Dictionary entry

Measure; Measures

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

mezh'-ur, Several different words in the Hebrew and Greek are rendered by "measure" in English Versions of the Bible. InJob 11:9andJer 13:25it stands for madh, middah, and it is the usual rendering of the verb madhadh, "to measure," i.e. "stretch out," "extend," "spread." It is often used to render the words representing particular measures, such as ['ephah] (De 25:14,15;Pr 20:10;Mic 6:10); or kor (1Ki 4:22;5:11(1Ki 5:2, 5:25 Hebrew text);2Ch 2:10(Hebrew text 2:9) 27:5;Ezr 7:22); or seah (Ge 18:6;1Sa 25:18;1Ki 18:32;2Ki 7:1,16,18); or batos, "bath" (Lu 16:6). For these terms seeWEIGHTS AND MEASURES. It also renders middah, "measure of length" (Ex 26:2); mesurah, a liquid measure (Le 19:35;1Ch 23:29;Eze 4:11,16); mishpaT, "judgment" (Jer 30:11;46:28); ca'ce'ah, a word of uncertain meaning, perhaps derived from seah (Isa 27:8); shalish, "threefold, large measure" (Ps 80:5(Hebrew textPs 80:6);Isa 40:12); tokhen, and mathkoneth, "weight" and that which is weighed, taken as measure (Eze 45:11). InIsa 5:14it stands for choq, "limit." In the New Testament, besides being the usual rendering of the verb metreo, and of the noun metron, it is used for choinix, a dry measure containing about a quart (Re 6:6).

H. Porter