diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/lib/ConfigTest.java b/org.eclipse.jgit.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/lib/ConfigTest.java
index 6d07d34d3..d98a7d433 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/lib/ConfigTest.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/lib/ConfigTest.java
@@ -48,6 +48,11 @@
 
 package org.eclipse.jgit.lib;
 
+import static java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit.DAYS;
+import static java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit.HOURS;
+import static java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS;
+import static java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit.MINUTES;
+import static java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit.SECONDS;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertArrayEquals;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertFalse;
@@ -64,6 +69,7 @@
 import java.util.Iterator;
 import java.util.LinkedList;
 import java.util.Set;
+import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
 
 import org.eclipse.jgit.api.MergeCommand.FastForwardMode;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.errors.ConfigInvalidException;
@@ -849,4 +855,93 @@ private static Config parse(final String content, Config baseConfig)
 		c.fromText(content);
 		return c;
 	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void testTimeUnit() throws ConfigInvalidException {
+		assertEquals(0, parseTime("0", MILLISECONDS));
+		assertEquals(2, parseTime("2ms", MILLISECONDS));
+		assertEquals(200, parseTime("200 milliseconds", MILLISECONDS));
+
+		assertEquals(0, parseTime("0s", SECONDS));
+		assertEquals(2, parseTime("2s", SECONDS));
+		assertEquals(231, parseTime("231sec", SECONDS));
+		assertEquals(1, parseTime("1second", SECONDS));
+		assertEquals(300, parseTime("300 seconds", SECONDS));
+
+		assertEquals(2, parseTime("2m", MINUTES));
+		assertEquals(2, parseTime("2min", MINUTES));
+		assertEquals(1, parseTime("1 minute", MINUTES));
+		assertEquals(10, parseTime("10 minutes", MINUTES));
+
+		assertEquals(5, parseTime("5h", HOURS));
+		assertEquals(5, parseTime("5hr", HOURS));
+		assertEquals(1, parseTime("1hour", HOURS));
+		assertEquals(48, parseTime("48hours", HOURS));
+
+		assertEquals(5, parseTime("5 h", HOURS));
+		assertEquals(5, parseTime("5 hr", HOURS));
+		assertEquals(1, parseTime("1 hour", HOURS));
+		assertEquals(48, parseTime("48 hours", HOURS));
+		assertEquals(48, parseTime("48 \t \r hours", HOURS));
+
+		assertEquals(4, parseTime("4d", DAYS));
+		assertEquals(1, parseTime("1day", DAYS));
+		assertEquals(14, parseTime("14days", DAYS));
+
+		assertEquals(7, parseTime("1w", DAYS));
+		assertEquals(7, parseTime("1week", DAYS));
+		assertEquals(14, parseTime("2w", DAYS));
+		assertEquals(14, parseTime("2weeks", DAYS));
+
+		assertEquals(30, parseTime("1mon", DAYS));
+		assertEquals(30, parseTime("1month", DAYS));
+		assertEquals(60, parseTime("2mon", DAYS));
+		assertEquals(60, parseTime("2months", DAYS));
+
+		assertEquals(365, parseTime("1y", DAYS));
+		assertEquals(365, parseTime("1year", DAYS));
+		assertEquals(365 * 2, parseTime("2years", DAYS));
+	}
+
+	private long parseTime(String value, TimeUnit unit)
+			throws ConfigInvalidException {
+		Config c = parse("[a]\na=" + value + "\n");
+		return c.getTimeUnit("a", null, "a", 0, unit);
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void testTimeUnitDefaultValue() throws ConfigInvalidException {
+		// value not present
+		assertEquals(20, parse("[a]\na=0\n").getTimeUnit("a", null, "b", 20,
+				MILLISECONDS));
+		// value is empty
+		assertEquals(20, parse("[a]\na=\" \"\n").getTimeUnit("a", null, "a", 20,
+				MILLISECONDS));
+
+		// value is not numeric
+		assertEquals(20, parse("[a]\na=test\n").getTimeUnit("a", null, "a", 20,
+				MILLISECONDS));
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void testTimeUnitInvalid() throws ConfigInvalidException {
+		expectedEx.expect(IllegalArgumentException.class);
+		expectedEx
+				.expectMessage("Invalid time unit value: a.a=1 monttthhh");
+		parseTime("1 monttthhh", DAYS);
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void testTimeUnitInvalidWithSection() throws ConfigInvalidException {
+		Config c = parse("[a \"b\"]\na=1 monttthhh\n");
+		expectedEx.expect(IllegalArgumentException.class);
+		expectedEx.expectMessage("Invalid time unit value: a.b.a=1 monttthhh");
+		c.getTimeUnit("a", "b", "a", 0, DAYS);
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void testTimeUnitNegative() throws ConfigInvalidException {
+		expectedEx.expect(IllegalArgumentException.class);
+		parseTime("-1", MILLISECONDS);
+	}
 }
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/resources/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/JGitText.properties b/org.eclipse.jgit/resources/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/JGitText.properties
index b71e48b52..c2d601eed 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/resources/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/JGitText.properties
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/resources/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/JGitText.properties
@@ -361,6 +361,8 @@ invalidShallowObject=invalid shallow object {0}, expected commit
 invalidStageForPath=Invalid stage {0} for path {1}
 invalidTagOption=Invalid tag option: {0}
 invalidTimeout=Invalid timeout: {0}
+invalidTimeUnitValue2=Invalid time unit value: {0}.{1}={2}
+invalidTimeUnitValue3=Invalid time unit value: {0}.{1}.{2}={3}
 invalidURL=Invalid URL {0}
 invalidWildcards=Invalid wildcards {0}
 invalidRefSpec=Invalid refspec {0}
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/JGitText.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/JGitText.java
index 7c101780a..928cc8605 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/JGitText.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/JGitText.java
@@ -419,6 +419,8 @@ public static JGitText get() {
 	/***/ public String invalidStageForPath;
 	/***/ public String invalidTagOption;
 	/***/ public String invalidTimeout;
+	/***/ public String invalidTimeUnitValue2;
+	/***/ public String invalidTimeUnitValue3;
 	/***/ public String invalidURL;
 	/***/ public String invalidWildcards;
 	/***/ public String invalidRefSpec;
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/lib/Config.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/lib/Config.java
index b8eba3acc..40829f4f6 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/lib/Config.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/lib/Config.java
@@ -58,7 +58,10 @@
 import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Set;
+import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
 import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicReference;
+import java.util.regex.Matcher;
+import java.util.regex.Pattern;
 
