Numbers 11:31 · measurement explained
Quail about two cubits above the ground
The wind-driven quail are described around the camp and about two cubits above the surface of the earth.
Read the verse first
A wind from the LORD went out and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, about a day’s journey on this side, and a day’s journey on the other side, around the camp, and about two cubits above the surface of the earth.
World English Bible · engwebp-source-2026-09-12
Modern measurement range
Two cubits
88–92 cm
2.89–3.02 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 length conversion shows the stated vertical scale. It does not decide whether the clause describes flight height, piled birds, or another reading of the scene.
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.