{"id":6606,"date":"2025-12-09T17:28:11","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T17:28:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.tyndale.com\/nlt\/?p=6606"},"modified":"2025-12-09T17:28:11","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T17:28:11","slug":"word-studies-in-the-new-living-translation-weights-and-measures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.tyndale.com\/nlt\/2025\/12\/09\/word-studies-in-the-new-living-translation-weights-and-measures\/","title":{"rendered":"Word Studies in the New Living Translation: Weights and Measures"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Mark D. Taylor, NLT Bible Translation Committee<\/p>\n\n\n

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In both the Old and New Testaments we find many references to weights and measures of various types. For example, Noah\u2019s ark is described as being 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high. But how are we to understand these dimensions, since we don\u2019t use cubits today?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We know from various ancient sources that a cubit was approximately equivalent to what we call 1.5 feet (or 46 centimeters). So Noah\u2019s ark was around 450 feet<\/mark> long, 75 feet<\/mark> wide, and 45 feet<\/mark> high. Many translations simply use the Hebrew term \u201ccubits,\u201d even though very few readers would understand the size of the ark when it is described in cubits. If you read Genesis 6:15 in the KJV, NKJV, NASB, RSV, NRSV, ESV, or NIV2011<\/sup>, you will find the word \u201ccubits.\u201d But some translations, including the NLT, CSB, NIV1984<\/sup>, and The Message, list the ark\u2019s dimensions in terms of feet. (Note that the earlier NIV text\u2014published in 1984\u2014used feet, but their translation committee decided to revert to cubits in their 2011 edition.) The few translations that use feet do so to give the reader terminology that is instantly understandable.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Similarly, let\u2019s look at Ezekiel 46:7, where we find measures of volume. Most translations render it this way (as in the ESV): \u201cAs a grain offering [the prince] shall provide an ephah with the bull and an ephah with the ram, and with the lambs as much as he is able, together with a hin of oil to each ephah.\u201d As with cubits, we ask ourselves, \u201cWhat is an ephah or a hin?” This terminology is used in the KJV, NKJV, NASB, RSV, NRSV, ESV, and NIV. But the NLT, CSB, and The Message use this kind of terminology: \u201cWith the young bull he must bring a basket<\/mark> of choice flour for a grain offering. With the ram he must bring another basket<\/mark> of flour. And with each lamb he is to bring whatever amount of flour he chooses to give. With each basket<\/mark> of flour he must offer one gallon<\/mark> of olive oil\u201d (NLT). The few translations that use \u201cbasket\u201d or \u201cbushel\u201d and \u201cgallon\u201d do so to give the reader terminology that is instantly understandable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now let\u2019s look at a New Testament passage: In Matthew 10:29, Jesus makes reference to a Roman coin\u2014an assarion. The KJV translates this by using an old British coin\u2014a farthing (which was equal to one-quarter of a penny). The NASB simply transliterates it as \u201cassarion.\u201d The RSV, NRSV, ESV, NIV, and CSB all use \u201ca penny\u201d: \u201cAre not two sparrows sold for a penny?<\/mark> Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father\u2019s care\u201d (NIV). The NLT and NKJV both use \u201ca copper coin<\/mark>.\u201d An assarion was actually worth much more than a penny in today\u2019s terms. It was equal to 1\/16 of a denarius, a denarius being the standard day\u2019s wage for a laborer. If we think of a day\u2019s wage today as around $120, an assarion would be equivalent to 1\/16 of that value, or $7.50. The translations that use \u201ca penny\u201d give the reader an incorrect understanding of the value of the coin as Jesus used it. \u201cCopper coin\u201d is a more flexible term that still gives the impression of a relatively small amount, which is the point of Jesus\u2019 statement.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Finally, let\u2019s look at the term \u201cdenarius\u201d itself, which was a Roman coin. In Jesus\u2019 parable about the workers who worked all day, half a day, or only an hour (Matthew 20:1-16), the laborers are each given a denarius, regardless of how long they worked. As indicated above, the denarius was the typical day\u2019s wage for a laborer, which might be the equivalent of around $120 in today\u2019s American economy. Most translations simply transliterate the term \u201cdenarius\u201d (NKJV, NASB, RSV, NRSV, ESV, NIV, CSB), which does not give the reader any sense as to the value of the wage that is given to the laborers. The NLT renders a denarius as \u201cthe normal daily wage<\/mark>\u201d (with a footnote that reads \u201cGreek a denarius,<\/em> the payment for a full day\u2019s labor\u201d). So the reader of the NLT gets an instant understanding of how much the landowner gives the workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a sense, the specific value of the denarius is not important, since the point of Jesus\u2019 parable is that the landowner will give each laborer a fair wage. But the all-day laborers complained that it was unfair for those who worked only one hour to receive a full day\u2019s pay. The landowner replied, \u201cFriend, I haven\u2019t been unfair! Didn\u2019t you agree to work all day for the usual wage? Take your money and go. I wanted to pay this last worker the same as you. Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be jealous because I am kind to others?” (Matthew 20:13-15, NLT). Jesus then makes the connection to the Kingdom of Heaven when he says, \u201cSo those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last\u201d (Matthew 20:16, NLT).<\/p>\n\n\n

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As the NLT translation team discussed these issues, our consistent decision was to render Hebrew or Greek weights and measures in terminology that would be instantly understandable to the reader. Translation accuracy involves more than simple word-for-word, literal correspondence or transliteration of ancient terms. A translation is fully accurate only when it makes sense to the reader.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Mark D. Taylor, NLT Bible Translation Committee In both the Old and New Testaments we find many references to weights and measures of various types. For example, Noah\u2019s ark is described as being 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high. But how are we to understand these dimensions, since we don\u2019t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.tyndale.com\/nlt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6606"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.tyndale.com\/nlt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.tyndale.com\/nlt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.tyndale.com\/nlt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.tyndale.com\/nlt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6606"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/sites.tyndale.com\/nlt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6606\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6615,"href":"https:\/\/sites.tyndale.com\/nlt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6606\/revisions\/6615"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.tyndale.com\/nlt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6606"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.tyndale.com\/nlt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6606"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.tyndale.com\/nlt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6606"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}