
Deuteronomy 3:11
11
For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man. (Deuteronomy 3:11)
, we read of “the cubit of a
man
.” In
2 Chronicles 3:3
3
Now these are the things wherein Solomon was instructed for the building of the house of God. The length by cubits after the first measure was threescore cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits. (2 Chronicles 3:3)
, “cubits after the first [or old] measure” are spoken of. In
Ezekiel 41:8
8
I saw also the height of the house round about: the foundations of the side chambers were a full reed of six great cubits. (Ezekiel 41:8)
, we are told of “great cubits,” each one of which, according to
Ezekiel 40:5
5
And behold a wall on the outside of the house round about, and in the man's hand a measuring reed of six cubits long by the cubit and an hand breadth: so he measured the breadth of the building, one reed; and the height, one reed. (Ezekiel 40:5)
, “measured a cubit and a
handbreadth
.” Some writers suppose these to represent three different measures of length; while others regard the first and second as identical, thus making but two kinds of cubits. Whether two or three cannot now be determined. It is no easier to decide as to the length of any one of the cubits named. Various estimates of the Mosaic cubit have been given, varying from
twelve
inches to twenty-two. The ancient Egyptian cubit was nearly twenty-one inches, which some of the best authorities now estimate as the length of the Mosaic. Other authorities, however, equally worthy of consideration, claim that the length of the Mosaic cubit, as applied to
the Tabernacle
and Temple, was eighteen inches; and that the Jews did not use the cubit of twenty-one inches—which was Babylonian as well as Egyptian—until after the
captivity
.
Related Books and Articles:
134. The Cubit
From:
Manners and Customs of the Bible
By:
James M. Freeman
Distance Palm Span Cubit
From:
Biblical Geography and History Maps
Call: 1-630-543-1441
“Study to show thyself approved unto God, … rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
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