Weights
A Shekel weighed about ½ ounce, avoirdupois.
A Maneh weighed about 3 pounds 2 ounces, avoirdupois.
A Talent weighed about 93 pounds 12 ounces, avoirdupois.
A Gerah weighed about 11 grains.
A Bekah weighed about 110 grains.
These must only be regarded as an approximation to current weights. Authorities are not at all agreed.
Amongst the most ancient forms of commerce was that practiced by Abraham, who bought the field of Ephron, containing the cave of Machpelah, for a burying-place for himself and family, for four hundred shekels of silver, estimated according to weight; not necessarily of one size. Buying and selling by weight, and not by current money, is still extensively practiced in certain parts of the world.
Measures of Lengths
A Cubit (common) about 18 inches; holy cubit, about 21 inches.
A Span, about 10 inches.
A Hand-breadth, about 3½ inches.
A Fathom, about 6½ feet.
A Measuring Reed, about 11 feet.
A Measuring Line, about 146 feet.
A Stadium or Furlong, about 1/8th of a mile.
A Sabbath day’s journey, considerably less than a mile.
An ordinary day’s journey, about 33 miles.
An Eastern Mile, about 400 paces (a pace about 5 feet) more than our mile.
Measures of Liquids
The Log, nearly 1 pint.
The Hin, nearly 10 pints.
The Bath, nearly 7½ gallons, or 60 pints.
The Homer or Cor, about 75 gallons, or 600 pints.
The Firkin, nearly 7½ gallons.
Measures of Dry Goods
The Cab, about 2 pints.
The Omer, about 6 pints.
The Seah or Measure, about 20 pints.
The Ephah, about 60 pints.
The Homer, about 8 bushels.
The Tenth-deal was the tenth part of an Ephah.
Coins
English Money Value
We would repeat the warning already given not to place implicit confidence in these tables; the whole subject is one of confessed difficulty to Biblical authorities on these matters.