What is a Bushel in the Bible?
Quick Summary
A bushel in the Bible refers to a basket or container used for measuring dry goods, especially grain. While the English word “bushel” does not appear in the original Hebrew or Greek, it is used in several translations to describe a common household measure for flour, wheat, and other staples. The bushel becomes a teaching image in the New Testament, particularly in Jesus’ words about not hiding a lamp under a bushel basket.
Introduction
When people in the ancient world measured grain, they used baskets and containers sized according to local standards. These units—like the Hebrew seah or the Greek modios—do not translate neatly into modern measurements, so English versions often use the word “bushel” to help readers understand the scale.
Understanding the bushel as a household container gives fresh clarity to passages that use it as an image, especially in Jesus’ teaching about the importance of living one’s faith openly.
What Is a Bushel in the Bible?
A bushel is a dry measure used in English translations to approximate ancient units of capacity. The original biblical languages never use the English term itself. Instead, the Bible refers to containers like the seah, ephah, and omer in Hebrew, and the modios in Greek.
When Jesus speaks of a lamp being hidden under a “bushel basket,” the word behind it is modios (Matthew 5:15). This was a small household container used for storing grain. Translators use the word “bushel” to convey that it is a recognizable measure, not simply a random basket.
How Much Is a Biblical Bushel?
While exact conversions vary, a biblical bushel corresponds to a small-to-medium household container for dry goods. The Greek modios is commonly estimated at around eight to nine liters. In English terms, this is close to what we call a peck, or roughly one quarter of a modern bushel.
This means that when Jesus speaks of someone putting a lamp under a bushel basket, he is describing a container large enough to cover a lamp but still small enough to be part of daily household life.
The Bushel in Jesus’ Teaching
Hiding a Lamp (Matthew 5:15; Mark 4:21; Luke 11:33)
Jesus uses the image of a bushel basket to teach about visibility and purpose. A lamp is meant to give light. Covering it with a household measuring basket defeats its purpose.
The point is clear. Faith is meant to shine. It is meant to be lived openly. The image works because everyone understood how common the modios basket was. It was part of daily life—used for measuring grain, cooking ingredients, or small portions of food.
The teaching is grounded in the ordinary. Jesus takes something familiar and uses it to talk about identity, purpose, and discipleship.
Daily Life and the Bushel
While the exact size of a biblical bushel varies depending on the translation and the specific ancient unit being approximated, its everyday function remains consistent. It was a household container for measuring grain or other produce.
Families in the ancient world often used what they had (woven baskets, pottery jars, or wooden containers) to measure food for cooking, storing, or selling. These were not abstract units. They were the everyday tools of household management.
Understanding the bushel as a real container helps modern readers imagine how common and practical this measurement was. It was familiar, functional, and woven into daily life.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Does the Bible use the word “bushel” in the original languages?
No. The term appears only in English translations. The original Greek word in the Gospels is modios.
How big was a biblical bushel basket?
The modios was about eight to nine liters—large enough to cover a lamp, but small enough to be a common household container.
Was a bushel used for buying and selling grain?
Yes. Containers like the modios or the larger seah were used in markets, homes, and storage.
Why does Jesus use a bushel as an example?
Because it was familiar. Using a household measuring basket made the teaching about visibility and discipleship immediately clear.
See Also
• Bible Measurement Converter Tool
