Biblical and Talmudic Units of Measurement - Weight and Coins

Weight and Coins

The Babylonian system, which the Israelites followed, measured weight with units of the talent, mina, shekel (Hebrew: שקל), and giru, related to one another as follows:

• 1 shekel = 24 giru
• 1 mina = 60 shekels
• 1 talent = 60 mina

In the Israelite system, the ratio of the giru to the shekel was altered, and the talent, mina, and giru, later went by the names kikkar (ככר), litra, and gerah (גרה), respectively; litra is a loan word from Latin - libra, meaning pound. The Israelite system was thus as follows:

• 1 shekel = 20 gerah
• 1 litra = 60 shekels
• 1 kikkar = 60 litra

There were, however, different versions of the talent/kikkar in use; a royal and a common version. In addition, each of these forms had a heavy and a light version, with the heavy version being exacly twice the weight of the lighter form; the light royal talent was often represented in the form of a duck, while the heavy royal talent often took the form of a lion. The mina for the heavy royal talent weighed 1.01 kg, while that for the heavy common talent weighed only 0.9824 kg; accordingly, the heavy common shekel would be about 16 g. According to Josephus, it was the heavy common talent, and its mina and shekel, that was the normal measure of weight in Syria and Judea; Josephus also mentions an additional unit - the bekah - which was exactly half a shekel.

Gradually, the system was reformed, perhaps under the influence of Egypt, so that a mina was worth only 50 shekels rather than 60; to achieve this, the shekel remained the same weight, while the weight of the standard mina was reduced. Moses mandated that the standard coinage would be in single shekels of silver; thus each shekel coin would constitute about 0.51 troy ounces of pure silver. In Judea, the Biblical shekel was initially worth about 3⅓ denarii, but over time the measurement had enlarged so that it would be worth exactly four denarii.

• "Pruta" (pl. prutot) - a copper coin (Hebrew פרוטה prutah) - 0.022 g

• "Issar" (pl. issarim) - a Roman copper coin (As) - 0.177 g

• "Pundion" (pl. pundionim) - a Roman copper coin (Dupondius) - 0.35 g

• "Ma'ah" (pl. ma'ot = "money") - a silver coin, (Hebrew gerah) - 0.7 g

In Hebrew it is called a Gerah (as in twenty gerah is a Shekel, Exodus); (litt. grain; also gram derives from it).

• "Dinar" (pl. Dinarim) - a Roman silver coin (Denarius (pl. denarii, (Hebrew Zuz, pl. zuzim) - 4.25 g

In Hebrew, a silver Dinar was called a "Zuz" to avoid confusion with the gold Dinar.

• "Shekel" (pl. shkalim) - a Jewish silver coin (Shekel, (Hebrew שקל) - 14 g

Moses instituted it as the standard coinage. From 8.5 to 16 grams (Chazon Ish) or .51 troy ounces of pure silver.

• "Sela" (pl. selo'im) - a silver coin (Tetradrachm) - 17 g (a sela equals two shekel).

The Thaler, Taler and finally the Dollar derive from it.

• Dinar (pl. dinarim or dinerei) - a Roman gold coin (Aureus) (Hebrew "Dinerei zahav") - 8 g of gold (106.25 g in silver)

• "Minah" (pl. ) - a silver coin - 425 g

Not to be confused with maneh which is 100 zuzim.

• "Kikor" (pl. kikorei) - a Jewish silver weight of two Issar - 0.354 g