Dictionary of Bible Themes: 5260 coinage

5260 coinage

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Dictionary of Bible Themes » 5000 Humanity » 5200 Human civilisation » 5260 coinage

Coinage was not used until the late 7th century B.C. Weights of silver and gold were earlier used as “currency”. By the later exile a variety of minted coinage, made from gold, silver, bronze or copper, gradually replaced the method of reckoning currency by weighing out precious metals. Israelite, Persian, Greek and Roman coins are mentioned in Scripture.

The talent

A unit of weight

1 Kings 10:14 pp 2 Chronicles 9:13 See also Exodus 38:25,29; 1 Kings 9:28 pp 2 Chronicles 8:18; 1 Kings 10:10 pp 2 Chronicles 9:9; 1 Chronicles 22:14

A weight for precious metals used as currency

1 Kings 20:39 See also 1 Kings 9:14; Kings 16:24; 2 Kings 5:5,22-23; Kings 15:19; Kings 18:14; Kings 23:33 pp 2 Chronicles 36:3; 1 Chronicles 19:6; 2 Chronicles 25:6,9; 2 C 5; Esther 3:9

Adopted as the name of a coin

Matthew 18:23-35 See also Matthew 25:14-30

The shekel

Its value

Ezekiel 45:10-12 See also Exodus 30:13; Exodus 38:25-26; Leviticus 27:25; Numbers 3:46-47; Numbers 18:16

Used as currency

Isaiah 7:23 See also Exodus 30:15; Leviticus 27:1-8; Deuteronomy 22:19,29; Judges 9:4; Judges 16:5; Judges 17:10; 1 Samuel 13:21; 2 Samuel 18:12; 2 Kings 6:25; Kings 7:1,16,18; 1 Chronicles 21:25 David's payment for the threshing-floor as the temple site; 2 Chronicles 1:17; Nehemiah 5:15; Nehemiah 10:32; Jeremiah 32:9; Hosea 3:2

The denarius

Referred to in Jesus Christ's parables

Matthew 20:1-16 One denarius was the average worker's daily wage. See also Matthew 18:21-35; Luke 7:41-47

As the unit for the payment of taxes to Rome

Matthew 22:15-21 pp Mark 12:13-17 pp Luke 20:20-26

The penny

Matthew 10:29 pp Luke 12:6 The “penny” was not a coin in use in biblical times, but the term is employed in the NIV for two different copper coins, the “assarion” and the “quadrans”, which were of relatively little value. See also Matthew 5:25-26 pp Luke 12:58-59; Mark 12:42

The gerah

Leviticus 27:25 See also Exodus 30:13; Numbers 3:47; Numbers 18:16; Ezekiel 45:12

The drachma

The four-drachma coin

Matthew 17:24-27

The daric

1 Chronicles 29:7 See also Ezra 8:27

Unnamed coins

General references to coins

John 2:13-16 See also Matthew 27:6

Silver coins

Matthew 26:14-15 See also Matthew 27:3-10; Zechariah 11:12-13; Luke 10:30-35; Luke 15:8-10 Although translated simply as “silver coins”, it is the “drachma” which is referred to here.

Copper coins

Mark 12:41-42 pp Luke 21:1-2 The Greek coin “lepton” is translated as “copper coin” in these passages.