Leviticus 23
Feasts & Measures
These are the feasts of the LORD, holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.
The sacred year
The seven feasts of the LORD
Spring feast · 1st month (Abib/Nisan), 14th day at even
Passover
פֶּסַח Pesach
“In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD's passover.”
What it remembered
The blood on the doorposts and Israel's deliverance from Egypt ().As the New Testament speaks of it
“For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.”
Note — New Testament lines are shown only where the New Testament itself links the feast to Christ. No fulfilment is assigned to the fall feasts, since Scripture does not state one.
Exodus 12:2 — the beginning of months
The Hebrew calendar
Nisan
Abib / Nisan —Latter rains; barley harvest
✦ Passover · Unleavened Bread · Firstfruits
Iyyar
Zif —Dry season begins
Sivan
Sivan —Wheat harvest
✦ Pentecost
Tammuz
Grape harvest begins
Av
Summer fruit
Elul
Elul —Dates and figs
Tishri
Ethanim —Former rains; ploughing
✦ Trumpets · Atonement · Tabernacles
Cheshvan
Bul —Sowing
Kislev
Chisleu —Winter rains
Tevet
Tebeth —Cold, rainy
Shevat
Sebat —Almond blossom
Adar
Adar —Citrus; flax
Note — Months without a Bible name (Tammuz, Av) use the names of the later Jewish calendar. The lunar calendar drifts against ours, so modern equivalents are approximate. “Former and latter rain”: Deuteronomy 11:14.
A just weight and a just measure
Weights, measures & money
Length
Cubit
Elbow to fingertip · c. 45.7 cm · c. 18 in
Length
Span
½ cubit · c. 22.9 cm · c. 9 in
Length
Handbreadth
⅙ cubit · c. 7.6 cm · c. 3 in
Length
Reed
6 long cubits · c. 320 cm · c. 10½ ft
Weight & money
Gerah
1/20 shekel · c. 0.57 g · c. 1/50 oz
Weight & money
Bekah
½ shekel · c. 5.7 g · c. ⅕ oz
Weight & money
Shekel
20 gerahs · c. 11.4 g · c. ⅖ oz
Weight & money
Maneh (mina)
60 shekels (Ezekiel's reckoning) · c. 684 g · c. 1½ lb
Weight & money
Talent
3,000 shekels · c. 34200 g · c. 75 lb
Coin
Mite (lepton)
Two mites make a farthing · Smallest bronze coin
Coin
Penny (denarius)
A day's wage for a labourer · c. 3.9 g silver · One day's work
Dry
Omer
1/10 ephah · c. 2.2 L · c. 2 qt
Dry
Ephah
10 omers · c. 22 L · c. ⅗ bushel
Dry
Homer
10 ephahs · c. 220 L · c. 6 bushels
Liquid
Log
1/12 hin · c. 0.3 L · c. ⅔ pt
Liquid
Hin
1/6 bath · c. 3.7 L · c. 1 gal
Liquid
Bath
Equal to the ephah · c. 22 L · c. 6 gal
Note — Ancient measures varied by place and period. Modern values are scholarly approximations (e.g. Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia; Holman Bible Dictionary) and are shown with “c.”. “A just weight”: Proverbs 11:1.