 import org.eclipse.jgit.errors.ConfigInvalidException;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.events.ConfigChangedEvent;
@@ -489,6 +492,123 @@ public String[] getStringList(final String section, String subsection,
 		return res;
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * Parse a numerical time unit, such as "1 minute", from the configuration.
+	 *
+	 * @param section
+	 *            section the key is in.
+	 * @param subsection
+	 *            subsection the key is in, or null if not in a subsection.
+	 * @param name
+	 *            the key name.
+	 * @param defaultValue
+	 *            default value to return if no value was present.
+	 * @param wantUnit
+	 *            the units of {@code defaultValue} and the return value, as
+	 *            well as the units to assume if the value does not contain an
+	 *            indication of the units.
+	 * @return the value, or {@code defaultValue} if not set, expressed in
+	 *         {@code units}.
+	 * @since 4.5
+	 */
+	public long getTimeUnit(String section, String subsection, String name,
+			long defaultValue, TimeUnit wantUnit) {
+		String valueString = getString(section, subsection, name);
+
+		if (valueString == null) {
+			return defaultValue;
+		}
+
+		String s = valueString.trim();
+		if (s.length() == 0) {
+			return defaultValue;
+		}
+
+		if (s.startsWith("-")/* negative */) { //$NON-NLS-1$
+			throw notTimeUnit(section, subsection, name, valueString);
+		}
+
+		Matcher m = Pattern.compile("^(0|[1-9][0-9]*)\\s*(.*)$") //$NON-NLS-1$
+				.matcher(valueString);
+		if (!m.matches()) {
+			return defaultValue;
+		}
+
+		String digits = m.group(1);
+		String unitName = m.group(2).trim();
+
+		TimeUnit inputUnit;
+		int inputMul;
+
+		if (unitName.isEmpty()) {
+			inputUnit = wantUnit;
+			inputMul = 1;
+
+		} else if (match(unitName, "ms", "milliseconds")) { //$NON-NLS-1$ //$NON-NLS-2$
+			inputUnit = TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS;
+			inputMul = 1;
+
+		} else if (match(unitName, "s", "sec", "second", "seconds")) { //$NON-NLS-1$ //$NON-NLS-2$ //$NON-NLS-3$ //$NON-NLS-4$
+			inputUnit = TimeUnit.SECONDS;
+			inputMul = 1;
+
+		} else if (match(unitName, "m", "min", "minute", "minutes")) { //$NON-NLS-1$ //$NON-NLS-2$ //$NON-NLS-3$ //$NON-NLS-4$
+			inputUnit = TimeUnit.MINUTES;
+			inputMul = 1;
+
+		} else if (match(unitName, "h", "hr", "hour", "hours")) { //$NON-NLS-1$ //$NON-NLS-2$ //$NON-NLS-3$ //$NON-NLS-4$
+			inputUnit = TimeUnit.HOURS;
+			inputMul = 1;
+
+		} else if (match(unitName, "d", "day", "days")) { //$NON-NLS-1$ //$NON-NLS-2$ //$NON-NLS-3$
+			inputUnit = TimeUnit.DAYS;
+			inputMul = 1;
+
+		} else if (match(unitName, "w", "week", "weeks")) { //$NON-NLS-1$ //$NON-NLS-2$ //$NON-NLS-3$
+			inputUnit = TimeUnit.DAYS;
+			inputMul = 7;
+
+		} else if (match(unitName, "mon", "month", "months")) { //$NON-NLS-1$ //$NON-NLS-2$ //$NON-NLS-3$
+			inputUnit = TimeUnit.DAYS;
+			inputMul = 30;
+
+		} else if (match(unitName, "y", "year", "years")) { //$NON-NLS-1$ //$NON-NLS-2$ //$NON-NLS-3$
+			inputUnit = TimeUnit.DAYS;
+			inputMul = 365;
+
+		} else {
+			throw notTimeUnit(section, subsection, name, valueString);
+		}
+
+		try {
+			return wantUnit.convert(Long.parseLong(digits) * inputMul,
+					inputUnit);
+		} catch (NumberFormatException nfe) {
+			throw notTimeUnit(section, subsection, unitName, valueString);
+		}
+	}
+
+	private static boolean match(final String a, final String... cases) {
+		for (final String b : cases) {
+			if (b != null && b.equalsIgnoreCase(a)) {
+				return true;
+			}
+		}
+		return false;
+	}
+
+	private IllegalArgumentException notTimeUnit(String section,
+			String subsection, String name, String valueString) {
+		if (subsection != null) {
+			return new IllegalArgumentException(
+					MessageFormat.format(JGitText.get().invalidTimeUnitValue3,
+							section, subsection, name, valueString));
+		}
+		return new IllegalArgumentException(
+				MessageFormat.format(JGitText.get().invalidTimeUnitValue2,
+						section, name, valueString));
+	}
+
 	/**
 	 * @param section
 	 *            section to search for.