Reference: Silver
American
One of the precious metals and the one most commonly used as coin among all nations. It is first mentioned in Scripture in the history of Abraham, Ge 13:2; 20:16; 23:16, and was used in constricting the tabernacle, Ex 26:19,32, and afterwards the temple, 1Ch 29:4. In employing it as a medium of trade, the ancient Hebrews weighed it out, instead of having coins. In the times of the New Testament there were coins. See SHEKEL, and MONEY.
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And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
And to Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver. Behold, it is for thee a covering of the eyes to all who are with thee. And in regard to all thou are righted.
And Abraham hearkened to Ephron. And Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver that he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current [money] with the merchant.
And thou shall make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards: two sockets under one board for its two tenons, and two sockets under another board for its two tenons.
And thou shall hang it upon four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, their hooks [shall be] of gold, upon four sockets of silver.
even three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, with which to overlay the walls of the houses,
Easton
used for a great variety of purposes, as may be judged from the frequent references to it in Scripture. It first appears in commerce in Ge 13:2; 23:15-16. It was largely employed for making vessels for the sanctuary in the wilderness (Ex 26:19; 27:17; Nu 7:13,19; 10:2). There is no record of its having been found in Syria or Palestine. It was brought in large quantities by foreign merchants from abroad, from Spain and India and other countries probably.
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And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
My lord, hearken to me. A piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that between me and thee? Therefore bury thy dead. And Abraham hearkened to Ephron. And Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver that he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current [money] with the merchant.
And thou shall make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards: two sockets under one board for its two tenons, and two sockets under another board for its two tenons.
All the pillars of the court round about shall be banded with silver, their hooks of silver, and their sockets of brass.
And his oblation was one silver platter, the weight of which was a hundred and thirty [shekels], one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal-off
He offered for his oblation one silver platter, the weight of which was a hundred and thirty [shekels], one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a m
Make thee two trumpets of silver, of beaten work thou shall make them. And thou shall use them for the calling of the congregation, and for the journeying of the camps.
Fausets
Hebrew keceph, Greek arguros. The only one of the four metals, gold, silver, brass, and iron, not mentioned until after the deluge. Abraham paid Ephron for the cave of Machpelah "400 shekels of silver, current money with the merchant" (Ge 23:16). By this time it had become a recognized standard of value and medium of exchange. It probably was not coined, but bars of silver were probably formed in conventional shapes and marked with some sign to note their weight. The thousand ("pieces" is not in the Hebrew) of silver given by Abimelech to Abraham probably indicate the value of the "sheep and oxen," etc., which he gave (Ge 20:14-16). (See MONEY.) Silver was brought to Solomon in lavish abundance from Arabia and Tarshish (in plates like the Cingalese sacred writing tablets). 2Ch 9:14,21; 1Ki 10:21-27. Idols were generally wood inside, plated over with silver (Jer 10:9; Isa 30:22; 40:19; Ho 13:2; Hab 2:19).
It was used for women's ornaments, Ge 24:53; cups, Ge 44:2; sockets and chapiters of the pillars of the tabernacle, Ex 26:19; 27:10; 38:17; the two trumpets, Nu 10:2; the temple candlesticks, etc., 1Ch 28:15-17; the model shrines of Diana, Ac 19:24. There being mines ("vein") of silver and "dust of gold" is accurately noted in Job 28:1 (See METALS.) The Lord, with perfect wisdom and love, leaves His people in affliction till, their dross being purified, He sees them reflecting His holy image; just as a "refiner of silver" sits watching the melting silver until he sees his own image reflected, when he knows the silver has been long enough in the furnace and withdraws it (Mal 3:3). (See MINES; LEAD.) Captain Burton's discovery of silver and gold and other metals in great abundance in the land of Midian, as well as the remains of ancient mine workings, remarkably confirms the Scripture account of Midian's wealth in the metals (Nu 31:9,22,50-54; Jg 8:24-26). A forger would never have ascribed this kind of wealth to a nomadic people. (See MIDIAN; PARAN.)
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And Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and men-servants and women-servants, and gave them to Abraham, and restored to him Sarah his wife. And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee. Dwell where it pleases thee. read more. And to Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver. Behold, it is for thee a covering of the eyes to all who are with thee. And in regard to all thou are righted.
And Abraham hearkened to Ephron. And Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver that he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current [money] with the merchant.
And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother.
And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, and his grain money. And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.
And thou shall make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards: two sockets under one board for its two tenons, and two sockets under another board for its two tenons.
And the pillars of it shall be twenty, and their sockets twenty, of brass. The hooks of the pillars and their bands [shall be] of silver.
And the sockets for the pillars were of brass, the hooks of the pillars, and their bands, of silver, and the overlaying of their capitals, of silver. And all the pillars of the court were banded with silver.
