Coins in the Bible serve as significant symbols and practical elements within the socio-economic context of biblical times. They are mentioned in various passages, reflecting their role in trade, taxation, and religious offerings. The use of coins in the Bible also provides insight into the historical and cultural backdrop of the biblical narrative.

Old Testament References

While the Old Testament does not frequently mention coins, it does refer to weights and measures of precious metals, such as shekels, which were used as a form of currency. The shekel, a unit of weight, was often used in transactions and offerings. For example, Genesis 23:16 describes Abraham purchasing the cave of Machpelah for 400 shekels of silver, indicating a form of currency exchange.

New Testament References

Coins are more prominently featured in the New Testament, reflecting the Greco-Roman influence on the region during the time of Jesus. The most notable references include:

1. The Tribute Coin: In Matthew 22:19-21, Jesus is asked whether it is lawful to pay taxes to Caesar. He responds by asking for a denarius and inquires about the image on the coin. When they answer "Caesar's," Jesus replies, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." This passage highlights the use of Roman currency and the broader theme of civic duty versus spiritual obligation.

2. The Widow's Mite: In Mark 12:41-44, Jesus observes a poor widow contributing two small copper coins, known as mites, to the temple treasury. He commends her for giving all she had, contrasting her offering with the larger contributions of the wealthy. This account underscores the value of sacrificial giving and the heart's intent over the monetary amount.

3. The Lost Coin: In Luke 15:8-10, Jesus tells the parable of a woman who loses one of her ten silver coins and diligently searches until she finds it. This parable illustrates the joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, using the coin as a metaphor for something precious and valued.

4. The Thirty Pieces of Silver: Judas Iscariot's betrayal of Jesus for thirty pieces of silver is a pivotal moment in the Passion narrative (Matthew 26:14-16). This act fulfills the prophecy found in Zechariah 11:12-13 and highlights themes of betrayal and the cost of sin.

Cultural and Historical Context

Coins in the biblical era were not only a medium of exchange but also a reflection of political power and authority. The images and inscriptions on coins often depicted rulers and deities, serving as a reminder of the governing powers. The use of Roman and Greek coins in Judea during the New Testament period illustrates the region's integration into the broader Roman Empire.

Symbolic Significance

Coins in the Bible often carry symbolic meanings beyond their economic value. They are used to teach lessons about stewardship, generosity, and the priorities of the heart. The accounts involving coins challenge believers to consider their relationship with material wealth and their responsibilities to God and others.

In summary, coins in the Bible are more than mere currency; they are tools for teaching spiritual truths and understanding the historical context of biblical events. Through their use in parables and narratives, coins reveal deeper insights into the values and teachings of Scripture.COINS

koinz: There were no coins in use in Palestine until after the Captivity. It is not quite certain whether gold and silver were before that time divided into pieces of a certain weight for use as money or not, but there can be no question of coinage proper until the Persian period. Darius I is credited with introducing a coinage system into his empire, and his were the first coins that came into use among the Jews, though it seems probable that coins were struck in Lydia in the time of Croesus, the contemporary of Cyrus the Great, and these coins were doubtless the model upon which Darius based his system, and they may have circulated to some extent in Babylonia before the return of the Jews. The only coins mentioned in the Old Testament are the Darics (see DARIC), and these only in the Revised Version (British and American), the word "dram" being used in the King James Version (Ezra 2:69; Ezra 8:27 Nehemiah 7:70-72). The Jews had no native coins until the time of the Maccabees, who struck coins after gaining their independence about 143-141 B.C. These kings struck silver and copper, or the latter, at least (see MONEY), in denominations of shekels and fractions of the shekel, until the dynasty was overthrown by the Romans. Other coins were certainly in circulation during the same period, especially those of Alexander and his successors the Ptolemies of Egypt and the Seleucids of Syria, both of whom bore sway over Palestine before the rise of the Maccabees. Besides these coins there were the issues of some of the Phoenician towns, which were allowed to strike coins by the Persians and the Seleucids. The coins of Tyre and Sidon, both silver and copper, must have circulated largely in Palestine on account of the intimate commercial relations between the Jews and Phoenicians (for examples, see under MONEY). After the advent of the Romans the local coinage was restricted chiefly to the series of copper coins, such as the mites mentioned in the New Testament, the silver denarii being struck mostly at Rome, but circulating wherever the Romans went. The coins of the Herods and the Procurators are abundant, but all of copper, since the Romans did not allow the Jewish rulers to strike either silver or gold coins. At the time of the first revolt (66-70 A.D.) the Jewish leader, Simon, struck shekels again, or, as some numismatists think, he was the first to do so. But this series was a brief one, lasting between 3 and 4 years only, as Jerusalem was taken by Titus in 70 A.D., and this put an end to the existence of the Jewish state. There was another short period of Jewish coinage during the second revolt, in the reign of Hadrian, when Simon Barcochba struck coins with Hebrew legends which indicate his independence of Roman rule. They were of both silver and copper, and constitute the last series of strictly Jewish coins (see MONEY). After this the coins struck in Judea were Roman, as Jerusalem was made a Roman colony.

