How Long Is A Biblical Cubit? | Notes And Queries | .uk

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ETHICAL CONUNDRUMSHow long is a biblical cubit?

  • THE cubit is the distance between the elbow and the tip of the middle finger. Most modern translations of the Bible substitute modern units. For example, the New English Bible converts the 'nine cubits' of Deuteronomy 3.11 (the length of the giant King Og's coffin) into 'nearly 14 feet', whereas the Good News Bible converts to 'four metres'. What a pity to drop the ancient word! The question remains as to what actual length was used. One calculation is that based on the fact that the Siloam aqueduct was 'in round numbers' 1,200 cubits. Its actual length is 1,750 ft, which is 1,193 cubits of 17.6 in (44.7 cm). However, in the building of the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem (II Chronicles 3.3) 'cubits of the first measure' are mentioned. This may refer to the Egyptian cubit of 20.63 in (52.4 cm) or to the cubit of Deuteronomy.

    Michael L. Cox, Nuneaton, Warwicks.

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