In biblical terms, the word "span" refers to a unit of measurement used in ancient times. It is primarily mentioned in the context of describing dimensions, particularly in the construction of sacred objects and structures. The span is generally understood to be the distance from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger when the hand is fully extended, approximately nine inches or half a cubit.

Biblical References:

1. Exodus 28:16 : "It is to be square when folded over, a span long and a span wide." This verse describes the dimensions of the breastpiece of judgment worn by the High Priest. The use of the span here emphasizes the precision and care required in the construction of priestly garments, reflecting the holiness and orderliness expected in the service of God.

2. Exodus 39:9 : "It was square when folded over, a span long and a span wide." This passage reiterates the dimensions of the breastpiece, underscoring its importance in the priestly attire and its role in the religious practices of the Israelites.

3. 1 Samuel 17:4 : "Then a champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. He was six cubits and a span tall." The mention of Goliath's height, including the span, serves to highlight his formidable size and strength, setting the stage for the dramatic encounter with David. The use of the span here provides a vivid image of the giant's imposing stature.

Symbolic Significance:

In addition to its literal use as a measurement, the span can also carry symbolic meaning in biblical literature. It often represents the finite and limited nature of human life and capabilities in contrast to the infinite and boundless nature of God. This is reflected in passages that speak to the brevity and fragility of human existence.

Psalm 39:5 : "You, indeed, have made my days as handbreadths, and my lifetime as nothing before You. Truly each man at his best exists as but a breath." Here, the psalmist uses the imagery of a handbreadth, closely related to a span, to convey the shortness of human life. This serves as a reminder of the need for humility and reliance on God.

Theological Implications:

The use of the span in Scripture underscores the importance of precision and order in the worship and service of God. It reflects the meticulous care with which God instructed His people to approach Him, whether through the construction of the tabernacle, the crafting of priestly garments, or the observance of His commandments.

Furthermore, the span as a measure of human life invites reflection on the transient nature of earthly existence and the eternal nature of God. It calls believers to live with an awareness of their mortality and to place their trust in the eternal promises of God.

In summary, the span serves as both a practical unit of measurement and a profound symbol within the biblical narrative, illustrating the intersection of the temporal and the divine.Span

La 2:20, the distance from the extremity of the thumb to that of the little finger, when stretched apart; some nine inches.

1. (v.) imp. & p. p. of Spin.

2. (n.) The space from the thumb to the end of the little finger when extended; nine inches; eighth of a fathom.

3. (v. t.) Hence, a small space or a brief portion of time.

4. (n.) The spread or extent of an arch between its abutments, or of a beam, girder, truss, roof, bridge, or the like, between its supports.

5. (n.) A rope having its ends made fast so that a purchase can be hooked to the bight; also, a rope made fast in the center so that both ends can be used.

6. (n.) A pair of horses or other animals driven together; usually, such a pair of horses when similar in color, form, and action.

7. (v. t.) To measure by the span of the hand with the fingers extended, or with the fingers encompassing the object; as, to span a space or distance; to span a cylinder.

8. (v. t.) To reach from one side of to the order; to stretch over as an arch.

9. (v. t.) To fetter, as a horse; to hobble.

10. (v. i.) To be matched, as horses.

11. (imp.) of Spin

SPAN

(zereth; spithame): A measure of length equal to half a cubit or about 9 in. (Exodus 28:16; Exodus 39:9 1 Samuel 17:4, etc.). Lamentations 2:20 the King James Version is a mistranslation; see the Revised Version (British and American).

See WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.

165. aion -- a space of time, an age
... infinity. 165 (see also the cognate adjective, 166 , "age-long") -- properly,
an (, "time-span"), (type of existence). : Christians ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/165.htm - 8k

4681. Spania -- Spain, a peninsula of SW Europe
... Spain, a peninsula of SW Europe. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration:
Spania Phonetic Spelling: (span-ee'-ah) Short Definition: Spain Definition ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4681.htm - 6k

2244. helikia -- maturity, ie age
... Word Origin from helix (of the same age, mature) Definition maturity, ie age NASB
Word Usage age (2), life (2), life's span (1), stature (3). age, stature. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2244.htm - 6k

2239. zereth -- a span
... 2238, 2239. zereth. 2240 . a span. Transliteration: zereth Phonetic
Spelling: (zeh'-reth) Short Definition: span. Word Origin of ...
/hebrew/2239.htm - 5k

2947. tephach -- a span, handbreadth, coping
... 2946, 2947. tephach. 2948 . a span, handbreadth, coping. Transliteration: tephach
Phonetic Spelling: (tay'-fakh) Short Definition: handbreadth. ...
/hebrew/2947.htm - 6k

2948. tophach -- a span, handbreadth
... 2947, 2948. tophach. 2949 . a span, handbreadth. Transliteration: tophach
Phonetic Spelling: (to'-fakh) Short Definition: handbreadth. ...
/hebrew/2948.htm - 6k

2946. taphach -- to extend, spread
... root Definition to extend, spread NASB Word Usage bore (1), spread (1). span, swaddle. ...
From tephach, from dandling on the palms -- span, swaddle. ...
/hebrew/2946.htm - 6k

