Hin

Biblical (Hebrew)Historical unit (no longer in standard use)Approximate value

A sixth of a bath, about 3.7 L. A biblical liquid measure for oil and wine.

1 hin = 3.666666667 liters (approximately).

Approximate value. Standards for the hin varied by place and period, so this converter uses the most commonly cited value. Treat results as estimates, not exact figures.

About the hin

Hin appears in the Pentateuch and in Ezekiel as the measure for the oil and wine poured out in the sanctuary offerings. The rabbinic tables define it by its neighbours: one hin holds twelve log, and six hin make a bath. Because the hin is defined only as a fraction of the bath, it inherits every uncertainty of that larger unit.

Taking the roughly 22 litre bath reconstructed from marked jars at Tell Beit Mirsim gives a hin of about 3.7 litres, the figure used here. Starting instead from the log at about 0.505 litres, a value tied to Babylonian weights, twelve log would give nearer 6 litres. That gap shows how far apart the reconstructions can be. A hin of about 3.7 litres is close to a US gallon, which makes it a handy rough comparison for modern readers.

Sources: Wikipedia: Hin (unit); Wikipedia: Biblical and Talmudic units of measurement

Hin conversion chart

1 hin expressed in every other volume unit:

More Biblical (Hebrew) units

• omer (volume)
• bath (biblical) (volume)
• homer (volume)
• biblical cubit (length)
• Sabbath day's journey (length)
• shekel (biblical) (weight & mass)
• Hebrew talent (weight & mass)
• jubilee (time)

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