(qeneh hamiddah; kalamos): Used in Eze 40:5 ff; 42:16; 45:1; Re 11:1; 21:15,16. The length of the reed is given as 6 cubits, each cubit being a cubit and a palm, i.e. the large cubit of 7 palms, or about 10 ft. See CUBIT. Originally it was an actual reed used for measurements of considerable length, but came at last to be used for a measure of definite length, as indicated by the reference in Ezkiel (compare "pole" in English measures).
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
Measuring Reed
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, James Orr (1915). Public domain, from the CrossWire SWORD module.