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Comparing Ancient Weights and Measures

The Hebrews probably first used coins in the Persian period (500-350 B.C.). However, minting began around 700 B.C. in other nations. Prior to this, precious metals were weighed, not counted as money. Some units appear as both measures of money and measures of weights. This comes from naming the coins after their weight. For example, the shekel was a weight long before it became the name of a coin. It is helpful to relate biblical monies to current values. But we cannot make exact equivalents. The fluctuating value of money’s purchasing power is difficult to determine in our own day. It is even harder to evaluate currencies used two- to three-thousand years ago.
The monies chart below takes a current day’s wage as thirty-two dollars. Though there are differences of economies and standards of living, this measure will help us apply meaningful values to the monetary units in the chart and in the biblical text.

Monies

Units	Monetary Value	Equivalents	Translations
(Jewish) Talent	Gold- $5,760,000 Silver- $384,000	3000 shekels or 6000 bekas	Talents
(Jewish) Shekel	Gold – $1,920 Silver- $128	4 days’ wages; 2 bekas; or 20 gerahs	shekel
(Jewish) Beka	Gold – $960 Silver- $64	1/2 shekel or 10 gerahs	bekah
(Jewish) Gerah	Gold- $96 Silver- $6.40	1/20 shekel	gerah
(Persian Coins) Daric	Gold- $1280 Silver- $64	2 days wages or 1/2 Jewish shekel	dram
(Greek coins) Tetradrachma (stater)	$128	4 drachmas	piece of money
(Greek coins) Didrachma	$64	2 drachmas	tribute
(Greek Coins) Drachma	$32	1 day’s wage	piece of silver
(Greek coins) Lepton	$0.25	1/2 of a Roman kodrantes	mite
(Roman Coins) Aureus	$800	25 denarii
(Roman Coins) Denarius	$32	1 day’s wage	pence or penny
(Roman Coins) Assarius	$2	1/16 of a denarius	farthing
Roman coins) kodrantes	$.50	1/4 of an assarius	farthing

Weights

Unit	Weight	Equivalents	Translations
(Jewish Weights) Talent	c. 75 pounds for common talent, c. 150 pounds for royal talent	60 minas; 3,000 shekels talent	talent
(Jewish Weights) Mina	1.25 pounds	50 shekels	maneh, pound
(Jewish Weights) Shekel	c. .4 ounce (11.4 grams) for common shekel c. .8 ounce for royal shekel	2 bekas; 20 gerahs	shekel
(Jewish Weights) Beka	c. .2 ounce (5.7 grams)	½ shekel: 10 gerahs	half a shekel
(Jewish Weights) Gerah	c. .02 ounce (.57 grams)	1/20 shekel	gerah
(Roman Weight) Litra	12 ounces		pound

Measures of Length

Unit	Length	Equivalents	Translations
Day’s journey	c. 20 miles		day’s journey
Roman mile	4,854 feet	8 stadia	mile
Sabbath day’s journey	3,637 feet	6 Stadia	Sabbath day’s journey
Stadion	606 feet	1/8 Roman mile	furlong
Rod	9 feet (10.5 feet in Ezekiel)	3 paces; 6 cubits	measuring reed, reed
Fathom	6 feet	4 cubits	fathom
Pace	3 feet	1/3 rod; 2 cubits	pace
Cubit	18 inches	1/2 pace; 2 spans	cubit
Span	9 inches	1/2 cubit; 3 handbreadths	span
Handbreadth	3 inches	1/3 span; 4 fingers	handbreadth
Finger	.75 inches	1/4 handbreadth	finger

Dry Measures

Unit	Measure	Equivalents	Translations
Homer	6.52 bushels	10 ephahs	homer
Kor	6.52 bushels	1 homer; 10 ephahs	cor, measure
Lethech	3.26 bushels	½ kor	half homer
Ephah	.65 bushel, 20.8 quarts	1/10 homer	ephah
Modius	7.68 quarts		bushel
Seah	7 quarts	1/3 ephah	measure
Omer	2.08 quarts	1/10 ephah ; 1 4/5 kab	omer
Kab	1.16 quarts	4 logs	cab
Choenix	1 quart		measure
Xestes	1 1/16 pints		pot
Log	.58 pint	1/4 kab	log

Liquid Measures

Unit	Measure	Equivalents	Translations
Kor	60 gallons	10 baths	cor
Metretes	10.2 gallons		firkin
Bath	6 gallons	6 hins	measure; bath
Hin	1 gallon	2 kabs	hin
Kab	2 quarts	4 logs	cab
Log	1 pint	1/4 kab	log

Comprehensive Bible Studies by Topic