Reference: Piece of silver
Smith
Piece of silver.
I. In the Old Testament the word "pieces" is used in the Authorized Version for a word understood in the Hebrew (if we except)
The phrase is always "a thousand," or the like, "of silver."
Ge 20:16; 37:28; 45:28; Jg 9:4; 16:5; 2Ki 6:25; Ho 3:2; Zec 11:12-13
In similar passages the word "shekels" occurs in the Hebrew. There are other passages in which the Authorized Version supplies the word "shekels" instead of "pieces,"
De 22:19,29; Jg 17:2-3,4,10; 2Sa 18:11-12
and of these the first two require this to be done. The shekel, be it remembered, was the common weight for money, and therefore most likely to be understood in an elliptical phrase. The "piece" or shekel of silver weighed 220 grains, or about half an ounce, and was worth a little more than half a dollar (55 cents). II. In the New Testament two words are rendered by the phrase "piece of silver:"
1. Drachma,
Lu 15:8-9
which was a Greek silver coin, equivalent, at the time of St. Luke, to the Roman denarias (15 or 16 cents).
2. Silver occurs only in the account of the betrayal of our Lord for "thirty pieces of silver."
It is difficult to ascertain what coins are here intended. If the most common silver pieces be meant, they would be denarii. The parallel passage in Zachariah,
must, however, be taken into consideration where shekels (worth about 55 cents) must be understood. It is more probable that the thirty pieces of silver were tetradrachms than that they were denarii (80 cents).
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And unto Sara he said, "See, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver, behold this thing shall be a covering to thine eyes unto all that are with thee and unto all men and an excuse."
Then as the Midianites merchant men passed by, they drew Joseph out of the pit and sold him unto the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they brought him into Egypt.
And Israel said, "I have enough, if Joseph my son be yet alive: I will go and see him, yer that I die."
and merce him in a hundred sicles of silver and give them unto the father of the damsel, because he hath brought up an evil name upon a maid in Israel. And she shall be his wife, and he may not put her away all his days.
Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel's father fifty sicles of silver. And she shall be his wife, because he hath humbled her, and he may not put her away all his days.
And they gave him seventy pieces of silver out of the house of Baalberith, with which Abimelech hired vain and light persons which went with him.
- unto whom came the lords of the Philistines, and said unto her, "Flatter with him, and see wherein his great strength lieth, and by what means we may have power over him, that we may bind him, to bring him under, and we will give every man eleven hundred silverlings."
which said unto his mother, "The eleven hundred silverlings that were taken from thee, about which thou cursedst and saidst in mine ears: Behold, the silver is with me for I took it away." Then said his mother, "Blessed be thou my son, in the LORD." And so he restored the eleven hundred silverlings to his mother again. And his mother said, "I vowed the silver unto the LORD of mine hand for my son: to make a graven image and an image of metal. Now therefore I give it thee again." read more. And he restored the money again unto his mother. Then his mother took two hundred silverlings and put them to a goldsmith, to make thereof a graven image and a image of metal, which remained in the house of Micah.
And Micah said unto him, "Dwell with me, and be unto me a father and a priest. And I will give thee ten silverlings by year and raiment of all sorts, and thy meat and drink."
Reprove the beasts among the reeds, the heap of bulls with the calves, those that drive for money. O scatter thou the people that delight in war.
So I gat her for fifteen silverlings, and for a homer and a half of barley,
And I said unto them, "If ye think it good, bring hither my price: if no, then leave." So they weighed down thirty silver pens, the value that I was prized at.
And I said unto them, "If ye think it good, bring hither my price: if no, then leave." So they weighed down thirty silver pens, the value that I was prized at. And the LORD said unto me, "Cast it unto the potter" - a goodly price for me to be valued at of them. And I took the thirty silver pens, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.
And the LORD said unto me, "Cast it unto the potter" - a goodly price for me to be valued at of them. And I took the thirty silver pens, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.
And behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elijah talking with him.
While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud shadowed them. And behold, there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, "This is my dear son, in whom I delight; hear him." And when the disciples heard that, they fell on their faces, and were sore afraid.
And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, "See that ye tell the vision to no man, till the son of man be risen again from death."
and said, "What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you?" And they appointed unto him thirty pieces of silver.
Either, what woman having ten groats, if she lose one, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently, till she find it? And when she hath found it she calleth her lovers, and her neighbours saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the groat which I had lost.'