Cubit

“ Chapter 4
1 Moreover he made an altar of brass, twenty cubits the length thereof, and twenty cubits the breadth thereof, and ten cubits the height thereof.
2 Also he made a molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim, round in compass, and five cubits the height thereof; and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about.
3 And under it was the similitude of oxen, which did compass it round about: ten in a cubit, compassing the sea round about. Two rows of oxen were cast, when it was cast. ”

“ Perhaps the new cubit may have been instituted internationally between the Bureau des Longitudes of Egypt and that of Babylonia.
22As in the case of the common cubit, two-thirds of the royal cubit were taken for the royal foot = 13·76 inches, a measure which when cubed will be seen to be the source of our Imperial system of weights and measures.
The inconvenience of a cubit of 7 palms is increased when two-thirds of it are taken for the foot; this foot, being 4-2/3 palms or 18-2/3 digits, was possibly divided for popular use into 16 digits, if it were ever in popular use. ”

“ By an approximate calculation I find that, taking the earth's compression at 1⁄300, the diameter of the earth, estimated from the accurate measurement of a degree of latitude in the neighbourhood of the great pyramid, would have made the sacred cubit—taken at one 20,000,000th of the diameter—equal to 24·98 British inches; a closer approximation than Professor Smyth's to the estimated mean probable value of the sacred cubit.
[21] It is, however, almost impossible to mark any limits to what may be regarded as evidence of design by a coincidence-hunter. ”

“ And the length of the structure was three hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty, and the height thirty; and above, [354] the ark ends in a cubit, narrowing to a cubit from the broad base like a pyramid, the symbol of those who are purified and tested by fire. And this geometrical proportion has a place, for the transport of those holy abodes, whose differences are indicated by the differences of the numbers set down below. ”

“ Euthymius here takes notice that a cubit is spoken of because a cubit is the proper measurement for a man’s height. For every properly proportioned man is four cubits in height, and four in width; that is, when his arms are extended from his shoulders. This extension of the arms is the measure of every man’s stature. And thus man is found to be four-square, that is to say, as broad as he is long; to teach him to be four-sided and solid in constancy and virtue.
Vers. 28, 29.—And why take ye thought for raiment? &c. This is the fourth argument, drawn from the beauty of lilies. ”

“ That האמּה is to be taken as referring to the height, is evident from the statement of the breadth which follows. חיק האמּה is not to be altered into חיקהּ אמּה, as Ewald proposes, nor is האמּה to be changed into באמּה (Hitzig) ; but Hävernick's explanation is to be adopted: “and a bosom (was there) the cubit,” i.e., of the height of the cubit just described. רחב, breadth, is the extent to which the bosom projected beyond the next enclosure (q) on every side, and formed a support, the circumference of which was a cubit more than the lower cube of the altar on every side. ”

“ If then four pillars, each of a cubit in thickness, stood side by side or one behind the other in a space of ten cubits in depth, the distance between the pillars would be only a cubit and a half, that is to say, would be only just enough for one man and no more to walk conveniently through. ”

“ A cubit is a unit of linear measure, from the elbow to the tip of the longest finger of a man. This unit is commonly converted to 0.46 meters or 18 inches, although that varies with height of the man doing the measurement. ”

“ Our modern measurements are made by standard lengths, which we have inherited with more or less change from the ancients. It was a great step in civilization when nations such as the Egyptians and Babylonians made pieces of wood or metal of exact lengths to serve as standards. The Egyptian cubit-rules with their divisions may still be seen, and the King’s Chamber in the Great Pyramid measures very exactly 20 cubits by 10, the cubit being 20·63 of our inches. Our foot has scarcely altered for some centuries, and is not very different from the ancient Greek and Roman feet. ”

“ The method adopted by Professor P. Smyth, to find the length of the Sacred Cubit, in p. 458, vol. ii. Life at the Pyramids, is also wrong in principle. He has no right to take the means between the limits of approach, or to say that the Sacred Cubit was, according to Sir Isaac Newton, 25·07 inches, when, as I have shown in his own words, Sir Isaac says it was 24·754 inches. ”

