How to Easily Convert Biblical Measurements to Modern Equivalents

Biblical authors often referred to weights, measurements, and distances that certainly were understandable in their context, but are foreign today. For example in Luke 2, 12-year-old Jesus is separated from his parents and verse 46 states after three days Joseph and Mary find him in the temple. Why did it take so long to locate Him? Verse 44 contains a clue. After departing from the Feast of the Passover in Jerusalem they travelled a “day’s journey” before they noticed their son wasn’t with them.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t refer to a “day’s journey” in my normal vocabulary. So how far did they travel? Fortunately for us there’s a simple Interactive in Logos 7 which quickly converts biblical measurements to modern equivalents.

Let’s see how easy it easy to use this tool with the above example:

• Open a Bible to Luke 2:41 (A)
• Notice the biblical distance day’s journey in Luke 2:44 (B)

• Choose Tools | Weights and Measures Converter
• Type the number of units being converted followed by the name of the unit of measurement which in this case would be 1 day’s journey (C)
• Press the Enter key or select the item in the drop-down list to generate the conversion (D)

• Notice 1 day’s journey is approximately 20 miles (E)

Now the reference in Luke 2:46 to three days to locate Jesus makes perfect sense. On day 1 his parents traveled 20 miles away from Jerusalem and discovered him missing. On day 2 they retrace their steps of 20 miles to return to the city. On day three they find him in the temple!

Any time you come to a passage that mentions biblical measurements, please remember this handy little converter!

For an in-depth explanation of this Interactive and other new Logos 7 features please check out the What’s New in Logos 7 Training Manual.

For a fast and fun way to unleash the power of your software attend Camp Logos in Murfreesboro, TN December 5 to December 7.

Morris Proctor is a certified trainer for Logos Bible Software. Morris, who has trained thousands of Logos users at his two-day Camp Logos seminars, provides many training materials.