Coins
Before Coinage: Weighed Metal
For most of Old Testament history, there were no coins in circulation. Commerce was conducted using weighed quantities of gold, silver, and other metals. Abraham purchased the cave of Machpelah by weighing out four hundred shekels of silver (Genesis 23:16). The shekel was a unit of weight, not a coin. Merchants and traders carried scales and standardized weights to facilitate transactions. This system is reflected throughout the patriarchal narratives and the law codes (Exodus 30:13; Leviticus 27:25).
The Introduction of Coinage
Coinage was invented in the kingdom of Lydia (modern Turkey) around the 7th century BC and was adopted by the Persian Empire under Darius I. The first coins mentioned in the Old Testament are the darics, Persian gold coins that appear in connection with the rebuilding of the temple after the exile (Ezra 2:69; 8:27; Nehemiah 7:70-72). These coins bear the image of the Persian king and were widely circulated throughout the empire.
The Jews did not produce their own coins until the Hasmonean period, around 143-141 BC, when the Maccabean rulers gained enough independence to mint bronze and possibly silver coins bearing Hebrew inscriptions. These coins typically featured symbols such as palm branches, cornucopias, and pomegranates rather than human images, in keeping with the commandment against graven images.
Coins in the Time of Jesus
By the first century AD, several types of coins circulated in Palestine. The most common were:
The Roman denarius was a silver coin that represented a day's wage for a laborer (Matthew 20:2). It bore the image and inscription of the reigning emperor, which made it central to Jesus' famous response about paying taxes: "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's" (Matthew 22:19-21; Mark 12:15-17).
The widow's mite, mentioned in Mark 12:42 and Luke 21:2, was one of the smallest bronze coins in circulation. Jesus praised the poor widow who contributed two of these tiny coins to the temple treasury, declaring that she had given more than all the wealthy donors because she gave out of her poverty.
The temple tax of half a shekel (Matthew 17:24-27) was required annually of every Jewish male for the upkeep of the temple. This tax had to be paid in Tyrian silver shekels, which were considered the purest silver available. The need to exchange common currency for Tyrian shekels gave rise to the money changers in the temple courts, whom Jesus drove out for turning His Father's house into a marketplace (Matthew 21:12-13; John 2:14-16).
Coins in Jesus' Parables
Jesus frequently used coins in His teaching. The parable of the lost coin features a woman searching her house for one lost silver coin, likely a Greek drachma, until she finds it (Luke 15:8-10). The parable illustrates God's determined search for every lost person. The parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) involves large sums of money entrusted to servants, teaching about faithful stewardship of what God has given.
The thirty pieces of silver paid to Judas for betraying Jesus (Matthew 26:15; 27:3-10) fulfilled Zechariah's prophecy about the price of a rejected shepherd (Zechariah 11:12-13). These coins were likely Tyrian silver shekels or staters.
Jewish Revolt Coinage
During the first Jewish revolt against Rome (AD 66-70), Jewish leaders struck their own silver shekels and bronze coins bearing Hebrew legends and symbols of national independence, such as the temple facade, a lulav (palm branch), and an etrog (citron). These coins represented a bold assertion of sovereignty. A similar series was produced during the Bar Kokhba revolt (AD 132-135), often struck over existing Roman coins. These were the last coins minted by an independent Jewish authority in ancient times.
Biblical Context
Coins appear in post-exilic texts referencing Persian darics (Ezra 2:69; Nehemiah 7:70-72). In the New Testament, the Roman denarius features in the tribute question (Matthew 22:19-21), the widow's mite appears in Mark 12:42, the temple tax in Matthew 17:24-27, and the thirty pieces of silver in Matthew 26:15. Jesus uses coins in parables including the lost coin (Luke 15:8-10) and the talents (Matthew 25:14-30).
Theological Significance
Coins in the Bible serve as more than economic artifacts. They raise questions about ultimate loyalty (Caesar's image versus God's image), teach about stewardship and sacrifice (the widow's mite, the parable of the talents), and mark some of the most significant moments in salvation history (the thirty pieces of silver). Jesus' use of coins in His teaching made abstract spiritual truths concrete and accessible, connecting everyday commerce to eternal realities.
Historical Background
Coinage was invented in Lydia around the 7th century BC and spread through the Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. Archaeological finds of coins in Palestine include Persian darics, Hellenistic coins from the Ptolemaic and Seleucid kingdoms, Hasmonean bronze coins, Herodian issues, Roman denarii, and revolt-era shekels. The Tyrian shekel, valued for its high silver content, was the required currency for the temple tax. Thousands of ancient coins have been recovered from excavations throughout Israel, providing concrete evidence for the biblical narratives.