Measure; Measures

MEASURE; MEASURES

mezh'-ur, Several different words in the Hebrew and Greek are rendered by "measure" in English Versions of the Bible. In Job 11:9 and Jeremiah 13:25 it 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] (Deuteronomy 25:14,15; Proverbs 20:10; Micah 6:10); or kor (1 Kings 4:22; 5:11 (1Ki 5:2, 5:25 Hebrew text); 2 Chronicles 2:10 (Hebrew text 2:9) 27:5; Ezra 7:22); or seah (Genesis 18:6; 1 Samuel 25:18; 1 Kings 18:32; 2 Kings 7:1,16,18); or batos, "bath" (Luke 16:6). For these terms see WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. It also renders middah, "measure of length" (Exodus 26:2); mesurah, a liquid measure (Leviticus 19:35; 1 Chronicles 23:29; Ezekiel 4:11,16); mishpaT, "judgment" (Jeremiah 30:11; 46:28); ca'ce'ah, a word of uncertain meaning, perhaps derived from seah (Isaiah 27:8); shalish, "threefold, large measure" (Psalms 80:5 (Hebrew text Psalms 80:6); Isaiah 40:12); tokhen, and mathkoneth, "weight" and that which is weighed, taken as measure (Ezekiel 45:11). In Isaiah 5:14 it 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 (Revelation 6:6).

H. Porter