Make thee two trumpets of silver, of beaten work thou shall make them. And thou shall use them for the calling of the congregation, and for the journeying of the camps.
And the sons of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their little ones. And all their cattle, and all their flocks, and all their goods, they took for a prey.
And we have brought LORD's oblation, what every man has gotten, of jewels of gold, ankle-chains, and bracelets, signet-rings, earrings, and armlets, to make atonement for our souls before LORD. And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from them, even all wrought jewels. read more. And all the gold of the heave-offering that they offered up to LORD, of the captains of thousands, and of the captains of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels. ([For] the men of war had taken booty, every man for himself.) And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the tent of meeting, for a memorial for the sons of Israel before LORD.
And Gideon said to them, I would make a request of you, that ye would give me every man the earrings of his spoil. (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.) And they answered, We will willingly give them. And they spread a garment, and cast in it every man the earrings of his spoil. read more. And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred [shekels] of gold, besides the crescents, and the pendants, and the purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and besides the chains tha
by weight also for the candlesticks of gold, and for the lamps of it, of gold, by weight for every candlestick and for the lamps of it, and for the candlesticks of silver, [silver] by weight for [every] candlestick and for the lamp and the gold by weight for the tables of showbread, for every table, and silver for the tables of silver, read more. and the flesh-hooks, and the basins, and the cups, of pure gold, and for the golden bowls by weight for every bowl, and for the silver bowls by weight for every bowl,
besides that which the traders and merchants brought. And all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon.
For the king had ships that went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram. Once every three years the ships of Tarshish came, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place for gold which they refine.
And ye shall defile the overlaying of thy graven images of silver, and the plating of thy molten images of gold. Thou shall cast them away as an unclean thing. Thou shall say to it, Get thee away.
The image, a workman has cast [it], and the goldsmith overlays it with gold, and casts [for it] silver chains.
There is silver beaten into plates, which is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the artificer and of the hands of the goldsmith, blue and purple for their clothing. They are all the work of skilful men.
And now they sin more and more, and have made themselves molten images of their silver, even idols according to their own understanding, all of them the work of the craftsmen. They say of them, Let the men who sacrifice kiss the ca
Woe to him who says to the wood, Awake, to the dumb stone, Arise! Shall this teach? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it.
And he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver. And he will purify the sons of Levi, and refine them as gold and silver. And they shall offer to LORD offerings in righteousness.
For a certain silversmith named Demetrius who makes silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little work to the craftsmen,
Hastings
Morish
This was a source of wealth from early days. Abraham was rich in silver, Ge 13:2; but with Solomon gold was so plentiful that silver was 'nothing accounted of.' 1Ki 10:21. The silver and gold which he had amassed were, alas, afterwards carried away to enrich their enemies because of the sins of Israel. 2Ch 12:9. Silver was also the common specie of commerce, 'pieces of silver' being weighed long before money was coined. Ge 23:16. Silver was used for the sockets, hooks, etc., in the tabernacle, the money paid for the redemption of the Israelites being applied to this purpose. Ex 30:11-16; 38:25-28. The house of God is founded on redemption. Ex 36:24-36; 38:10-17.
Silver is found in the earth (Job 28:1), and before it can be compared to 'the words of the Lord' it must be purified seven times. Ps 12:6; Pr 25:4.
THE SILVER CORD in Ec 12:6 seems to refer to 'the thread of life,' which is loosed, or removed, when death ensues.
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And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
And Abraham hearkened to Ephron. And Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver that he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current [money] with the merchant.
And LORD spoke to Moses, saying, When thou take the sum of the sons of Israel, according to those who are numbered of them, then they shall give every man a ransom for his soul to LORD when thou number them, that there be no plague among them when thou number them read more. This they shall give, everyone who passes over to those who are numbered: half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary, (the shekel is twenty gerahs,) half a shekel for an offering to LORD. Everyone who passes over to those who are numbered, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the offering of LORD. The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when they give the offering of LORD, to make atonement for your souls. And thou shall take the atonement money from the sons of Israel, and shall appoint it for the service of the tent of meeting, that it may be a memorial for the sons of Israel before LORD, to make atonement for your souls.
