Biblical and Talmudic units of measurement

A family of units used to measure length, area, volume, weight, and time in the Hebrew Bible and rabbinic literature. Their values are reconstructed from textual descriptions and later practice, and some remain disputed.

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Cubit: An ancient unit of length based roughly on the distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger. The cubit is the central length measure behind many biblical dimensions.
Biblical cubit: A length unit in the Hebrew Bible, usually understood as the distance from elbow to fingertip. Biblical descriptions distinguish a standard cubit from a longer cubit in some passages.
Halakha: The collective body of Jewish law derived from biblical commandments, rabbinic interpretation, and later rulings. Legal rules determine when measured quantities satisfy religious obligations.
Metrology: The science of measurement, including the definition and realization of units and standards. Its methods clarify why ancient units cannot always be converted to one exact modern value.
Shekel: An ancient Near Eastern unit of weight and monetary standard, also used in biblical and rabbinic texts. Weight measures often depend on how the shekel is defined and subdivided.
Tefah: A handbreadth used in Jewish measurement, generally treated as one sixth of a cubit. Dividing the cubit into handbreadths makes textual dimensions more precise.
Eruv: A symbolic or physical arrangement that permits carrying in designated areas on the Sabbath. Eruv rules rely on measured distances, widths, and enclosure dimensions.
Ancient Near Eastern metrology: The study of measurement systems used by societies of the ancient Near East. Comparisons with neighboring systems help test reconstructions of biblical measures.
Log (unit): A small liquid-volume measure used in rabbinic literature, traditionally divided into four revi'it. The log anchors rabbinic discussions of small liquid quantities.
Zeret: A span measured from the thumb to the little finger when the hand is extended. This smaller length unit shows how body-based measures were subdivided.