Acts 1:12 · measurement explained
A Sabbath day's journey from Olivet
The disciples return to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, described as a Sabbath day's journey away.
Read the verse first
Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away.
World English Bible · engwebp-source-2026-09-12
Modern measurement range
One Sabbath day's journey
880–920 m
0.55–0.57 mi
Using the Sabbath day's journey estimate. It is a traditional legal distance rather than a measure of how far every person could physically walk.
Calculate another amount →This is a conventional permitted travel distance, not a claim about the maximum distance a person can walk in a day.
What this conversion does—and does not—show
It gives a defensible modern scale for the amount stated in the verse. Ancient standards varied by time and place, so the endpoints are deliberately approximate. A volume is not a food mass, a metal weight is not a modern cash value, and a conversion does not settle a textual, archaeological, or theological debate.
Conversion references: ESV weights and measures ↗, American Bible Society ↗, and Encyclopedia of the Bible ↗. Reference pages accessed October 10, 2026.