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- The major weight of metal mentioned in the Bible is the shekel, as its name, which means simply "weight," testifies. Since the shekel was the definite weight, an expression such as "1,000 silver" (Genesis 20:16) can be explained as 1,000 shekels of silver, and the name of the weight is omitted since it is self-explanatory.
www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/weights-measures-and-coins-of-the-biblical-and-talmudic-periodsWeights, Measures & Coins of the Biblical & Talmudic Periods
The major weight of metal mentioned in the Bible is the shekel, as its name, which means simply "weight," testifies. Since the shekel was the definite weight, an expression such as "1,000 silver" ( Genesis 20:16 ) can be explained as 1,000 shekels of silver, and the name of the weight is omitted since it is self-explanatory.
- Ashkelon
The city was founded in the twelfth century B.C.; first...
- Genesis
Genesis - Weights, Measures & Coins of the Biblical &...
- Chapter 10
10:1 And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of...
- Malachim II
Malachim II - Weights, Measures & Coins of the Biblical &...
- Exodus
15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give...
- Nehemiah
Nehemiah - Weights, Measures & Coins of the Biblical &...
- Ashkelon
Between the sacred shekel, Exodus 30:13, and the shekel after the "king's weight," 2 Samuel 14:26, there would seem to have been a difference; but this and many think the phrase "shekel of the sanctuary" simply means a full and just shekel, according to the temple standards.
The shekel as a unit of currency is known as early as the second millennium BCE when it is recorded in the Bible that Abraham negotiated the purchase of a field "and a cave that was therein," at Machpela in Hebron.
The basis of the biblical system of weights becomes clear by investigating the interrelationships of the three most important weights, the talent, shekel, and gerah. The talent (kikkar), was the largest unit of weight in the Bible, and was already known by the same name in Ugaritic.
- 22.0 liters
- 110.0 liters
- 220.0 liters
- 7.3 liters
The Bible mentions royal weights, sanctuary weights, and merchant's weights. The royal shekel was probably double the ordinary shekel. The value of premonarchical weights and the original sanctuary shekel have not been determined. The shekel's multiples were the mina and the talent.
In terms of today's money, what would be the value of the biblical half shekel? Maimonides writes (Laws of Shekalim 1:5) that the half shekel mentioned in the Torah – the annual contribution every Jew was required to give to the Temple coffers – is equal to 160 grains of barley, which, in modern measurements, would be approximately eight ...
The first specifically Hebrew unit of weight is shekel ha‐kodesh, which the King James version translates as “shekel of the sanctuary” and the New English Bible as “shekel by the sacred standard,” “twenty gerahs to the shekel” (Exodus 30:13).
