{
  "id": "dict_000570",
  "term": "Bekah",
  "slug": "bekah",
  "letter": "B",
  "entry_type": "biblical_weight_and_measure",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "An ancient Hebrew unit of weight equal to half a shekel.",
  "simple_one_line": "A bekah was an ancient Hebrew weight equal to half a shekel.",
  "tooltip_text": "Ancient Hebrew weight: half a shekel.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Shekel",
    "Talent",
    "Weights and Measures",
    "Census Offering"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Exodus 30:11-16",
    "Exodus 38:26",
    "Half-shekel"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "A bekah was a small Hebrew unit of weight, equal to half a shekel, used in Old Testament references to the temple/tabernacle economy and census offering.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "A bekah was a biblical weight measure equal to half a shekel.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Hebrew weight unit",
    "Equal to half a shekel",
    "Appears in connection with the census offering and tabernacle service"
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "A bekah was an Old Testament unit of weight equal to half a shekel. Scripture mentions it in connection with the census offering and tabernacle support.",
  "description_academic_full": "A bekah was an ancient Hebrew unit of weight equal to half a shekel. In Exodus, the half-shekel census offering is described in terms that correspond to a bekah, and the term helps readers understand Israel’s system of weights and sacred giving. It is not a major theological doctrine, but it is useful historical and textual background for reading the Old Testament accurately.",
  "background_biblical_context": "The bekah appears in the context of the census offering and the tabernacle service. It helps explain the amount each counted Israelite male was to give as a contribution connected with the sanctuary.",
  "background_historical_context": "Like other ancient weights, the bekah belonged to the economic life of Israel and reflected a standard system of measurement used in trade, valuation, and religious contributions.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "Ancient Israel used fixed weights for commerce and offerings. A bekah represented a recognized fraction of a shekel and would have been understood within that broader measurement system.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Exodus 30:13",
    "Exodus 38:26"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "Compare Exodus 30:11-16 and the broader tabernacle-collection context in Exodus 38."
  ],
  "original_language_note": "Hebrew beqaʿ (בֶּקַע), meaning a half-unit or split portion; in context, half a shekel.",
  "theological_significance": "The bekah itself is not a doctrine, but it reflects ordered worship, proportionate giving, and the practical administration of Israel’s tabernacle life.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "As a measure, the bekah shows that biblical revelation is grounded in real history, material life, and concrete practice rather than abstract religious language alone.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Do not treat the bekah as a symbolic or mystical number. It is primarily a historical unit of weight, and its significance comes from context rather than hidden meaning.",
  "major_views_note": "There is broad agreement that the bekah was a half-shekel weight. The main discussion concerns ancient standards of measurement, not doctrinal interpretation.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "This entry should not be turned into a doctrine or allegory. Its meaning is historical and lexical, not theological in the strict sense.",
  "practical_significance": "The bekah helps Bible readers understand Old Testament offerings, weights, and the concrete cost of covenantal support for sacred service.",
  "meta_description": "Bekah: an ancient Hebrew weight equal to half a shekel, mentioned in the Old Testament census offering.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/bekah/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/bekah.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}