Numbers 35:4 · measurement explained
One thousand cubits of pasture land
The Levites' towns are to have pasture lands extending outward from the city wall by one thousand cubits.
Read the verse first
“The pasture lands of the cities, which you shall give to the Levites, shall be from the wall of the city and outward one thousand cubits around it.
World English Bible · engwebp-source-2026-09-12
Modern measurement range
One thousand cubits
440–460 m
1,443.57–1,509.19 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 conversion provides an approximate offset from the wall; interpreting the complete boundary also requires the following verse and its geometry.
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.