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Bible Dictionaries
Money
People's Dictionary of the Bible
or Money. Genesis 17:12. This word occurs about 130 times in the A. V., and represents three Hebrew words: keseph or k'saph occurring most frequently (about 110 times) in historical books, only a few times in the poetical books, as Psalms 15:5; Proverbs 7:20; Lamentations 5:4. Two other Hebrew words, qesitah and qinyon, also appear early in the Old Testament, Genesis 33:19; Leviticus 22:11. Money also represents six Greek words in the New Testament: argurion, meaning "silver," Matthew 25:18; kerma, a small coin, John 2:15; nomisma, meaning possibly "legal coin," Matthew 22:19; chalkos, a copper coin, Mark 6:8; chrema, Acts 8:18, and stater, rendered "shekel"in the R. V., equal to 24 drachmas. Matthew 17:27. Coined money, as now in use among civilized nations, was unknown in the world until about six hundred years before Christ. The Assyrians, Babylonians, and Egyptians had no coins until about b.c. 300. David and Solomon never saw any coined money. The Jews had none until the time of the Maccabees, about b.c. 139. Before the periods named, gold and silver were used as money by weight; and are now so used in some eastern countries. The first mention of money is in the touching story of Abraham's buying a burial place for his wife. It is said, "Abraham weighed the silver, four hundred shekels, current with the merchant." (Jen. 23:4-16. It appears to have been then in general use. The study of ancient coined money is interesting, showing the rise of the arts and their fall during the dark ages of priestcraft, from the fourth to the fifteenth centuries; the coins of 400 years before Christ being superb, while those a thousand years after Christ are hardly discernible. The early coins show, not only the likenesses of kings and emperors, but also many of the most important events of their reigns. For the corns mentioned in the Bible, see Shekel, Penny, Farthing.
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Rice, Edwin Wilbur, DD. Entry for 'Money'. People's Dictionary of the Bible. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/rpd/m/money.html. 1893.
