TABLE OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

The standard of weight in Babylonia, Palestine, and Syria was the shekel, but its value varied. In Babylonia there was a light shekel of 126 grains, and a heavy shekel of twice the weight, 252 grains. Both these were then used as a basis for heavier weights. Sixty shekels make 1 mina; 60 minas or 3600 shekels, make 1 talent. The Hebrews used, at least sometimes, a different table: 50 shekels make 1 mina; 60 minas, or 3000 shekels, make 1 talent.

The Phoenician shekel was 112 (light) or 224 (heavy) grains. In Syria and Egypt there were weights of 160 (light) and 320 (heavy) grains.

In the Bible we may assume an approximate weight of 117 pounds for the light and 224 pounds for the heavy mina, with the shekel as 120 of these. The Hebrew gold shekel was worth nearly $10.00, the silver shekel somewhat less than 75 cents.

MEASURES OF LENGTH

The measures of length were derived from parts of the body:the digit, or finger-breadth, the palm, or hand-breadth, and the cubit, the length from the elbow to the end of the middle finger. The cubit was the unit of measurement. It was not always the same. It seems to have varied from 17 to 22 inches, with occasional wider variations. For convenience it may be calculated as a foot and a half.

A Sabbath Day's journey was nominally 2000 cubits or 3000

feet.

LIQUID MEASURE

The liquid measures of the earlier Hebrew time were somewhat less than in the later time. The difference, however, is not more than 10 per cent. The approximate values of the table below agree closely with the later measures.

1 log..

12 logs make 1 hin.

6 hins make 1 bath.

10 baths make 1 kor or homer.

Approximate
Values

1 pint

112 gallons

9 gallons

90 gallons

In John 2:6 "firkin" is the translation of a Greek measure about equal to a bath.

DRY MEASURE

As in the case of liquid measure, the dry measures of the earlier time were a little less than 10 per cent less than in a later time. The values given below agree closely with those of the later time.

An omer, a measure which does not fit into the series, was

Vocabulary

OF

PROPER NAMES IN THE BIBLE

The names which present difficulties of pronunciation are given in the first column, with accents on the stressed syllables. The second column gives the word as pronounced, with the vowels marked according to the sounds at the bottom of the pages.

Vowels.-Late, căt, câr; mēte, mět, têrm; site, sit; lōne, lõt, fôr; rūde, hŭt, pût;

oi like oil; ai like aye.

Consonants.-Ch in chin, g in go, th in thin, th in that, y in yet, zh like z in

azure.

Vowels-Late, căt, câr; mēte, mět, têrm; sīte, sit; lōne, lõt, fôr; rūde, hŭt, pût;

oi like oil; ai like aye.