2 Kings 7:1 · measurement explained
One seah of fine flour for one shekel
Elisha announces that the besieged city's food market will reverse by the next day, giving a seah-per-shekel example.
Read the verse first
Elisha said, “Hear the LORD’s word. The LORD says, ‘Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour will be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.’ ”
World English Bible · engwebp-source-2026-09-12
Modern measurement range
Fine flour: one seah
7.0–7.5 L
1.85–1.98 US gal · 1.54–1.65 Imp gal
Using the seah estimate. Flour mass depends on density and packing, so this tool converts container volume rather than kilograms of flour.
Calculate another amount →Price weight: one shekel
9.5–14 g
0.34–0.49 oz
Using the shekel by weight estimate. Merchant, sanctuary, royal, regional, and later coin standards differed. The broad range prevents a single 11 g reference estimate from being treated as universal.
Calculate another amount →The page separates food capacity from silver weight. It does not claim a modern flour price or exchange rate.
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.