Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897)
A cave, a place in the northern boundary of Palestine (Josh. 13:4). This may be the cave of Jezzin in Lebanon, 10 miles east of Sidon, on the Damascus road; or probably, as others think, Mogheirizeh, north-east of Sidon.
Smith's Bible Dictionary (1863)
(a cave), a place named in (Joshua 13:4) only. The word means in Hebrew a cave, and it is commonly assumed that the reference is to some remarkable cavern in the neighborhood of Zidon.
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible (1898)
MEA'RAH (a cave, cavern). In Josh 13:4 this word occurs as the name of a cave not far from Sidon; the margin reads, "the cave." Robinson, in his journey from Tyre to Sidon, observed many sepulchral grottoes hewn out of the hard limestone rock. This may be the spot spoken of by William of Tyre as the Tyrian cave in the territory of Sidon; Keil makes Mearah "the cave of Jezzin," east of Sidon, in Lebanon, a hiding-place of the Druses now; Ritter
refers it to a district of deep caves like the ravines near Sidon and Dan.
Hitchcock's Bible Names (1869)
den; cave; making empty
Schaff's Bible Dictionary
MEA'RAH (a cave, cavern). In Josh 13:4 this word occurs as the name of a cave not far from Sidon; the margin reads, "the cave." Robinson, in his journey from Tyre to Sidon, observed many sepulchral grottoes hewn out of the hard limestone rock. This may be the spot spoken of by William of Tyre as the Tyrian cave in the territory of Sidon; Keil makes Mearah "the cave of Jezzin," east of Sidon, in Lebanon, a hiding-place of the Druses now; Ritter
refers it to a district of deep caves like the ravines near Sidon and Dan. MEASURES and WEIGHTS. The Jewish law contains two precepts respecting weights and measures. The first, Lev 19:35-36, refers to the standards kept in the sanctuary, and the second, Deut 25:13-15, to copies of them kept by every family for its own use. The models or standards of the weights and measures preserved in the temple were destroyed with the sacred edifice, and
afterward the measures and weights of the people among whom the Jews dwelt were adopted; which, of course, adds to the perplexities of the subject. I. Measures of Length. - The Hebrews, like all other ancient nations, took the standard of their measures of length from the human body. They made use, however, only of the finger, the hand, and the arm, not of the foot or the pace. The handbreadth or palm, 1 Kgs 7:26, was four digits, or the breadth
of the four fingers - from three to three and a half inches. A span. Lam 2:20, which expresses the distance across the hand from the extremity of the thumb to the extremity of the little finger, when they are stretched as far apart as possible, say nine to ten inches. A cubit, the distance from the elbow to the extremity of the middle finger, or about eighteen inches. The different expressions used in the O.T. about this measure — such as
"after the cubit of a man," Deut 3:11; "after the first measure," 2 Chr 3:3; "a great cubit," Eze 41:8 — show that it varied. A fathom, Acts 27:28, was from six to six and a half feet. The measuring-reed,Eze 42:16, comprised six cubits, or from ten to eleven feet, and the measuring-line, Zech 2:1, a hundred and forty-six feet. The furlong, Luke 24:13, was a Greek measure, and nearly the same as at present — viz., one-eighth of a mile, or
forty rods. The mile, mentioned only once. Matt 5:41, belonged to the Roman system of measurement, as stadium to the Greek. The Roman mile was one thousand six hundred and twelve yards. The Jewish mile was longer or shorter, in accordance with the longer or shorter pace in use in the various parts of the country. The Sabbath day's journey, Acts 1:12, was about seven-eighths of a mile, and the term denoted the distance which Jewish tradition said
one might travel without a violation of the law. Ex 16:29. It is supposed that this distance extended first from the tabernacle to the remotest section of the camp, and afterward from the temple to the remotest parts of the holy city. The term a day's journey. Num 11:31; Luke 2:44, probably indicated no certain distance, but was taken to be the ordinary distance which a person in the East travels on foot, or on horseback or camel, in the
prosecution of a journey — about twenty miles.