Christians don’t need the metric system

God has already given us all the units of measurement we need in the Bible.

Who knew you could have so much fun with the Bible’s units of measurement?

But seriously, here’s a list of biblical units of measurement:

In case you’re interested, here’s the list of biblical measurements, along with some notes on what they might be equivalent to today. I pulled these from Wilmington’s The Complete Book of Bible Lists (a really helpful resource to me*).

Unit of measurement Equivalent Scriptural example Bath 6 gallons 1 Kings 7:26 Bekah ¼ ounce; a bekah is also equal to one homeschooling curricula ;-) Exod. 38:26 Bushel 1 peck Matt. 5:15; Mark 4:21; Luke 11:33 Cab 2 quarts 2 Kings 6:25 Cubit Length from elbow to hand, about 18 inches Gen. 6:15; 1 Sam. 17:4; Esther 5:14; Dan. 3:1 Cor 6½ bushels of dry measure, or 61 gallons of liquid Ezek. 45:14 Daric (dram) $5 Neh. 7:70; Ezra 2:69 Day’s journey 20 miles Luke 2:44 Denarius (penny) 1 day’s wages Matt. 20:2; 22:19; Luke 10:35 Didrachmon (didrachma) 32 cents; Jewish half-shekel of silver Matt. 17:24 Drachme (drachma) 16 cents Luke 15:8–9 Ephah 1 bushel; 6 gallons of grain Ruth 2:17; 1 Sam. 17:17 Farthing ¼ cent Matt. 10:29; Mark 12:42 Fathom 6 feet Acts 27:28 Finger span (digit) ¾ inch Jer. 52:21 Firkin (metretes) 9 gallons John 2:6 Furlong 1/8 mile Luke 24:13; John 6:19; Rev. 14:20; 21:16 Gerah 1/40 ounce Exod. 30:13 Handbreadth 3 inches 1 Kings 7:26; Ps. 39:5 Hin 6 quarts Exod. 29:40 Homer 90 gallons; 11 bushels Num. 11:32; Hosea 3:2 Log 1 pint Lev. 14:10 Measure 1 peck Gen. 18:6; Matt. 13:33 Maneh 2 pounds Ezek. 45:12 Mile 4,880 feet Matt. 5:41 Mina varies 1 Kings 10:17 Mite 1/8 cent Mark 12:42 Omer 7 pints Exod. 16:22 Pace 1 meter 2 Sam. 6:13 Quadrans ¼ cent Matt. 5:26; Mark 12:42 Reed 11 feet Ezek. 42:16; Rev. 21:15 Sabbath day’s journey ½ mile Acts 1:12 Seah 1 gallon and 5 pints Gen. 18:6; 1 Sam. 25:18 Shekel Varies, used for currency and weight Span 9 inches Exod. 28:16 Stater (tetradrachma) 64 cents Matt. 17:27 Talent Varies, used for currency and weight Matt 18:24

H.L. Willmington, Willmington’s Book of Bible Lists (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 1987), 195–197.

* Amazon gives me a small kickback for the shoppers I send their way. So if you buy this book, you’re not only getting a cool Bible-study resource—you’re helping me write more Bible-study material for the world. =)