{
  "id": "dict_005235",
  "term": "Shekel",
  "slug": "shekel",
  "letter": "S",
  "entry_type": "biblical_measure",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "A shekel was an ancient unit of weight that also functioned as a standard measure of silver and later as a coin. In the Bible it appears in payments, valuations, offerings, and other transactions.",
  "simple_one_line": "An ancient biblical weight and monetary unit, often used for silver.",
  "tooltip_text": "Ancient weight unit and money value used in biblical commerce and worship.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Gerah",
    "Mina",
    "Talent",
    "Weights and measures",
    "Silver",
    "Currency"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Honest scales",
    "Temple tax",
    "Redemption",
    "Offerings"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "The shekel was an ancient unit of weight that became a standard monetary measure, especially for silver, in the biblical world.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "An ancient Near Eastern weight standard used in Scripture for pricing, compensation, assessments, and sanctuary offerings, later also functioning as a coin in later periods.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "It began as a measure of weight",
    "it commonly refers to silver value in the Old Testament",
    "its exact modern equivalent varied by period and standard",
    "it is important for understanding biblical payments, valuations, and temple-related transactions."
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "A shekel in Scripture is primarily a unit of weight, especially for silver, and by extension a monetary measure used in trade, fines, and offerings. The exact value could vary by period and setting, and some texts mention a sanctuary or royal standard. The term is important for understanding biblical references to prices, payments, and assessed values.",
  "description_academic_full": "The shekel in the Bible refers first to a standard unit of weight and, in many contexts, to a corresponding monetary value, usually involving silver. It appears in ordinary commerce, legal payments, temple-related giving, and the valuation of persons or property. Because weights and monetary practices could differ across times and regions, interpreters should be cautious about assigning a fixed modern equivalent; the main point in most passages is the recognized standard of measured value. Scripture uses the shekel in concrete historical settings, helping readers understand the economic, legal, and religious life of Israel and the surrounding world.",
  "background_biblical_context": "Biblical references to shekels occur in contexts such as the purchase of land, bride-price or compensation, census money, redemption offerings, and valuations under the law. The term helps explain how Israel quantified value in daily life and in covenant worship.",
  "background_historical_context": "In the ancient Near East, weights served as the basis for commerce long before coined money became common. Over time, the shekel developed from a weight standard into a monetary term and, in later periods, a coin name. Exact equivalences varied by era and by the standard being used.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "The Old Testament sometimes refers to a sanctuary standard, showing that sacred and civic transactions could be measured by an officially recognized weight. Later Jewish usage continued to treat the shekel as an important measure of value and, in some periods, as a coin in circulation.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Genesis 23:15-16",
    "Exodus 30:13",
    "Leviticus 27:3-7",
    "2 Samuel 14:26",
    "Ezekiel 45:12"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "Genesis 37:28",
    "1 Samuel 17:25",
    "2 Samuel 24:24",
    "Jeremiah 32:9-10"
  ],
  "original_language_note": "Hebrew šeqel, from a root meaning \"to weigh\"; the term could denote both a unit of weight and, by extension, a monetary amount.",
  "theological_significance": "The shekel highlights God's concern for honest weights, fair dealing, covenant obedience, and orderly worship. It also illuminates valuation language in the law, including offerings and redemption payments.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "The shekel illustrates how value in Scripture is often concrete rather than abstract: measured weight stood behind financial exchange. This reminds readers that biblical ethics regularly address ordinary economic life, not only overtly spiritual matters.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Do not assume a single fixed modern-dollar equivalent. The shekel varied by period and standard, and many passages care more about proportional value than exact conversion. The term should be read in its historical and literary context.",
  "major_views_note": "Scholars generally agree that the shekel began as a unit of weight and later functioned as money or a coin name. Debate concerns exact historical weight and how particular standards shifted over time, not the basic meaning of the term.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "This is not a doctrinal term, but it supports biblical teaching on honesty, stewardship, restitution, and reverent giving. It should not be pressed into speculative symbolism.",
  "practical_significance": "The shekel helps readers understand prices, penalties, and offerings in Scripture. It also reinforces the biblical concern for truthful measures and integrity in ordinary transactions.",
  "meta_description": "Shekel: an ancient biblical unit of weight and silver value used in payments, offerings, and valuations.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/shekel/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/shekel.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}