Definition and Measurement:
An acre is a unit of land measurement used historically and in modern times, primarily in English-speaking countries. In biblical contexts, the term "acre" is not directly mentioned in the original Hebrew or Greek texts. However, the concept of land measurement is prevalent throughout the Bible, often using terms like "fields" or "portions" to describe land areas. The modern acre is equivalent to 43,560 square feet or about 4,047 square meters.

Biblical Context:
While the specific term "acre" does not appear in the Bible, the measurement and division of land are significant themes, especially in the Old Testament. The division of the Promised Land among the tribes of Israel, as described in the Book of Joshua, involved careful measurement and allocation of land portions. This process was essential for maintaining tribal boundaries and ensuring each tribe received its inheritance as promised by God.

Related Biblical Concepts:

1. Fields and Agriculture:
The Bible frequently references fields and agricultural practices, which would have involved measuring land. For example, in the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:3-9), Jesus speaks of a sower scattering seed on different types of soil, illustrating the importance of land and its productivity.

2. Inheritance and Land Division:
The division of land among the Israelites is a central theme in the Old Testament. In Numbers 26:52-56 , God instructs Moses on how to distribute the land by lot to the tribes of Israel, emphasizing the importance of fair and divinely guided allocation.

3. Jubilee and Land Rest:
The concept of the Jubilee year, as described in Leviticus 25:8-17 , involves the restoration of land to its original owners and the rest of the land every fifty years. This practice underscores the idea that the land ultimately belongs to God and should be used according to His commandments.

4. Parables and Teachings:
Jesus often used agricultural imagery in His parables to convey spiritual truths. In Luke 12:16-21 , the parable of the rich fool highlights the temporary nature of earthly possessions, including land, and the importance of being "rich toward God."

Historical and Cultural Significance:
In ancient Israel, land was a critical component of economic stability and social identity. Owning land was associated with wealth, security, and God's blessing. The careful measurement and division of land ensured that each family and tribe maintained its inheritance, as seen in the account of Naboth's vineyard (1 Kings 21:1-16), where Naboth's refusal to sell his ancestral land to King Ahab reflects the deep cultural and spiritual significance of land ownership.

Conclusion:
The concept of land measurement, while not explicitly termed as "acre" in the Bible, is deeply embedded in the biblical narrative. It reflects the broader themes of stewardship, inheritance, and divine provision, reminding believers of the importance of honoring God's creation and His commandments regarding the use and distribution of land.Is the translation of a word (tse'med), which properly means a yoke, and denotes a space of ground that may be ploughed by a yoke of oxen in a day. It is about an acre of our measure (Isaiah 5:10; 1 Samuel 14:14). (n.) A piece of land, containing 43,560 square feet or 1/640 of a square mile. This is the English statute acre. That of the United States is the same. The Scotch acre was about 1.26 of the English, and the Irish 1.62 of the English.ACRE (2)

a'-ker (tsemedh): A term of land-measurement used twice in the English versions of the Bible (Isaiah 5:10 1 Samuel 14:14), and said to be the only term in square measure found in the Old Testament. The English word "acre" originally signified field. Then it came to denote the measure of land that an ox team could plow in a day, and upon the basis of a maximum acre of this kind the standard acre of 160 square rods (with variations in different regions) was fixed. The Hebrew word translated acre denotes a yoke of animals, in the sense of a team, a span, a pair; it is never used to denote the yoke by which the team are coupled together. The phrase `ten yokes of vineyard' (Isaiah 5:10) may naturally mean vineyard covering as much land as a team would plow in ten days, though other plausible meanings can also be suggested. In 1 Samuel 14:14 the same word is used in describing the limits of space within which Jonathan and his armor-bearer slew twenty Philistines. The translation of the Revised Version (British and American), "within as it were half a furrow's length in an acre of land," means, strictly, that they were slain along a line from two to twenty rods in length. The word rendered "furrow," used only here and in Psalm 129:3, is in Brown's Hebrew Lexicon defined as "plowing-ground." This gives the rendering "as it were in half a plowing-stint, a yoke of ground," the last two phrases defining each the other, so that the meaning is substantially that of the paraphrase in the King James Version. There is here an alleged obscurity and uncertainty in the text, but it is not such as to affect either the translation or the nature of the event.

Willis J. Beecher

ACRE (1)

a'-ker, a'-ker. See ACCO.

6776. tsemed -- a couple, pair
... Word Origin from tsamad Definition a couple, pair NASB Word Usage acre (1), acres
(1), couple (1), pair (3), pairs (3), team (1), together (1), two (1), yoke (3 ...
/hebrew/6776.htm - 6k

4618. maanah -- a field for plowing
... furrow. From anah, in the sense of depression or tilling; a furrow -- + acre, furrow.
see HEBREW anah. 4617, 4618. maanah. 4619 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/4618.htm - 6k

The New Orphan Houses, Ashley Down.
... of an Orphan-House, at my request; and he determined that if I should apply for
it, he would not only let me have it, but for L120 per acre, instead of L200 ...
//christianbookshelf.org/muller/answers to prayer/chapter ii the new orphan.htm

The Loved Ones Chastened
... they are filled with riches; they heap up gold like dust; they leave the rest of
their substance to their babes; they add field to field, and acre to acre, and ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 3 1857/the loved ones chastened.htm

The Nations of the North-East
... Mesopotamia, the country between the Euphrates and Tigris, is called not only
Aram-Naharaim, "Aram of the Two Rivers," but also Padan-Aram, "the acre of Aram ...
/.../sayce/early israel and the surrounding nations/chapter iv the nations of.htm

Dr. Beardsley's Address.
... who joined in the worship offered there under such discouraging circumstances has
crossed the Tweed and appears in an upper-room in Long-Acre, Aberdeen, to ...
/.../the sermons and addresses at the seabury centenary/dr beardsleys address.htm

Canons and Monks
... The best known are the Teutonic Knights, who originated during the Third Crusade
at the siege of Acre (1190) in an association of North German Crusaders for ...
/.../medley/the church and the empire/chapter v canons and monks.htm

The Economic Challenge to the Church
... the decrease in the acreage of cotton, it is idle to talk of agricultural welfare
being synonymous with ability to increase crop acreage or production per acre ...
/.../church cooperation in community life/chapter iii the economic challenge.htm

Life at Herrnhut.
... his ideas in the "vasty halls of death." Of all the sacred spots in Herrnhut there
were none more sacred and more awe-inspiring than the "God's Acre" which the ...
/.../hutton/history of the moravian church/chapter iv life at herrnhut.htm

Separation and Service
... London MORGAN & SCOTT, 12, PATERNOSTER BUILDINGS, EC CHINA INLAND MISSION, NEWINGTON
GREEN, N. PRINTED BY WOODFALL AND KINDER, LONG ACRE LONDON. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/taylor/separation and service/title page.htm

Of a Modus, Custom, &C.
... A custom to pay 4d. an acre in lieu of the agistment tithe of barren cattle above
a year old, if fed one month in the parish, is good.3 Gwill.1048. ...
/.../prideaux/directions to church-wardens/3 of a modus custom.htm

Friendship; Or, David and Jonathan
... 'And that first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armour-bearer made, was about
twenty men, within, as it were, an half-acre of land, which a yoke of oxen ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/david/sermon v friendship or david.htm

Acre (1 Occurrence)
... day. It is about an acre of our measure (Isaiah 5:10; 1 Samuel 14:14). Noah
Webster's Dictionary. ... mile. This is the English statute acre. ...
/a/acre.htm - 9k

Half-acre (1 Occurrence)
Half-acre. Half, Half-acre. Half-an-hour . Multi-Version Concordance
Half-acre (1 Occurrence). 1 Samuel 14:14 And that ...
/h/half-acre.htm - 6k

Kishon (6 Occurrences)
... Central Palestine, which rises about the roots of Tabor and Gilboa, and passing
in a northerly direction through the plains of Esdraelon and Acre, falls into ...
/k/kishon.htm - 12k

Ladder (1 Occurrence)
... The Ladder has been located at different points on the coast between Tyre and Acre,
such as the Ras el-`Abyadh ("Promontorium Album" of the ancient geographers ...
/l/ladder.htm - 10k

Tyre (59 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary A rock, now es-Sur; an ancient Phoenician city, about
23 miles, in a direct line, north of Acre, and 20 south of Sidon. ...
/t/tyre.htm - 45k

Acco (2 Occurrences)
... ak'-o (`akko; [`Akcho]; Ake Ptolemais; Modern Arabic `Akka, English Acre; the King
James Version Accho): A town on the Syrian coast a few miles north of Carmel ...
/a/acco.htm - 13k

Carmel (33 Occurrences)
... At the east end, in its highest part, it is 1,728 feet high, and at the west end
it forms a promontory to the bay of Acre about 600 feet above the sea. ...
/c/carmel.htm - 25k

Accho (1 Occurrence)
... Jerusalem, it was called St. Jean d'Acre, or simply Acre. Multi-Version
Concordance Accho (1 Occurrence). Judges 1:31 Neither did ...
/a/accho.htm - 7k

Achzib (4 Occurrences)
... Alexandrinus, Achzeiph; Judges 1:31, Codex Vaticanus, Aschazei, Codex Alexandrinus,
Aschendei, Greek Ecdippa: A small town some miles north of Acre on the coast ...
/a/achzib.htm - 10k

Phoenicians
... TYRE). The promontory of Carmel is rather more marked than the others,
and forms quite an extensive bay, which extends to Acre. ...
/p/phoenicians.htm - 38k

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