Medieval ploughingUnknown authorUnknown author · 1300–00

Acre

/AY-ker/

Summary

A Hebrew unit of land measurement based on the area a yoke of oxen could plow in one day.

☩Measurement

The Hebrew word translated 'acre' is tsemed, literally meaning 'yoke' or 'team,' referring to the amount of land a team of oxen could plow in a single day. This was similar to the Latin jugerum (from jugum, 'yoke'). The Roman acre contained about 28,800 square feet, less than two-thirds of an English acre. The exact size of the Hebrew measure is uncertain, as it would depend on soil conditions and plowing methods.

Key verses:1 Samuel 14:14Isaiah 5:10

☩Isaiah's Prophecy

The prophet Isaiah used this measurement in a warning of judgment: 'Ten acres of vineyard shall yield only one bath' (about six gallons)—a devastatingly small harvest that would indicate divine judgment upon the land.

Key verses:Isaiah 5:10

Related Verses2 mentions

1 Samuel· 1 verse

14:14

Isaiah· 1 verse

5:10

References

1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Acre," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. I (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
2.George Morrish, "Acre," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).