Exodus 27:1 · measurement explained
The altar: 5 × 5 × 3 cubits
The burnt-offering altar is described as a square acacia-wood structure before its bronze covering and associated utensils are specified.
Read the verse first
“You shall make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long, and five cubits wide. The altar shall be square. Its height shall be three cubits.
World English Bible · engwebp-source-2026-09-12
Modern measurement range
Length: five cubits
2.2–2.3 m
7.22–7.55 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: five cubits
2.2–2.3 m
7.22–7.55 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: three cubits
1.32–1.38 m
4.33–4.53 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 →Modern lengths show the altar's footprint and height, but the conversion alone cannot reconstruct horns, hollow construction, or transport fittings.
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.