גֵּרָה

גֵּרָה

a gerah or small weight (and coin)

Definition

A gerah (גֵּרָה) was the smallest unit of weight and currency in ancient Israel's monetary system. It functioned as a precise weight for measuring silver, particularly in religious contexts like the temple tax (Exodus 30:13) and the redemption of vows (Leviticus 27:25). The term also denotes a specific coin or weight value, with twenty gerahs equaling one shekel, as standardized in the Mosaic law (Ezekiel 45:12). In every biblical instance, it is used to quantify silver for sacred payments or assessments.

Biblical Usage

The word is used exclusively in priestly and legal contexts within the Pentateuch and Ezekiel, always specifying the weight of silver. It appears in laws concerning the half-shekel temple tax (Exodus 30:13), the valuation of persons vowed to the Lord (Leviticus 27:25, Numbers 18:16), and the redemption price for firstborn Israelites (Numbers 3:47). The prophet Ezekiel later reaffirms this standard weight in his vision of a restored temple system (Ezekiel 45:12).

Etymology

Derived from the root גָּרַר (gārar, H1641), meaning 'to drag' or 'to scrape.' This suggests the original concept was a small, round particle or kernel, like a scraped-off grain, which naturally lent itself to describing a tiny, standardized weight. The related noun גַּרְגַּר (gargar, H1620) means 'berry' or 'kernel,' reinforcing this imagery of a small, granular unit.

Semantic Range

The gerah underscores the biblical principles of precise obedience, equity, and universal participation in worship. Its fixed value (1/20th of a shekel) provided an objective standard for sacred payments, ensuring fairness and preventing arbitrary assessments before God. In the temple tax (Exodus 30:13-15), its use taught that every individual, regardless of wealth, had an equal stake in the community's atonement. Understanding this small unit highlights God's attention to detail in His law and the importance of every person's contribution to His work. In the ancient Near East, precious metals were weighed rather than minted into coins with fixed values until later periods. The gerah was part of a weight system where the shekel was the primary unit. Its extreme smallness made it useful for precise valuations in commerce and religious dues. For modern readers, it's crucial to understand that a 'gerah' was not initially a coin but a weight, though the term later came to represent a coin of that equivalent value. shekel (sheqel, H8255) — The primary weight unit, equal to 20 gerahs. bekaʿ (beqaʿ, H1235) — A half-shekel weight, equal to 10 gerahs, used for the temple tax (Exodus 38:26).

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