“ The increase of the Persian cubit was probably to bring it, together with the Beládi cubit and the Arshīn (to be described presently) , into simple relation with a Qasáb of length slightly increased so that this should, 215for building and land measurement, be a common multiple of the three cubits. This is the Turkish qasáb, the qasáb qabáni = 153·45 inches. ”

“ The cubit is one fourth of the height of a man and is equal to the greatest width of the shoulders. From the joint of one shoulder to the other is two faces and is equal to the distance from the top of the breast to the navel. ”

“ Fixed by the Romans at 16 digits (131/3=Roman foot) , or its cubit at 14/5 Roman feet, it was legally=13·94 at 123 B.C. (42) ; and 71/2 Philetaerean stadia were=Roman mile (18) . The multiples of the 20·63 cubit are in late times generally reckoned in these feet of 2/3 cubit. The name “Babylonian foot” used by Böckh (2) is only a theory of his, from which to derive volumes and weights; and no evidence for this name, or connexion with Babylon, is to be found. ”

“ Their forms are horrible, their heads square, all set with prickles, and they have sharp and long Horns round about, like a tree rooted up by the roots: they are ten or twelve Cubits long, very black, and with huge eyes, the Compass whereof (i.e., of the fish) is above eight or ten Cubits: the apple of the eye is of one Cubit, and is red and fiery coloured, which in the dark night appears to Fisher-men afar off under Waters, as a burning Fire, having hairs like Goose-Feathers, thick and long, like a beard hanging down ”

“ The height given is thirty cubits, corresponding to that of the whole building (1Ki 7:2) . If we reckon the height of the lower pillars at eight cubits, there were twenty-two cubits left for the stories; and assuming that the roofing of each was one cubit in thickness, there remained eighteen cubits in all for the rooms of the three stories; and this, if equally distributed, would give an internal height of six cubits for each story, or if arranged on a graduated scale, which would probably be more appropriate, a height of seven, six, and five cubits respectively. ”

“ THE STORY OF THE CUBITS The story of the cubits and of the talents, the great units of weight evolved from the cubits, is part of the history of the ancient and medieval Eastern Kingdoms, so intimately is it connected with their mutual relations, with their astrolatric ideas, and with the influence of those ideas on their science and art. This story, extending over more than fifty centuries, from long before the building of the Great Pyramid to near the tenth century of our era, explains the evolution of all weights and measures, ancient and modern. ”

“ And I answered, I see a flying roll; the length thereof is twenty cubits, and the breadth ten cubits. Then said he unto me, This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole land: for every one that stealeth shall be cut off on the one side according to it; and every one that sweareth shall be cut off on the other side according to it. ”

“ But that seems impossible in view of the previous measurement. The Septuagint translators realized this difficulty and took the liberty of changing the word "reeds" to "cubits." If cubits is right then it would agree with all the previous [298] measurements, hence many of the commentators have changed the reeds to cubits. But what authority is there to make this change? The Hebrew word for reeds is "gonim" and cubit is "ammah," two entirely different words. A copyist's error is therefore excluded. We maintain that measurement is five hundred reeds and that the text is correct. ”

“ It has the convenience of being a half-fathom, and of being divisible not only into feet and inches, but also sexdecimally into units which are familiar as limb-lengths of the cubit and span system.
The half-yard corresponds to the Cubit.
The quarter-yard is a Span. [12]
The eighth is a Finger; women constantly measure linen approximately by the length of the bent middle finger. ”

“ This Hebrew word occurs only here, and its meaning is uncertain. It is often translated hacked to pieces.↑ (17:4) four cubits and a span. Following the some manuscripts of the Septuagint and the Qumran manuscript 4QSama, along with the Jewish chronicler Josephus (Antiquities, 6.171) . A cubit was about seventeen or eighteen inches, and a span half that, placing Goliath at about 6 feet 5 inches to 6 feet 9 inches. ”

“ The higher orders wear a járit, of about seven or eight cubits long and about three cubits wide, which with the men is folded once round the loins, and allowed to descend to the ankles in the form of a petticoat, but so as to admit of the leg being occasionally exposed when set forward in the act of walking. ”

“ The correct rendering is, "about two cubits above the face of the earth," that is, within reach of the people that they might slay them for food. The statement is not that the quails were piled up from the face of the earth two cubits deep. The level of their flight was two cubits above the earth. ”

“ My calculation of 269·80 R.B. cub. (See Fig. 21) is equal to 5450 pyramid inches—this is about 18 cubits below the theoretical apex.
Figure 21 represents the comparative levels and dimensions of Mycerinus, Cephren, and Cheops. ”

“ There, before my ravished eye, a Cube, moving in some altogether new direction, but strictly according to Analogy, so as to make every particle of his interior pass through a new kind of Space with a wake of its own—shall create a still more perfect perfection than himself, with sixteen terminal Extra-solid angles, and Eight solid Cubes for his Perimeter. And once there, shall we stay our upward course? In that blessed region of Four Dimensions, shall we linger on the threshold of the Fifth, and not enter therein? ”

“ For the operation of cupping, a basin of hot water, sponges, and clean, soft towels, should be provided. In clumsy hands, cupping is occasionally a severe and painful operation; but this is not the case with the skilful operator. A good cupper does not exhaust much of the air in the cup before applying it, but simply passes its mouth rapidly over the flame of the lamp. When it is held over the flame even for a few seconds, the compression of the edge of the cup upon the skin is so great, that it checks the flow of the blood to the scarified part. ”

“ The discovery of fossil bones in the gypsum-quarries of Paris by the workmen, who considered them human remains; the careful study of these relics by Cuvier, and his restorations from them of strange beasts that had lived long before, is a story with which you are all familiar. Cuvier was the first to prove that the earth had been inhabited by a succession of different series of animals, and he believed that those of each period were peculiar to the age in which they lived. ”

“ Cuvier’s first and highest class of the molluscs is formed of what are termed the Cephalopods,—a class of creatures possessed of great freedom of motion: they can walk, swim, and seize their prey; they have what even the lowest fishes [206] such as the lancelet, want,—a brain enclosed in a cartilaginous cavity in the head, and perfectly formed organs of sight; they possess, too, what is found in no other mollusc,—organs of hearing; and in sagacity and activity they prove more than matches for the smaller fishes, many of which they overmaster and devour. ”

“ Cuvier remarks that the external toe on the hind feet is wanting in the peccary. The body is of a grayish hue, and thickly covered with strong coarse bristles, stiff enough to penetrate a tolerably firm substance, and shaded black and white. These are longest on the back, where some will be found measuring four or five inches; they become gradually shorter and shorter on the sides, and disappear altogether on the belly, which is nearly bare. On the head is a large tuft of black bristles. The eyes and snout are small, the ears erect. ”

“ Here we have nine Dark-blue cubes called Mœna; that is, Mœna denotes the nine Dark-blue cubes, forming a layer on the front of the cube, and filling up the whole front except the edges and points. Cuspis denotes three Orange, Dos three Blue, and Arctos three Brown cubes.
Now, the block of cubes can be similarly increased to any size we please. The corners will always consist of single cubes; that is, Corvus will remain a single cubic inch, even though the block be a hundred inches each way. Cuspis, in that case, will be 98 inches long, and consist of a row of 98 cubes ”

“ The occasional notice of what appear to be perfect cubes, added to the certainty that cleavages are practicable parallel with every plane of that solid, at first tempted me to presume that it ought to be considered as the primitive form; but the consideration of some circumstances connected with the crystallization of this substance, induced me wholly to abandon the idea. The inspection of the annexed drawings will evince that, of the five modifications described, the first alone is compatible with the cube. ”