H0521 H0521
Cubit (Aramaic); a standard unit of linear measurement, approximately 18 inches / 45 cm
The Aramaic word for 'cubit,' the fundamental unit of length in the ancient Near East, equivalent to the distance from elbow to fingertip (roughly 18 inches or 45 centimeters). It appears exclusively in the Aramaic portions of the Hebrew Bible: in the dimensions of Nebuchadnezzar's golden image — sixty cubits high and six cubits wide (Dan 3:1) — and in Cyrus's decree specifying the rebuilt temple's height and width at sixty cubits each (Ezra 6:3). The consistent plural form 'ammin mirrors the Syriac and Targumic cognates.
Senses
1. sense 1 — The Aramaic cubit as a unit of linear measurement. Nebuchadnezzar's colossal golden image measured sixty cubits in height and six in width (Dan 3:1), proportions that emphasize its imposing slenderness. Cyrus's decree for the Jerusalem temple likewise specifies sixty cubits for both height and breadth (Ezra 6:3). English 'cubits,' Spanish 'codos,' and French 'coudée' all render the term straightforwardly, while German transcriptions preserve the Aramaic plural form, reflecting the word's technical, measurement-specific character. 4×
AR["أَذْرُع", "ذِرَاعًا"]·ben["হাত"]·DE["[אמין]"]·EN["cubits"]·FR["[אמין]", "coudée"]·heb["אמות", "אמין"]·HI["हाथ"]·ID["hasta"]·IT["[אמין]"]·jav["asta"]·KO["규빗", "팔"]·PT["côvados"]·RU["локтей"]·ES["codos"]·SW["dhiraa"]·TR["arsin"]·urd["ہاتھ"]
Related Senses
H8033 1. There (locative adverb) (835×)H7760a 1. put, place, set physically (444×)H8064 1. heavens / sky (329×)H5439 1. around, all around (spatial) (319×)H4057b 1. wilderness, desert region (270×)H3220 1. sea, body of water (269×)H0520a 1. cubit (unit of length) (246×)H0127 1. ground, land (territory) (210×)H3383 1. Jordan River (proper noun) (183×)G1093 1. earth, the world (176×)H5800a 1. forsake, abandon (Qal active) (166×)H8121 1. sun (celestial body) (133×)H7126 1. offer, present sacrificially (122×)H6828 1. north, cardinal direction (120×)H2351 1. outside, exterior space (119×)H5104 1. river, stream (119×)H7341 1. width, breadth (101×)G1563 1. there (95×)H7126 2. draw near, approach (95×)G2281 1. sea, large body of water (91×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [אַמָּה K§ 51, 2, Anm. 2] n.f. Dn 3:1 cubit (= BH id.; v. p. 52; Egyptian Aramaic (pl.) אמן RÉS246 S-C C 44);—pl. אַמִּין (so 𝔗 Syriac) Dn 3:1(×2); Ezr 6:3(×2).