This article, published in Biblical Illustrator, Winter 2011-12, explores the metrological systems used in ancient Israel, tied to the biblical passage Deuteronomy 25:13-16.
Origins of Israel’s System
Israel’s weights and measures were derived from Mesopotamian — primarily Babylonian — systems. The Babylonians developed an elaborate sexagesimal (base-60) system as early as the third millennium B.C., which spread through trade into Syria and Canaan. Israel adapted this system to its own social and economic needs, though it was not an exact copy.
Laws Governing Honest Trade
The covenant demanded honest commerce. Deuteronomy prohibited using two different sets of weights — one for buying and one for selling. The prophets condemned merchants who cheated with dishonest scales, and King Hezekiah introduced standardized lmlk (“belonging to the king”) weights to promote uniformity. Dishonest measures were considered an abomination to God.
The article concludes with a comprehensive Table of Weights and Measures covering biblical units for weight, length, dry measure, and liquid measure, with U.S. equivalents and translation variants.
You can download the article by clicking here.
Claude Mariottini
Emeritus Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary
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Dr. Claude Mariottini - Professor of Old Testament 