H. Porter

1406. drachme -- as much as one can hold in the hand, a drachma (a ...
... drachma (a Gr. coin made of silver) NASB Word Usage coin (2), coins (1),
silver coins (1). piece of silver, drachma. From drassomai ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1406.htm - 6k

2773. kermatistes -- a moneychanger
... kermatistes Phonetic Spelling: (ker-mat-is-tace') Short Definition: a money-changer
Definition: properly: a changer of large into smaller coins, a money-changer ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2773.htm - 6k

1384. dokimos -- tested, approved
... 1383 (). 1384 () was used for the proving (testing) of coins, ie confirming
they were (not counterfeit, corrupted).]. Word Origin ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1384.htm - 7k

2644. katallasso -- to reconcile
... [2644 () was originally used for the exchange of coins; "properly, (especially
of money); hence, of persons, from enmity to friendship, " (). ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2644.htm - 8k

2772. kerma -- a slice, hence a small coin
... Word Origin from keiro Definition a slice, hence a small coin NASB Word Usage coins
(1). money. From keiro; a clipping (bit), ie (specially) a coin -- money. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2772.htm - 6k

3016. leptos -- peeled, fine, thin, small, light
... Word Origin from the same as lepis Definition peeled, fine, thin, small, light
NASB Word Usage cent (1), small copper coins (2). mite. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3016.htm - 6k

How Constantine is Represented on Coins in the Act of Ascending to ...
... Book IV. Chapter LXXIII."How Constantine is represented on Coins in the
Act of ascending to Heaven. A coinage was also struck ...
/.../the life of constantine/chapter lxxiii how constantine is represented.htm

Appendix iii. Rabbinic views as to the Lawfulness of Images ...
... APPENDIX III. RABBINIC VIEWS AS TO THE LAWFULNESS OF IMAGES, PICTORIAL
REPRESENTATIONS ON COINS, ETC. (See vol. ip89, note 3.) On ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/appendix iii rabbinic views as.htm

He Causes Himself to be Represented on his Coins, and in his ...
... Book IV. Chapter XV."He causes himself to be represented on his Coins, and
in his Portraits, in the Attitude of Prayer. How deeply ...
/.../pamphilius/the life of constantine/chapter xv he causes himself to.htm

Chronology.
... fit in better with an early period of the Captivity than with a later age, when
Simon Maccabeus is said to have had the title nsy' on his coins; and Mattathias ...
/.../daubney/the three additions to daniel a study/chronology.htm

Plus Ultra Vs. Ne Plus Ultra.
... Consequently the early coins of that country, in order to give prominence to this
idea, were indented with a picture of the pillars of Hercules, the two great ...
/.../iii plus ultra vs ne plus.htm

Exposition Continued: the King and the Servants.
... But he is about to make a reckoning with them in order that it may be manifested
how each has employed the tried money of the householder and his rational coins ...
/.../origens commentary on the gospel of matthew/7 exposition continued the king.htm

Introductory Notice to Memoirs of Edessa and Other Syriac ...
... say the least, is cast by the statement that Abgar Bar Manu, who reigned between
the years 160 and 170 ad, is the first king of Edessa on whose coins the usual ...
/.../unknown/the decretals/introductory notice to memoirs of.htm

As Regards Our Reverend Friend Epiphanius, this is Strange ...
... Thus runs the letter which your golden coins extracted from the chamber of our brother
Eusebius, so that you might calumniate the translator of it, and might ...
/.../23 as regards our reverend.htm

Knox in the War of the Congregation: the Regent Attacked: Her ...
... The gold worker, whose name is variously spelled in the French record, says that
the device for the coins which the Congregation meant to issue and ordered him ...
/.../lang/john knox and the reformation/chapter xii knox in the.htm

Fourth Five Years.
... [3029] In honor of this victory coins were struck (Eckhel, Doct. Num. ... Licinius would
not let the Sarmatian coins pass current and had them melted down (Anon. ...
/.../pamphilius/the life of constantine/section 6 fourth five years.htm

Coins (13 Occurrences)
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia COINS. koinz: There were no coins in use
in Palestine until after the Captivity. It is not quite ...
/c/coins.htm - 13k

Banking
... however, are found in operation in the Greek cities; "moneychangers," sitting at
their tables (trapezai) in the market place, both changed coins and took money ...
/b/banking.htm - 13k

Pamphylia (6 Occurrences)
... settled there, but the Greek language which was spoken in some of its cities soon
became corrupt; the Greek inscriptions, appearing upon the coins of that age ...
/p/pamphylia.htm - 12k

Coin (9 Occurrences)
... 4. (vt) To make of a definite fineness, and convert into coins, as a mass of metal;
to mint; to manufacture; as, to coin silver dollars; to coin a medal. ...
/c/coin.htm - 11k

Bank (28 Occurrences)
... however, are found in operation in the Greek cities; "moneychangers," sitting at
their tables (trapezai) in the market place, both changed coins and took money ...
/b/bank.htm - 26k

Copper (55 Occurrences)
... This is true also of coins as chalkos, in Matthew 10:9. Our modern English word
"copper" is derived from an old name pertaining to the island of Cyprus. ...
/c/copper.htm - 27k

Money (284 Occurrences)
... quarter-shekels. But these were not properly coins, which are pieces of
metal authoritatively issued, and bearing a stamp. Of the ...
/m/money.htm - 69k

Buying (12 Occurrences)
... The term rendered "darics of gold," 'adharkonim, stands for Persian coins, which
were similar to the Greek "darics." The Persians are said to have got the idea ...
/b/buying.htm - 23k

Derbe (4 Occurrences)
... It was one of those Lycaonian cities honored with the title "Claudian" by the emperor
Claudius; its coins bear the legend "Claudio-Derbe." This implied ...
/d/derbe.htm - 15k

Money-changers (5 Occurrences)
... Since the Jews, coming up to the feasts, would need to exchange the various coins
in common circulation for this Jewish piece, there were money-changers who ...
/m/money-changers.htm - 9k

Is Zechariah 11:12-13 a Messianic prophecy? | GotQuestions.org

What does Jesus want us to learn from what He said about the widow's mite? | GotQuestions.org

What is the meaning of the Parables of the Lost Sheep and Lost Coin? | GotQuestions.org

Coins: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus