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Bible Dictionaries
Cubit
Bridgeway Bible Dictionary
or Measurements of length recorded in the Bible were sometimes only approximate. People of Bible times, like people today, commonly estimated lengths and distances by measuring with fingers, arms or paces. The cubit was the distance from the elbow to the finger tip. It was equal to about half a pace, or a quarter of the distance between the finger tips when the arms were outstretched sideways.
The cubit became the basic unit for estimating length, depth and height (Genesis 7:20; Deuteronomy 3:11; 1 Chronicles 11:23). Where exact measurements were required, such as in the construction of buildings, people used a standard cubit equal to approximately forty-four centimetres or eighteen inches (Exodus 26:15-25; 1 Kings 6:2-6). (See also MEASUREMENT.)
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Fleming, Don. Entry for 'Cubit'. Bridgeway Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/bbd/c/cubit.html. 2004.
