Measure

Biblical systems of measurement encompassed both linear distances and dry and liquid volumes. Hebrew linear measures included the cubit (approximately 18 inches, from elbow to fingertip), the span (half a cubit), the handbreadth, and the finger. Volume measures included the homer (the largest dry measure, approximately 6–7 bushels), the ephah (one-tenth of a homer), the omer (one-tenth of an ephah), the cab, and the log. The prophets invoked standard measurements as symbols of divine judgment: Isaiah 5:14 depicts Sheol opening without measure, and Jeremiah 13:25 speaks of the measured portion God apportions as judgment. Honest weights and measures were a matter of covenant faithfulness, as false balances were an abomination to the LORD (Proverbs 11:1; Leviticus 19:35–36).