2949. tippuchim -- tenderly cared for
... born healthy (1). span long. From taphach; nursing -- span long. see HEBREW
taphach. 2948, 2949. tippuchim. 2950 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/2949.htm - 6k

1574. gomed -- a short cubit (from elbow to knuckles of clenched ...
... 1). cubit. From an unused root apparently meaning to grasp; properly, a span --
cubit. 1573, 1574. gomed. 1575 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/1574.htm - 6k

2465. cheled -- duration, world
... Word Origin from an unused word Definition duration, world NASB Word Usage life
(1), lifetime (1), span of life (1), world (3). age, short time, world. ...
/hebrew/2465.htm - 6k

After all this You Dare to Say in Your Apology, that You are not ...
... his defence. I shall try to write a reply to those works in another treatise
if God grants me a sufficient span of life. For the ...
/.../23 after all this you.htm

The Man after God's Own Heart
... man after Mine own heart, who shall fulfil all My will." And just as the man of
the world, or the literary man, lays down a programme for the brief span of his ...
//christianbookshelf.org/drummond/the ideal life/the man after gods own.htm

Life with Its Infinite Alternatives.
... James Montgomery. Life with its infinite Alternatives. On our span-long pilgrimage,. ...
Time?"a step from birth to death,. On that step, that breath, that span,. ...
/.../montgomery/sacred poems and hymns/hymn ccxix life with its.htm

The Change of Heart.
... 8.8.8.8 James Montgomery. The Change of Heart. What is our life?"a breath, a span,. ...
Then life no more a breath would be,. A span, a spark, absorb'd in night,. ...
/.../montgomery/sacred poems and hymns/hymn clx the change of.htm

That "Through Whom" is Said Also in the Case of the Father, and " ...
... may be learnt from what immediately precedes: "Who hath measured the waters in the
hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the ...
/.../basil/basil letters and select works/chapter v that through whom.htm

Jehovah --Jesus.
... He is getting off as far as possible within his earthly span. ... He was God. It was
He who spoke things into being, that creative span of time. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/gordon/quiet talks about jesus/jehovahjesus.htm

On the Words of the Gospel, John v. 2, "Now There is in Jerusalem ...
... From the earliest infancy even to decrepit old age, it is but a short span. ... In this
little span let us live well, that we may go whence we may not pass away. ...
/.../sermons on selected lessons of the new testament/sermon lxxiv on the words.htm

The Poets
... Let the world's riches, which dispers??d lie,. Contract into a span,. is remembered
and used nobly in a hymn for the Nativity: Our God, contracted to a Span,. ...
/.../the hymns of methodism in their literary relations/chapter iii the poets.htm

Life a Tale
... From the best point of view, life is not merely a term of years and a span
of action; it is a force, a current and depth of being. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/chapin/the crown of thorns/life a tale.htm

Anxious Care
... carking cares, and laborious days, and sleepless nights, is but to adorn a little
more beautifully or a little less beautifully, the allotted span"but to ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture a/anxious care.htm

Span (14 Occurrences)
... 7. (vt) To measure by the span of the hand with the fingers extended, or with the
fingers encompassing the object; as, to span a space or distance; to span a ...
/s/span.htm - 12k

Four-square (7 Occurrences)
... (See JPS). Exodus 28:16 Foursquare it shall be and double; a span shall be the
length thereof, and a span the breadth thereof. (See JPS). ...
/f/four-square.htm - 8k

Foursquare (10 Occurrences)
... (WEB KJV ASV WBS). Exodus 28:16 Foursquare it shall be being doubled; a span shall
be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof. (KJV ASV WBS) ...
/f/foursquare.htm - 11k

Doubled (5 Occurrences)
... (YLT). Exodus 28:16 Foursquare it shall be being doubled; a span shall be the length
thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof. (KJV DBY WBS YLT). ...
/d/doubled.htm - 8k

Breastplate (45 Occurrences)
... It was a double piece of richly embroidered stuff, a span square, set with twelve
precious stones, on which were engraved the names of the twelve tribes of ...
/b/breastplate.htm - 24k

Square (94 Occurrences)
... Exodus 28:16 It shall be square and folded double; a span shall be its length of
it, and a span its breadth. (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV). ...
/s/square.htm - 39k

Double (49 Occurrences)
... (WEB JPS ASV NAS NIV). Exodus 28:16 It shall be square and folded double;
a span shall be its length of it, and a span its breadth. ...
/d/double.htm - 26k

Length (135 Occurrences)
... (WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV). Exodus 28:16 It shall be square and folded
double; a span shall be its length of it, and a span its breadth. ...
/l/length.htm - 37k

Goliath (6 Occurrences)
... 2:20, 21). His height was "six cubits and a span," which, taking the cubit
at 21 inches, is equal to 10 1/2 feet. David cut off ...
/g/goliath.htm - 12k

Fathom (5 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary (Old AS faethm, "bosom, " or the outstretched
arms), a span of six feet (Acts 27:28). Gr. orguia (from ...
/f/fathom.htm - 9k

How tall was Goliath? | GotQuestions.org

What happened in the intertestamental period? | GotQuestions.org

How old was Adam when he died? | GotQuestions.org

Span: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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