Bible Study Aaron's Staff

[tim-from-pa]

Here's the bible math question for the day. How long do you think Aaron's staff that budded was? Like most shepherd's rods of the day, I'd say about 6 feet long. We often see pictures of Jesus carrying a staff about his height along with a lamb --- this tends to follow the historical knowledge we have of the day back then.

 

[stovebolts]

Well Tim,

If we look at the Ark of the Covenant, I believe it was just a tad over 4 foot long and a tad over 2.5 feet wide and a tad over 2.5 tall. Your into math, so I'm sure you could figure out the measurement diagonally because we know his staff was placed in the Ark with the jar of Manna. I'm guessing just under 5 feet would be the length?

Well, unless they just cut the portion that budded that is... :waving

 

[tim-from-pa]

Aaron put hinges in the middle so that it would fold over. Yes, the ark, if using an 18" cubit, could not fit a staff as long as I said. I'm not saying I do not believe it was in there, however, and therein lies the key I just gave to this mystery as to how it fit if, like most staffs, was about as long as a man.

 

[Sinthesis]

Here's the bible math question for the day. How long do you think Aaron's staff that budded was? Like most shepherd's rods of the day, I'd say about 6 feet long. We often see pictures of Jesus carrying a staff about his height along with a lamb --- this tends to follow the historical knowledge we have of the day back then.

You think Aaron and Jesus were 6 feet tall?

 

[felix]

Here's the bible math question for the day. How long do you think Aaron's staff that budded was? Like most shepherd's rods of the day, I'd say about 6 feet long. We often see pictures of Jesus carrying a staff about his height along with a lamb --- this tends to follow the historical knowledge we have of the day back then.

Aaron's rod that budded was kept inside the ark of covenant (Heb 9:4). Ark of covenant is 2.5 cubits x 1.5 cubit x 1.5 cubit (Exo 25:10) which is cuboid. The length of the space diagonal is sqrt (2.5^2+1.5^2+1.5^2) which is 3.27

Hence, Aaron's rod must be less than 3.27 cubits. A cubit is 1.5 feet. So, 3.27 cubit is 4.9 feet.

Hence, Aaron's rod must be approx. 4.9 feet.

 

[stovebolts]

thanks for the math felix!

just under, or just over 5 feet sounds about right, especially when we know that the Hebrews were much shorter then than they are now and given that a cubit, if I remember correctly was the length between the elbow and the tips of the fingers. I'm a bit rusty on that, so somebody may want to check me on that, but a cubit had a little variance.

Again, thanks for the math Felix!

 

[tim-from-pa]

While we're on the subject of the length of Aaron's staff, how many gallons did the unit called the "bath" hold?

 

[felix]

While we're on the subject of the length of Aaron's staff, how many gallons did the unit called the "bath" hold?

I can't find any Scripture reference to calculate the gallons, but I found something interesting which might be of help.

LXXE or Septuagint was translated from Hebrew Bible 3 centuries before Christ in Greek. Hence, we have two sources to know what bath really was.

(Ezek 45:10) Ye shall have a just balance, and a just measure, and a just choenix (H1324 בַּת bath) for measure.(LXXE)

Bath in Hebrew is choenix in Greek which is the measure used in Rev 6:6.

(Isa 5:10) For where ten yoke of oxen plough [the land] shall yield one jar-full (H1324 בַּת bath), and he that sows six homers shall produce three measures. (LXXE)

Bath is also referred as one jar-full. In my opinion, the actual measure of Bath could have varied considering the span of several hundred years as the jar size of a common man tend to slowly change as well.

 

[stovebolts]

I read the conversion somewhere in my Exodus commentary by the Ramban but can't remember... and probably can't find it again anyway..

Anyway, a little word search in the OT and I did find this which might help.

1 Kings 7:38 Then made he ten lavers of bronze: each laver contained forty baths: and each laver was four cubits: and upon every one of the ten stands was one laver.

So the question is, was it 4 cubits squared? If so we have a rough starting point.

 

[felix]

I read the conversion somewhere in my Exodus commentary by the Ramban but can't remember... and probably can't find it again anyway..

Anyway, a little word search in the OT and I did find this which might help.

1 Kings 7:38 Then made he ten lavers of bronze: each laver contained forty baths: and each laver was four cubits: and upon every one of the ten stands was one laver.

So the question is, was it 4 cubits squared? If so we have a rough starting point.

Yes, it's a good starting point.

laver seems to be a cylinder because,

• (1Sam 2:14) Then he would thrust [it] into the pan (laver = H3595 כִּיוֹר כִּיוֹר kiyowr), or kettle, or caldron, or pot;
• (2Chr 6:13) (for Solomon had made a bronze platform (H3595 כִּיוֹר כִּיוֹר kiyowr) five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, ...;

laver is measured by breadth, width and height where breadth and width are same. So, the measurement of 4 cubits in 1 Kings 7:38 should be 4 diameter. We still miss the height.

Formula for volume of cylinder (V) = pi * r ^ 2 * h = 12.56 * h

We still miss the height. Assuming height is equal to diameter (as height wasn't provided), then volume = 50.26 cubit³

1 cubit = 0.4572 m
Hence, 50.26 cubit³ = 4.8 m³ = 1268.02 US gallons = 4800 litres

So, bath could be 1268.02 US gallons.

 

[jasoncran]

that would about the quarter of size of the fuel tanks we have where i work.

 

[tim-from-pa]

Felix is quite the mathematician. I knew there was something I liked about him!

To put things bluntly, I think that the cubit used by the Hebrews is longer than 18". I personally believe about 25" but at least about 21", otherwise Aaron's staff would not fit into the Ark, and likewise Solomon's laver could not hold 2000 baths considering its dimensions using an 18" cubit. A bath is considered by theologians as anywheres from 5.8 gallons to 7+ gallons. But using the minimum bath of 5.8 gallons we see that Solomon's semispherical laver held only 900+ baths if the 18" cubit was used (scripture states 2000 baths). If we believe Solomon's laver was cylindrical, that would only increase it by 50% and we'd have under 1500 baths. Therefore, the bath had to be smaller (I doubt that) or the cubit used was larger.

Sir Isaac Newton, my favorite scientist AND theologian, believed there were 3 cubits: the common cubit of 18", the royal cubit of about 21" and the sacred cubit of about two feet long. The latter is based on the earth's radius and is found in "Egyptian" measure in the Great Pyramid, in English measure and in Hebrew.

For example, if the 25" inch cubit was used (25.0265" to be exact) based on 1/10,000,000 of the polar radius of the earth, then the court of the tabernacle was virtually a half an acre.

This suggests to me a relationship between the earth measure and that of the Hebrews, English and Egyptian. IN other words, if I made units of measure based on the polar radius of the earth, I'd have imperceptible differences in English length, area, and volume, and come up with the same yardstick, and land area. Or to put it another way, I'd come up with the English system of measure.

Thus, since the meter is related to the circumference of the earth, and the cubit on the polar radius, there is an 8/PI relationship between the centimeter and the English inch. And we've been told all along that our English (Hebrew) measure is unscientific. It's based on the earth.

I like mathematical esoterica, but it's the truth. The calculations work out.

 

[jasoncran]

the idea of meters came from the measuring of one continent to another. so how is that any less scientific and uh a pilot friend likes english better for measurements on weights(more accurate or something like that).

 

[stovebolts]

Yes, it's a good starting point.

laver seems to be a cylinder because,

• (1Sam 2:14) Then he would thrust [it] into the pan (laver = H3595 כִּיוֹר כִּיוֹר kiyowr), or kettle, or caldron, or pot;
• (2Chr 6:13) (for Solomon had made a bronze platform (H3595 כִּיוֹר כִּיוֹר kiyowr) five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, ...;

laver is measured by breadth, width and height where breadth and width are same. So, the measurement of 4 cubits in 1 Kings 7:38 should be 4 diameter. We still miss the height.

Formula for volume of cylinder (V) = pi * r ^ 2 * h = 12.56 * h

We still miss the height. Assuming height is equal to diameter (as height wasn't provided), then volume = 50.26 cubit³

1 cubit = 0.4572 m
Hence, 50.26 cubit³ = 4.8 m³ = 1268.02 US gallons = 4800 litres

So, bath could be 1268.02 US gallons.

each laver contained forty baths: and each laver was four cubits:

Would you then divide the 1268 by 40 to get the bath or did I miss something? Be easy on me, I'm not a great mathematician past pi r squared lol!

 

[reba]

when ya square pie it becomes a cobbler

 

[felix]

each laver contained forty baths: and each laver was four cubits:

Would you then divide the 1268 by 40 to get the bath or did I miss something? Be easy on me, I'm not a great mathematician past pi r squared lol!

Oops! you are right.
1268 / 40 = 31.7 US Gallons
I am no mathematician either but I love doing maths

 

[stovebolts]

Oops! you are right.
1268 / 40 = 31.7 US Gallons
I am no mathematician either but I love doing maths

You're probably the best mathematician among us and I'm glad you enjoy doing math! You're really good at it!

Ha,There isn't any way I could have figured all that out without really struggling and I would have probably gotten it wrong.

Great job!