Revelation 6:6 · measurement explained
One choenix of wheat or three of barley
The voice in the vision announces sharply constrained grain quantities for a denarius while protecting oil and wine.
Read the verse first
I heard a voice in the middle of the four living creatures saying, “A choenix of wheat for a denarius, and three choenix of barley for a denarius! Don’t damage the oil and the wine!”
World English Bible · engwebp-source-2026-09-12
Modern measurement range
Wheat: one choenix
1.0–1.2 L
1.06–1.27 US qt · 0.88–1.06 Imp qt
Using the choenix estimate. Revelation 6 uses price-and-ration imagery; the volume estimate does not turn the symbol into a modern grocery-price forecast.
Calculate another amount →Barley: three choenices
3.0–3.6 L
3.17–3.8 US qt · 2.64–3.17 Imp qt
Using the choenix estimate. Revelation 6 uses price-and-ration imagery; the volume estimate does not turn the symbol into a modern grocery-price forecast.
Calculate another amount →Container volume helps readers see ration scale, but the apocalyptic image is not a modern commodity-price prediction.
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.