SG Heritage Dictionary

Shekel [Noun] Webster's Dictionary 1828

An ancient weight and coin among the Jews and other nations of the same stock. Dr. Arbuthnot makes the weight to have been equal to 9 pennyweights, 2 4/7 grains, Troy weight, and the value of 2 Samuel 3:1 3/8d. sterling, or about half a dollar. Others make its value 2 Sam 6d. sterling. The golden shekel was worht 1. 16. 6. pounds sterling, about $8, 12.

Shekel [Noun] Webster's Dictionary 1913

1. An ancient weight and coin used by the Jews and by other nations of the same stock.

2. A jocose term for money.

Shekel Encyclopedia Britannica

SHEKEL. In the system of Babylonian and Assyrian weights the talent (called in Heb. “>??, kikkar) consisted of 60 mana (Heb. Π.3£, maneh) or minas, and the latter again of sixty shekels (Heb. ⅛⅛*). For the values of these weights see Numismatics, vol. xvii. p. 631, where it is also explained that the Phoenicians and Hebrews modified the system and reckoned only 50 shekels to the maneh, at all events in applying the names to money, i.e., to the precious metals, and that the weight of their silver shekel was also probably modified for convenience of interchange between the gold and silver standard. The silver shekels of the Maccabees (Numismatics, p. 650) have a maximum weight of about 224 grains, and correspond to the Phoenician tetradrachm (four drams). Hence in Matt. xvii. 24 the temple tax of half a shekel is called the didrachm (2 drams). In 2 Sam. xiv. 26 we read of shekels “after the king’s weight,” i.e., according to the Assyrian standard, which is called “royal” on weights found at Nineveh. The Hebrews divided the shekel into twenty parts, each of which was a gerah (∏ζ)A).

9th ed. Encyclopædia Britannica, vol. 21, p. 788
[190 words — estimated reading time: 2 minutes]

Shekel Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary

שקל, signifies weight, money, shekel, _siclus_, a Hebrew weight and money, Exod. xxx, 23, 24; 2 Sam. xiv, 26. Shekel is used to denote the weight of any thing; as iron, hair, spices, &c. Dr. Arbuthnot makes the weight of the shekel equal to 9 dwt. 2<sup>4</sup>⁄<sub>7</sub> gr. English troy weight; and the value equal to 2s. 3⅜d. sterling money: but the golden shekel was worth 1_l._ 16_s._ 6_d._ English money. Some are of opinion that the Jews had two kinds of shekels, namely, the common one already noticed, and the shekel of the sanctuary, which last they make double the former. But most authors make them the same, and think that the word sanctuary is added to express a just and exact weight, according to the standards kept in the temple or tabernacle. Moses, Num. xviii, 16, and Ezekiel, xlv, 12, say, that the shekel was worth twenty gerahs.

Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary
[150 words — estimated reading time: 1 minute]

King James Bible KJV Bible

Berean Standard Bible BSB Bible

86 KJV and 95 BSB verses contain “Shekel” — showing the first 20. Show all 97 verses (searchable)

Genesis 23:15

My lord, hearken unto me: the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that betwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy dead.

“Listen to me, my lord. The land is worth four hundred shekels of silver, but what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.”

Genesis 23:16

And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant.

Abraham agreed to Ephron’s terms and weighed out for him the price he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, according to the standard of the merchants.

Genesis 24:22

And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold;

And after the camels had finished drinking, he took out a gold ring weighing a beka, and two gold bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels.

Genesis 37:28

Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.

So when the Midianite traders passed by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.

Genesis 45:22

To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment.

He gave new garments to each of them, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five sets of clothes.

Exodus 21:32

If the ox shall push a manservant or a maidservant; he shall give unto their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.

If the ox gores a manservant or maidservant, the owner must pay thirty shekels of silver to the master of that servant, and the ox must be stoned.

Exodus 30:13

This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) an half shekel shall be the offering of the LORD.

Everyone who crosses over to those counted must pay a half shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs. This half shekel is an offering to the LORD.

Exodus 30:15

The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.

In making the offering to the LORD to atone for your lives, the rich shall not give more than a half shekel, nor shall the poor give less.

Exodus 30:23

Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels,

“Take the finest spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, half that amount (250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of fragrant cane,

Exodus 30:24

And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin:

500 shekels of cassia—all according to the sanctuary shekel—and a hin of olive oil.

Exodus 38:24

All the gold that was occupied for the work in all the work of the holy place, even the gold of the offering, was twenty and nine talents, and seven hundred and thirty shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary.

All the gold from the wave offering used for the work on the sanctuary totaled 29 talents and 730 shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel.

Exodus 38:25

And the silver of them that were numbered of the congregation was an hundred talents, and a thousand seven hundred and threescore and fifteen shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary:

The silver from those numbered among the congregation totaled 100 talents and 1,775 shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel—

Exodus 38:26

A bekah for every man, that is, half a shekel, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for every one that went to be numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty men.

a beka per person, that is, half a shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel, from everyone twenty years of age or older who had crossed over to be numbered, a total of 603,550 men.

Exodus 38:28

And of the thousand seven hundred seventy and five shekels he made hooks for the pillars, and overlaid their chapiters, and filleted them.

With the 1,775 shekels of silver he made the hooks for the posts, overlaid their tops, and supplied bands for them.

Exodus 38:29

And the brass of the offering was seventy talents, and two thousand and four hundred shekels.

The bronze from the wave offering totaled 70 talents and 2,400 shekels.

Leviticus 5:15

If a soul commit a trespass, and sin through ignorance, in the holy things of the LORD; then he shall bring for his trespass unto the LORD a ram without blemish out of the flocks, with thy estimation by shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass offering:

“If someone acts unfaithfully and sins unintentionally against any of the LORD’s holy things, he must bring his guilt offering to the LORD: an unblemished ram from the flock, of proper value in silver shekels according to the sanctuary shekel; it is a guilt offering.

Leviticus 27:3

And thy estimation shall be of the male from twenty years old even unto sixty years old, even thy estimation shall be fifty shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary.

if the valuation concerns a male from twenty to sixty years of age, then your valuation shall be fifty shekels of silver, according to the sanctuary shekel.

Leviticus 27:4

And if it be a female, then thy estimation shall be thirty shekels.

Or if it is a female, then your valuation shall be thirty shekels.

Leviticus 27:5

And if it be from five years old even unto twenty years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male twenty shekels, and for the female ten shekels.

And if the person is from five to twenty years of age, then your valuation for the male shall be twenty shekels, and for the female ten shekels.

Leviticus 27:6

And if it be from a month old even unto five years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male five shekels of silver, and for the female thy estimation shall be three shekels of silver.

Now if the person is from one month to five years of age, then your valuation for the male shall be five shekels of silver, and for the female three shekels of silver.