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 1Ki 10:14 pp 2Ch 9:13 See also Ex 38:25,29; 1Ki 9:28 pp 2Ch 8:18; 1Ki 10:10 pp 2Ch 9:9; 1Ch 22:14

A weight for precious metals used as currency 1Ki 20:39 See also 1Ki 9:14; 1Ki 16:24; 2Ki 5:5,22-23; 2Ki 15:19; 2Ki 18:14; 2Ki 23:33 pp 2Ch 36:3; 1Ch 19:6; 2Ch 25:6,9; 2Ch 27:5; Est 3:9

Adopted as the name of a coin Mt 18:23-35 See also Mt 25:14-30

The shekel

Its value Eze 45:10-12 See also Ex 30:13; Ex 38:25-26; Lev 27:25; Nu 3:46-47; Nu 18:16

Used as currency Isa 7:23 See also Ex 30:15; Lev 27:1-8; Dt 22:19,29; Jdg 9:4; Jdg 16:5; Jdg 17:10; 1Sa 13:21; 2Sa 18:12; 2Ki 6:25; 2Ki 7:1,16,18; 1Ch 21:25 David’s payment for the threshing-floor as the temple site; 2Ch 1:17; Ne 5:15; Ne 10:32; Jer 32:9; Hos 3:2

The denarius

Referred to in Jesus Christ’s parables Mt 20:1-16 One denarius was the average worker’s daily wage. See also Mt 18:21-35; Lk 7:41-47

As the unit for the payment of taxes to Rome Mt 22:15-21 pp Mk 12:13-17 pp Lk 20:20-26

The penny

Mt 10:29 pp Lk 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 Mt 5:25-26 pp Lk 12:58-59; Mk 12:42

The gerah

Lev 27:25 See also Ex 30:13; Nu 3:47; Nu 18:16; Eze 45:12

The drachma

Ac 19:19 See also Ezr 2:69; Ne 7:70-72

The four-drachma coin

Mt 17:24-27

The daric

1Ch 29:7 See also Ezr 8:27

Unnamed coins

General references to coins Jn 2:13-16 See also Mt 27:6

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

Copper coins Mk 12:41-42 pp Lk 21:1-2 The Greek coin “lepton” is translated as “copper coin” in these passages.

See also