Exodus 25:10 · measurement explained
The ark: 2½ × 1½ × 1½ cubits
The tabernacle instructions give the ark's length, width, and height before describing its gold covering and rings.
Read the verse first
“They shall make an ark of acacia wood. Its length shall be two and a half cubits, its width a cubit and a half, and a cubit and a half its height.
World English Bible · engwebp-source-2026-09-12
Modern measurement range
Length: two and a half cubits
1.1–1.15 m
3.61–3.77 ft
Using the common cubit estimate. This range is for the ordinary cubit. Texts that specify a cubit plus a handbreadth use the separate long-cubit setting.
Calculate another amount →Width: one and a half cubits
66–69 cm
2.17–2.26 ft
Using the common cubit estimate. This range is for the ordinary cubit. Texts that specify a cubit plus a handbreadth use the separate long-cubit setting.
Calculate another amount →Height: one and a half cubits
66–69 cm
2.17–2.26 ft
Using the common cubit estimate. This range is for the ordinary cubit. Texts that specify a cubit plus a handbreadth use the separate long-cubit setting.
Calculate another amount →The dimensions help readers picture a portable chest. They do not specify timber thickness, ornament details, or a uniquely recoverable ancient ruler.
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.