cab (Biblical) Unit Converter

Definition of cab (Biblical) unit

A cab (Hebrew: qab) is an ancient Hebrew dry-volume measure mentioned in the Bible. It equaled one-sixth of a seah, or one-eighteenth of an ephah, and is commonly estimated at approximately 1.2 liters (about 1.3 U.S. quarts).

History of cab (Biblical) unit

The cab appears only once by name in the Hebrew Bible, in 2 Kings 6:25, during the famine in besieged Samaria, where a cab of dove’s dung is priced at five shekels. The term comes from Hebrew qab, probably meaning a measured container or quantity. Ancient Israel used nested dry measures, though capacities varied. Biblical commentators generally place the cab at one-sixth of a seah and one-eighteenth of an ephah. Modern estimates therefore range roughly from 1.0 to 1.3 liters, rather than representing a precisely standardized volume.

Applications of cab (Biblical) unit

Today, the cab has no practical commercial or scientific role; it is chiefly used in biblical scholarship, historical metrology, and religious education. Researchers use it to interpret 2 Kings 6:25 and compare ancient quantities, while Bible dictionaries and commentaries convert it approximately into liters or quarts. It may also appear in educational reconstructions of ancient Israelite markets and household measures.

Complete list of cab (Biblical) unit conversion