אַמָּה
am.mah
cubit
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
Supported# The Hebrew Cubit (אַמָּה) The Hebrew word *ammah* refers to a cubit, an ancient unit of linear measurement. With 246 occurrences throughout the biblical text, it was clearly a standard measurement term in Hebrew usage. The cubit functioned as a practical tool for quantifying distances, dimensions, and proportions in both everyday contexts and specialized domains. The frequency and distribution of this word across the biblical corpus—appearing nearly 250 times—indicates that precise measurement was important to the communities that produced these texts. The cubit would have been familiar to ancient audiences as a common reference point for understanding spatial relationships, whether describing architectural projects, land divisions, or physical distances. Its consistent use across different biblical books and genres suggests it maintained a relatively stable, widely understood meaning throughout the Hebrew scriptural tradition. Without additional contextual data provided, the specific length of the cubit and its variations cannot be determined from the lexical entry alone. However, the word's prominence in the biblical record demonstrates that measurement terminology held significant practical and communicative value in ancient Hebrew culture and writing.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
246 total occurrences across the text — showing 50
Joash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash the son of Jehoahaz, at Beth Shemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the corner gate, four hundred cubits.
Nehemiah 3:13Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired the valley gate. They built it, and set up its doors, its bolts, and its bars, and one thousand cubits of the wall to the dung gate.
Esther 5:14Then Zeresh his wife and all his friends said to him, “Let a gallows be made fifty cubits high, and in the morning speak to the king about hanging Mordecai on it. Then go in merrily with the king to the banquet.” This pleased Haman, so he had the gallows made.
Esther 7:9Then Harbonah, one of the eunuchs who were with the king said, “Behold, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman has made for Mordecai, who spoke good for the king, is standing at Haman’s house.” The king said, “Hang him on it!”
Exodus 38:9He made the court: for the south side southward the hangings of the court were of fine twined linen, one hundred cubits;
Jeremiah 51:13You who dwell on many waters, abundant in treasures, your end has come, the measure of your covetousness.
Jeremiah 52:21As for the pillars, the height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits; and a line of twelve cubits encircled it; and its thickness was four fingers. It was hollow.
Jeremiah 52:21As for the pillars, the height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits; and a line of twelve cubits encircled it; and its thickness was four fingers. It was hollow.
Jeremiah 52:22A capital of bronze was on it; and the height of the one capital was five cubits, with network and pomegranates on the capital all around, all of bronze: and the second pillar also had like these, and pomegranates.
Ezekiel 40:5Behold, there was a wall on the outside of the house all around, and in the man’s hand a measuring reed six cubits long, of a cubit and a hand width each. So he measured the thickness of the building, one reed; and the height, one reed.
Ezekiel 40:5Behold, there was a wall on the outside of the house all around, and in the man’s hand a measuring reed six cubits long, of a cubit and a hand width each. So he measured the thickness of the building, one reed; and the height, one reed.
Ezekiel 40:7Every lodge was one reed long and one reed wide. Between the lodges was five cubits. The threshold of the gate by the porch of the gate toward the house was one reed.
Ezekiel 40:9Then he measured the porch of the gate, eight cubits; and its posts, two cubits; and the porch of the gate was toward the house.
Ezekiel 40:9Then he measured the porch of the gate, eight cubits; and its posts, two cubits; and the porch of the gate was toward the house.
Ezekiel 40:11He measured the width of the opening of the gate, ten cubits; and the length of the gate, thirteen cubits;
Ezekiel 40:11He measured the width of the opening of the gate, ten cubits; and the length of the gate, thirteen cubits;
Ezekiel 40:12and a border before the lodges, one cubit on this side, and a border, one cubit on that side; and the lodges, six cubits on this side, and six cubits on that side.
Ezekiel 40:12and a border before the lodges, one cubit on this side, and a border, one cubit on that side; and the lodges, six cubits on this side, and six cubits on that side.
Ezekiel 40:12and a border before the lodges, one cubit on this side, and a border, one cubit on that side; and the lodges, six cubits on this side, and six cubits on that side.
Ezekiel 40:12and a border before the lodges, one cubit on this side, and a border, one cubit on that side; and the lodges, six cubits on this side, and six cubits on that side.
Ezekiel 40:13He measured the gate from the roof of the one lodge to the roof of the other, a width of twenty-five cubits, door against door.
Ezekiel 40:14He also made posts, sixty cubits; and the court reached to the posts, around the gate.
