Understanding the coins of Bible days is often very confusing. In New Testament times both the Greek and Roman money systems were used at the same time throughout the Roman Empire. And, to make matters even more complicated, Israel had its own bronze coins. Going back into Old Testament times only gets more complicated. Much of the Old Testament was written before coins existed. In the times of Abraham they weighed out silver on a scales. "And Abraham weighed to Ephron...four hundred shekels of silver current money with the merchant." Genesis 23:16. A more modern translation reads, "Abraham agreed to Ephron's terms. So he weighed out for Ephron the amount stated in front of the Hittites: ten pounds of silver at the current merchant's exchange rate." Genesis 23:16 God's Word Version.
Coined money was first introduced in Lydia (a location in modern day Turkey) about 700 B.C.. From there the process of making metal coins of uniform size and weight spread rapidly to Greece and beyond. Coins were made in Israel starting about 140 B.C. and were small bronze coins that were basically "pocket change." The foreign rulers of Israel never allowed them to make their own silver or gold coins. Of the bronze coins minted in Israel, the Roman rulers avoided offending the religious feelings of the people by not putting representations of human figures on the coins. Instead likeness of a tree, plant or object from the temple was often used to identify the coin.
The "Widow's Mite" mentioned in Mark 12:42 could be any number of small coins in circulation at the time. These little coins, called leptons, had so little value that it took 32 of them to buy a loaf of bread.
The "Penny" is referred to in Matthew 20:2, "And when he had agreed with the laborers for a penny a day..." The penny is actually a Roman silver coin about the size of an American dime that is called a denarius. The King James Bible translators misnamed the coin after a common English coin of their day. It is presumed that the translators thought it would make more sense to the English people if the denarius was referred to as a penny. The denarius is silver, about the size of a dime, and was the amount of a day's wages for a laborer or soldier.
The Greek tetradrachm, is a silver coin that is a little larger and thicker than an American quarter. The word tetradrachm simply means a piece of silver that weights four (tetra) drachms. In ancient Greece, a drachma was a unit of weight, in modern Greece the drachma is a monetary unit.
The silver tetradrachm coins were probably the type used to pay Judas, "Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders." Matthew 27:3.
Often these coins have the image of Alexander the Great on them. However, even though these coins have pagan symbols on them, they were the accepted money for paying taxes for support of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. The coin used for the annual temple tax was a Didrachm (two drachm piece) and is very similar in appearance to the tetradrachm but half the size.
Many of these silver coins, also known as Tyrian shekels, were minted just up the coast from Israel in a city called Tyre. Jesus says, "But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgement, than for you." Luke 10:12. This pagan city is often mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments and was noted as a trading center and for the quality and purity of silver coins manufactured there.
Blessings in your study of God's Word!

Marvin Hunt

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Marvin Hunt

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