And he made forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards, two sockets under one board for its two tenons, and two sockets under another board for its two tenons. And for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, he made twenty boards, read more. and their forty sockets of silver, two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board. And for the hinder part of the tabernacle westward he made six boards. And he made two boards for the corners of the tabernacle in the hinder part. And they were double beneath, and in like manner they were entire to the top of it to one ring. Thus he did to both of them in the two corners. And there were eight boards, and their sockets of silver, sixteen sockets, under every board two sockets. And he made bars of acacia wood, five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the tabernacle for the hinder part westward. And he made the middle bar to pass through in the midst of the boards from the one end to the other. And he overlaid the boards with gold. And made their rings of gold for places for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold. And he made the veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. He made it with cherubim, the work of the skilful workman. And he made for it four pillars of acacia, and overlaid them with gold. Their hooks were of gold, and he cast for them four sockets of silver.
their pillars were twenty, and their sockets twenty, of brass. The hooks of the pillars and their bands were of silver. And for the north side a hundred cubits, their pillars twenty, and their sockets twenty, of brass, the hooks of the pillars, and their bands, of silver. read more. And for the west side were hangings of fifty cubits, their pillars ten, and their sockets ten, the hooks of the pillars, and their bands, of silver. And for the east side eastward fifty cubits. The hangings for the one side [of the gate] were fifteen cubits, their pillars three, and their sockets three, and so for the other side. On this hand and that hand by the gate of the court were hangings of fifteen cubits, their pillars three, and their sockets three. All the hangings of the court round about were of fine twined linen. And the sockets for the pillars were of brass, the hooks of the pillars, and their bands, of silver, and the overlaying of their capitals, of silver. And all the pillars of the court were banded with silver.
And the silver from those who were numbered of the congregation was a hundred talents, and a thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, a beka a head, [that is], half a shekel, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for everyone who passed over to those who were numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred and three thousand and five hundred and fifty me read more. And the hundred talents of silver were for casting the sockets of the sanctuary, and the sockets of the veil, a hundred sockets for the hundred talents, a talent for a socket. And of the thousand seven hundred seventy-five [shekels] he made hooks for the pillars, and overlaid their capitals, and made bands for them.
And all king Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. None were of silver; it was accounted of nothing in the days of Solomon.
So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took away the treasures of the house of LORD, and the treasures of the king's house; he took all away. He also took away the shields of gold which Solomon had made.
Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place for gold which they refine.
The words of LORD are pure words, as silver tried in a furnace on the earth, purified seven times.
Take away the dross from the silver, and there comes forth a vessel for the refiner.
before the silver cord is loosed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern,
Smith
Silver.
In very early times silver was used for ornaments,
and for vessels of various kinds. Images for idolatrous worship were made of silver or overlaid with it,
; Habb 2:19 Bar. 6:39, and the manufacture of silver shrines for Diana was a trade in Ephesus.
But its chief use was as a medium of exchange, and throughout the Old Testament we find "silver" used for money, like the French argent. Silver was brought to Solomon from Arabia,
and from Tarshish,
which supplied the markets of Tyre.
From Tarshish it came int he form of plates,
like those on which the sacred books of the Singhalese are written to this day. Spain appears to have been the chief source whence silver was obtained by the ancients. Possibly the hills of Palestine may have afforded some supply of this metal. Silvers mixed with alloy is referred to in
and a finer kind, either purer in itself or more thoroughly purified, is mentioned in
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And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother.
Ye shall not make [other gods] with me; gods of silver, or gods of gold, ye shall not make to you.
besides that which the traders and merchants brought. And all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon.
For the king had ships that went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram. Once every three years the ships of Tarshish came, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
Waste silver, men shall call them, because LORD has rejected them.
There is silver beaten into plates, which is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the artificer and of the hands of the goldsmith, blue and purple for their clothing. They are all the work of skilful men.
Tarshish was thy merchant because of the multitude of all kinds of riches, with silver, iron, tin, and lead. They traded for thy wares.
And now they sin more and more, and have made themselves molten images of their silver, even idols according to their own understanding, all of them the work of the craftsmen. They say of them, Let the men who sacrifice kiss the ca
For a certain silversmith named Demetrius who makes silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little work to the craftsmen,
Watsons
SILVER, ????, Ge 20:16; ????????, 1Pe 1:15; Ac 3:4; 20:33; a well known metal, of a white shining colour; next in value to gold. It does not appear to have been in use before the deluge; at least Moses says nothing of it; he speaks only of the metals brass and iron, Ge 4:26. But in Abraham's time it was become common, and traffic was carried on with it, Ge 23:2,15. Yet it was not then coined, but was only in bars or ingots; and in commerce was always weighed.
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And to Seth, to him also there was born a son, and he called his name Enosh. Then men began to call upon the name of LORD.
And to Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver. Behold, it is for thee a covering of the eyes to all who are with thee. And in regard to all thou are righted.
And Sarah died in Kiriath-arba (the same is Hebron), in the land of Canaan. And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.
My lord, hearken to me. A piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver, what is that between me and thee? Therefore bury thy dead.
And Peter, having gazed intently at him, with John, said, Look at us.
I coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel.
but according to the Holy Man, he who called you, ye yourselves also become holy in all conduct,