Ezekiel 40:15From the forefront of the gate at the entrance to the forefront of the inner porch of the gate were fifty cubits.
Ezekiel 40:19Then he measured the width from the forefront of the lower gate to the forefront of the inner court outside, one hundred cubits, both on the east and on the north.
Ezekiel 40:21The lodges of it were three on this side and three on that side. Its posts and its arches were the same as the measure of the first gate: its length was fifty cubits, and the width twenty-five cubits.
Ezekiel 40:21The lodges of it were three on this side and three on that side. Its posts and its arches were the same as the measure of the first gate: its length was fifty cubits, and the width twenty-five cubits.
Ezekiel 40:23There was a gate to the inner court facing the other gate, on the north and on the east. He measured one hundred cubits from gate to gate.
Ezekiel 40:25There were windows in it and in its arches all around, like those windows: the length was fifty cubits, and the width twenty-five cubits.
Ezekiel 40:25There were windows in it and in its arches all around, like those windows: the length was fifty cubits, and the width twenty-five cubits.
Ezekiel 40:27There was a gate to the inner court toward the south. He measured one hundred cubits from gate to gate toward the south.
Ezekiel 40:29with its lodges, its posts, and its arches, according to these measurements. There were windows in it and in its arches all around. It was fifty cubits long, and twenty-five cubits wide.
Ezekiel 40:29with its lodges, its posts, and its arches, according to these measurements. There were windows in it and in its arches all around. It was fifty cubits long, and twenty-five cubits wide.
Ezekiel 40:30There were arches all around, twenty-five cubits long, and five cubits wide.
Ezekiel 40:30There were arches all around, twenty-five cubits long, and five cubits wide.
Ezekiel 40:33with its lodges, its posts, and its arches, according to these measurements. There were windows in it and in its arches all around. It was fifty cubits long, and twenty-five cubits wide.
Ezekiel 40:33with its lodges, its posts, and its arches, according to these measurements. There were windows in it and in its arches all around. It was fifty cubits long, and twenty-five cubits wide.
Ezekiel 40:36its lodges, its posts, and its arches. There were windows in it all around. The length was fifty cubits and the width twenty-five cubits.
Ezekiel 40:36its lodges, its posts, and its arches. There were windows in it all around. The length was fifty cubits and the width twenty-five cubits.
Ezekiel 40:42There were four tables for the burnt offering, of cut stone, a cubit and a half long, and a cubit and a half wide, and one cubit high. They laid the instruments with which they killed the burnt offering and the sacrifice on them.
Ezekiel 40:42There were four tables for the burnt offering, of cut stone, a cubit and a half long, and a cubit and a half wide, and one cubit high. They laid the instruments with which they killed the burnt offering and the sacrifice on them.
Ezekiel 40:42There were four tables for the burnt offering, of cut stone, a cubit and a half long, and a cubit and a half wide, and one cubit high. They laid the instruments with which they killed the burnt offering and the sacrifice on them.
Ezekiel 40:47He measured the court, one hundred cubits long, and a hundred cubits wide, square. The altar was before the house.
Ezekiel 40:47He measured the court, one hundred cubits long, and a hundred cubits wide, square. The altar was before the house.
Ezekiel 40:48Then he brought me to the porch of the house, and measured each post of the porch, five cubits on this side, and five cubits on that side. The width of the gate was three cubits on this side and three cubits on that side.
Ezekiel 40:48Then he brought me to the porch of the house, and measured each post of the porch, five cubits on this side, and five cubits on that side. The width of the gate was three cubits on this side and three cubits on that side.
Ezekiel 40:48Then he brought me to the porch of the house, and measured each post of the porch, five cubits on this side, and five cubits on that side. The width of the gate was three cubits on this side and three cubits on that side.
Ezekiel 40:48Then he brought me to the porch of the house, and measured each post of the porch, five cubits on this side, and five cubits on that side. The width of the gate was three cubits on this side and three cubits on that side.
Ezekiel 40:49The length of the porch was twenty cubits, and the width eleven cubits; even by the steps by which they went up to it. There were pillars by the posts, one on this side, and another on that side.
Ezekiel 40:49The length of the porch was twenty cubits, and the width eleven cubits; even by the steps by which they went up to it. There were pillars by the posts, one on this side, and another on that side.
Ezekiel 41:1He brought me to the temple, and measured the posts, six cubits wide on the one side, and six cubits wide on the other side, which was the width of the tent.