The Sabbath day’s journey refers to the distance Jews were permitted to travel on the Sabbath without violating God’s law given to Moses. As recorded in the book of Joshua, this was the distance between the Israelites’ camp and the Ark of the Covenant in the wilderness. The term appears only once in the book of Acts, referring to the distance the disciples walked from the Mount of Olives back to Jerusalem on the day of Jesus’ ascension—about two stadia, or 2,000 cubits. This was considered an 18-minute walk. Jewish rabbis and scribes interpreted the Sabbath travel limit to be 2,000 cubits. The distance between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives was thus known as a “Sabbath day’s journey.”
*A cubit was an ancient Israelite unit of length, with one cubit equal to approximately 44.5 centimeters. So, 2,000 cubits is nearly 1,000 meters, or about two ancient Chinese li.
The Bible records:
[Acts 1:12] Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away.
[Joshua 3:4] But there shall be a distance between you and it of about 2,000 cubits. Do not come near it, so that you may know the way you are to go, for you have not passed this way before.
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