Span
A span is the distance measured from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger on an outstretched human hand. The Hebrew word used in the Bible is “zereth” which means “the spread of the fingers”.[1] In some ancient cultures, this measurement was considered a “great span” because there was also a “little span” or “short span” measured from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the index finger.[2]
The span is about 2.5 handbreadths or around 9" (22.9 cm). Note that this is a half a cubit for cultures using a short cubit of about 18", but it is a little more than 1/3 a true Biblical cubit of 25.2" (64 cm).
Contents
The Span In The Bible
The span is mentioned only 7 times in the Bible. In Isaiah 40:12, it is mentioned as one of the units God used to measure the universe when He created it.
Isaiah 40:12 Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?
He measured the heavens with a span, and if you stand outside, stretch your hand to form a span, and measure from the horizon in front of you to the horizon behind you, going directly overhead, you will find that it measures about 7 spans.
Interestingly, the human head is about one span tall, and the average adult is about 6-8 spans tall. Goliath, the Philistine of Gath, was said to be 6 cubits and a span tall.[4] That would make him about 13' 4" (404 cm) tall – truly a giant that would make a person of normal height feel like a grasshopper.[5]
The span was also used to measure the breastplate for the priests. It was one span tall by one span wide.[6][7]
In Ezekiel’s temple, the altar had a border that was a span wide.[8]
