Piece of Silver

PIECE OF SILVER

Two words are thus rendered in the Old Testament (ratstse-khaceph, and qesiTah) and two in the New Testament argurion, and drachme). The first expression means pieces of silver broken off from bars or larger pieces (Psalm 68:30). The second is used for money in Joshua 24:32, and is so rendered in the Revised Version (British and American). The pieces were not coins, but perhaps bore a stamp. See MONEY. In other passages of the Old Testament where pieces of silver are mentioned, the Hebrew has simply a numeral joined with keTeph, "silver," as in the account of the selling of Joseph (Genesis 37:28). In Isaiah 7:23 the word silverlings means small pieces of silver, and they were no doubt shekels. In the New Testament the Greek arguria (Matthew 26:15; Matthew 27:3-9), is translated as pieces of silver, but probably means shekels. In Acts 19:19 the same word occurs, but in this case the reference is probably to the denarius or drachma (compare Luke 15:8). Thus, the 30 pieces of Matthew would be equal to about 4 British pounds or USD20 (in 1915), and the 50,000 of Acts to about 2,000 British pounds or USD10,000 (in 1915).

H. Porter

Piece of Silver

I. In the Old Testament the word "pieces" is used in the Authorized Version for a word understood in the Hebrew (if we except) (Psalms 68:30) The phrase is always "a thousand," or the like, "of silver." (Genesis 20:16; 37:28; 45:28; Judges 9:4; 16:5; 2 Kings 6:25; Hosea 3:2; Zechariah 11:12,13) In similar passages the word "shekels" occurs in the Hebrew. There are other passages in which the Authorized Version supplies the word "shekels" instead of "pieces," (22:19,29; Judges 17:2,3,4,10; 2 Samuel 18:11,12) and of these the first two require this to be done. The shekel, be it remembered, was the common weight for money, and therefore most likely to be understood in an elliptical phrase. The "piece" or shekel of silver weighed 220 grains, or about half an ounce, and was worth a little more than half a dollar (55 cents). II. In the New Testament two words are rendered by the phrase "piece of silver:"

1. Drachma , (Luke 15:8,9) which was a Greek silver coin, equivalent, at the time of St. Luke, to the Roman denarias (15 or 16 cents).
2. Silver occurs only in the account of the betrayal of our Lord for "thirty pieces of silver." (Matthew 26:15; 17:3,5,6,9) It is difficult to ascertain what coins are here intended. If the most common silver pieces be meant, they would be denarii. The parallel passage in Zachariah, (Zechariah 11:12,13) must, however, be taken into consideration where shekels (worth about 55 cents) must be understood. It is more probable that the thirty pieces of silver were tetradrachms than that they were denarii (80 cents).

694. argurion -- silvery, by ext. a piece of silver
... a piece of silver. Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration: argurion Phonetic
Spelling: (ar-goo'-ree-on) Short Definition: silver, a shekel, money in ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/694.htm - 6k

1406. drachme -- as much as one can hold in the hand, a drachma (a ...
... piece of silver, drachma. From drassomai; a drachma or (silver) coin (as handled) --
piece (of silver). see GREEK drassomai. (drachmas) -- 1 Occurrence. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1406.htm - 6k

5553. chrusion -- a piece of gold, gold
... 696 ("silver") was the most precious metal in the ancient world.]. Word Origin dim.
of chrusos Definition a piece of gold, gold NASB Word Usage gold (12), gold ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5553.htm - 7k

4715. stater -- a stater (a coin)
... 4715 -- a silver coin worth two and equivalent to (a , four drachmae) -- the ... standard
of value), ie (specially), a stater or certain coin -- piece of money. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4715.htm - 6k

95. agorah -- payment
... piece of silver. From the same as 'Aguwr; properly, something gathered, ie Perhaps
a grain or berry; used only of a small (silver) coin -- piece (of) silver. ...
/hebrew/95.htm - 6k

7192. qesitah -- (unit of value), perhaps piece
... Word Origin of uncertain derivation Definition (unit of value), perhaps piece NASB
Word Usage piece of money (1), pieces of money (2). piece of money silver. ...
/hebrew/7192.htm - 6k

The Lost Silver Piece
... The woman had lost her piece of silver, and in order to find it she had to sweep
for it, which proves that it had fallen into a dusty place, fallen to the earth ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 17 1871/the lost silver piece.htm

Elisha's Way of Treating Enemies
... longer?" But Elisha said, "Hear the word of Jehovah, for he says, 'To-morrow about
this time a peck of fine meal shall be sold for a piece of silver and two ...
/.../sherman/the childrens bible/elishas way of treating enemies.htm

A Sort of Sorites, as the Logicians Call It, to Show that the ...
... Who sought after the lost sheep and the lost piece of silver? [4767] Was it not
the loser? But who was the loser? Was it not he who once possessed [4768] them? ...
/.../tertullian/the five books against marcion/chapter xxxii a sort of sorites.htm

Finding God
... The central thought of Jeremiah's text is beautifully illustrated in the
Parable of the Lost Piece of Silver. Look at this woman's ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/howard/standards of life and service/iv finding god.htm

Second Great Group of Parables.
... had lost. [The drachma, or piece of silver, corresponded to the Latin denarius,
and was worth about seventeen cents. The woman, having ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/xcii second great group of 3.htm

Peter and the Tribute-Money.
... took a big fish. And when he had opened its mouth he found the piece of
silver, and took it to the men in payment of the tribute. ...
/.../anonymous/mother stories from the new testament/peter and the tribute-money.htm

Article xxii (X): of Both Kinds in the Lord's Supper.
... one part pertaining to the priests, 1 Sam.2, 36 [the text reads: Every one that
is left in thine house shall come and crouch him for a piece of silver and a ...
/.../melanchthon/the apology of the augsburg confession/part 27 article xxii x .htm

But Having Now done with this Account of the Consummation...
... Piece XII. ... terms: "Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image standing before
thee, whose head was of gold, its arms and shoulders of silver, its belly and ...
/.../the extant works and fragments of hippolytus/piece xii but having now.htm

The Person and Work of the Substitute
... me." He went out and in as The Saviour, and in his whole life we see him as the
Shepherd seeking his lost sheep, as the woman her lost piece of silver, and as ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bonar/gods way of peace/chapter vi the person and.htm

The Edict of Banishment, 1729-1736.
... As the woman who found the lost piece of silver invited her friends and neighbours
to share in her joy, so Zinzendorf wished all Christians to share in the ...
/.../hutton/history of the moravian church/chapter v the edict of.htm

Piece

Piece of Gold

Piece of Money

Piece of Silver

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus