How Long Was The Original Cubit?
Bodie
Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI
Biblical
Authority Ministries, April 28, 2025
“And this is how you shall make
it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty
cubits, and its height thirty cubits.” Genesis 6:15, NKJV
Do we really know the size of Noah’s Ark (Genesis 6:15), the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25:10), the altar (Exodus 38:1), Goliath (1 Samuel 17:4), and Solomon’s Temple (1 Kings 6:2)?
While
the Bible tells us that the length of Noah’s Ark was 300 cubits, its width 50
cubits, and its height 30 cubits, we must first ask, “How long is a cubit?” The
answer, however, is not certain because ancient people groups assigned
different lengths to the term “cubit” (Hebrew word אמה
[ammah]), the primary unit of measure in the Old Testament.
Ark with a short cubit (Using the old box design); Image from Presentation Library.
Ark with a long cubit (Using the Lovett Design); Image from Presentation Library with added dimensions.
The length of a cubit was based on the distance from the elbow to the fingertips, so it varied between different ancient groups of people. Here are some samples from Egypt, Babylon, and ancient Israel:
|
Culture |
Inches (centimeters) |
|
Hebrew (short) |
17.5 (44.5) |
|
Egyptian |
17.6 (44.7) |
|
Common (short) |
18 (45.7) |
|
Babylonian (long) |
19.8 (50.3) |
|
Hebrew (long) |
20.4 (51.8) |
|
Egyptian (long) |
20.6 (52.3) |
But when Noah came off the Ark, only one cubit measurement existed—the one he had used to construct the Ark. Unfortunately, the exact length of this cubit is unknown. After the nations were divided, years later at the Tower of Babel, different cultures (people groups) adopted different cubits. So it requires some logical guesswork to reconstruct the most likely length of the original cubit.
Since
the Babel dispersion was so soon after the Flood, it is reasonable to assume
that builders of that time were still using the cubit that Noah used. Moreover,
we would expect that the people who settled near Babel would have retained or
remained close to the original cubit. Yet cubits from that region (the ancient
Near East) are generally either a common (short) or a long cubit. Which one is
most likely to have come from Noah?
In
large-scale construction projects, ancient civilizations typically used the
long cubit (about 19.8–20.6 in [52 cm]). The Bible offers some input in 2 Chronicles 3:3,
which reveals that Solomon used an older (long) cubit in construction of the
temple.
Most
archaeological finds in Israel are not as ancient as Solomon, and these more
modern finds consistently reveal the use of a short cubit, such as confirmed by
measuring Hezekiah’s tunnel. However, in Ezekiel’s vision, an angel used “a
cubit plus a handbreadth,” an unmistakable definition for the long cubit (Ezekiel 43:13). The
long cubit appears to be God’s preferred standard of measurement. Perhaps this
matter did not escape Solomon’s notice, either.
Though
the original cubit length is uncertain, it was most likely one of the long
cubits (about 19.8–20.6 in). If so, the Ark was actually bigger than the size
described in most books today, which usually use the short cubit.
This
article is based on the research originally published by Tim Lovett at http://www.worldwideflood.com/
(which no longer exists).
