11.3.2.5

BEL 1:3: The artabē was a Persian measure of volume equivalent to about 50 liters or 13 gallons. The text says the Babylonians were bringing twelve of these measures of flour every day to their idol Bel. This was a huge amount since each artabē was equal to a large sack in volume. It is not necessary in translation to attempt to give a precise equivalent here. Where a roughly equivalent volume measure is known, it should be used; for example, RSVGNTNJB say “twelve bushels,” and ITCL has “twelve sacks.” Another possible rendering is “enough flour to feed several hundred people.”