Fathom

A unit of measurement for water depth, equal to about six feet or nearly two meters.

About Fathom

A unit of water measure equal to about 1.8 meters (six feet). Sailors used fathoms to measure the depth of water. During Paul's journey to Rome, the sailors measured the water depth as their ship approached land during a storm Acts 27:28).

See Weights and Measures.

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The object itself Article

Form, use in ancient daily life, and how translators render the term.

Key References

Acts 27:28

They took soundings and found that the water was twenty fathoms deep. Going a little farther, they took another set of soundings that read fifteen fathoms.

All Scripture References (1)

Acts (1)
Acts 27:28

They took soundings and found that the water was twenty fathoms deep. Going a little farther, they took another set of soundings that read fifteen fathoms.