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.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver and in gold.
And to Sarah he said, Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. Behold, he is to you a covering of the eyes, to all that are with you, and with all this, you are reproved.
And Abraham listened to Ephron. And Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver which he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, which passes with the merchant.
And you shall make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards-- two sockets under one board for its two pins, and two sockets under another board for its two pins.
And you shall hang it upon four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold. Their hooks shall be of gold, upon the four sockets of silver.
three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, 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.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver and in gold.
My lord, listen to me. The land is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that between me and you? And bury your dead. And Abraham listened to Ephron. And Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver which he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, which passes with the merchant.
And you shall make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards-- two sockets under one board for its two pins, and two sockets under another board for its two pins.
All the pillars around the court shall be banded with silver; their hooks silver, and their sockets of bronze.
And his offering was one silver dish, and its weight a hundred and thirty shekels; one silver basin of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a food offering;
He offered for his offering one silver dish, and its weight a hundred thirty shekels according to the sanctuary shekel; one silver bowl of seventy shekels according to the sanctuary shekel, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil for a food offering;
Make two trumpets of silver for yourself. You shall make them of beaten work. And they shall be used for the calling of the assembly and for causing the camps to go forward.
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.)
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and men-servants and women-servants, and gave them to Abraham. And he restored him Sarah his wife. And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before you. Live where it pleases you. read more. And to Sarah he said, Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. Behold, he is to you a covering of the eyes, to all that are with you, and with all this, you are reproved.
And Abraham listened to Ephron. And Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver which he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, which passes with the merchant.
And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and clothing, 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 mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his grain silver. And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.
And you shall make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards-- two sockets under one board for its two pins, and two sockets under another board for its two pins.
And the twenty pillars of it, and their twenty sockets, shall be of bronze. The hooks of the pillars and their bands shall be of silver.
And the sockets for the pillars were of bronze. The hooks of the pillars and their bands were of silver. And the overlaying of their capitals was of silver. And all the pillars of the court were banded with silver.
Make two trumpets of silver for yourself. You shall make them of beaten work. And they shall be used for the calling of the assembly and for causing the camps to go forward.
And the sons of Israel took all the women of Midian captive, and their little ones, and the spoil of all their cattle, and all their flocks, and all their goods.
And we bring an offering for Jehovah, what every man has found, of jewels of gold, chains, and bracelets, rings, earrings, and tablets, to make an atonement for our souls before Jehovah. And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from them, all crafted things. read more. And all the gold of the offering that they offered up to Jehovah, of the commanders of thousands, and of the commanders of hundreds, was sixteen thousand, seven hundred and fifty shekels. For the men of war had taken spoil, every man for himself. And Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the tabernacle of the congregation, for a memorial for the sons of Israel before Jehovah.
And Gideon said to them, I would desire a favor of you, that each man of you would give me the earrings of his prey. (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.) And they answered, We will gladly give. And they spread a cloth, and each man threw the earrings of his prey in it. read more. And the weight of the golden earrings which he asked for was seventeen hundred of gold, besides ornaments, and pendants, and purple clothing that was on the kings of Midian, and besides the chains around their camels' necks.
and by weight for the lampstands of gold, and for their lamps of gold, with the weight of each lampstand and its lamps. And he gave for the lampstands of silver by weight, for the lampstand and for its lamps, according to the use of each lampstand; and by weight gold for the tables of the showbread, for every table; silver for the tables of silver; read more. and pure gold for the flesh-hooks, and the bowls, and the cups; and for the golden basins by weight for each basin, and by weight for each basin of silver;
besides that from the traders, and that the merchants brought. And all the kings of Arabia and governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon.
For the king's ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Hiram. Once every three years the ships of Tarshish came bringing gold and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
Surely there is a mine for the silver, and a place where they refine gold.
You shall also defile the covering of your graven images of silver, and the ornament of your molten images of gold. You shall cast them away like a menstruous cloth. You shall say to it, Get away.
The workman melts a graven image, and the goldsmith spreads it over with gold, and casts silver chains.
Silver beaten into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the workman, and of the hands of the goldsmith. Violet and purple is their clothing; they are all the work of skillful ones.
And now they sin more and more, and have made themselves a molten image of their silver, and idols according to their own understanding, all of it the work of the craftsmen. They say of them, Let the men who sacrifice kiss the calves.
Woe to him who says to the wood. Awake! To a dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach! Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and no breath is in its midst.
And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver. And He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may be offerers of a food offering in righteousness to Jehovah.
For a certain silversmith named Demetrius was making silver temples of Artemis, providing not a little trade for 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.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver and in gold.
And Abraham listened to Ephron. And Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver which he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, which passes with the merchant.
And Jehovah spoke to Moses saying, When you count the sons of Israel, of those who are to be counted, then they shall each man give a ransom for his soul to Jehovah when you number them, so that there may be no plague among them when you number them. read more. They shall give this, every one that passes among those who are counted, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary (a shekel is twenty gerahs); a half shekel shall be the offering of Jehovah. Everyone that passes among those who are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering to Jehovah. The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than half a shekel, when they give an offering to Jehovah to make an atonement for your souls. And you shall take the atonement silver of the sons of Israel, and shall appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, so that it may be a memorial to the sons of Israel before Jehovah, to make an atonement for your souls.
And he made forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards, two sockets under one board for its two pins, and two sockets under another board for its two pins. And for the other side of the tabernacle, toward the north, he made twenty boards, read more. and their forty sockets were of silver; two sockets under one board, and two sockets under another board. And he made six boards for the sides of the tabernacle westward. And he made two boards for the corners of the tabernacle in the sides. And they were coupled beneath, and coupled together at the head of it, to one ring. So he did to both of them in both the corners. And there were eight boards. And their sockets were sixteen sockets of silver, two sockets under every board. 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 westward sides. And he made the middle bar to shoot through the boards from the one end to the other. And he overlaid the boards with gold, and made their rings of gold to be places for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold. And he made a veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined bleached linen. He made it the work of an artisan, with cherubs. And he made for it four pillars of acacia. And he overlaid them with gold. Their hooks were of gold, and he cast four sockets of silver for them.
Their pillars were twenty, and their bronze sockets twenty. The hooks of the pillar and their bands were of silver. And for the north side, a hundred by the cubit, their pillars twenty, and their twenty sockets bronze. The hooks of the pillars and their bands were 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 were of silver. And for the east side eastward fifty cubits. The hangings of the one side were fifteen cubits, and their pillars three, and their sockets three. And for the other side of the court gate, on this hand and that hand, were hangings of fifteen cubits, their pillars three, and their sockets three. All the hangings of the court all around were of fine twined bleached linen. And the sockets for the pillars were of bronze. The hooks of the pillars and their bands were of silver. And the overlaying of their capitals was of silver. And all the pillars of the court were banded with silver.
And the silver from those numbered of the congregation was a hundred talents, and seventeen hundred seventy-five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; a bekah for every man, half a shekel, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for everyone that went to be numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred three thousand, five hundred fifty men. read more. And the sockets of the sanctuary were cast of the hundred talents of silver, and the sockets of the veil also, a hundred sockets of the hundred talents, a talent for a socket. And he made hooks for the pillars out of the seventeen hundred seventy-five shekels, and overlaid their capitals and joined 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 counted nothing in the days of Solomon.
And Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem and took away the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and the treasures of the king's house. He took all. And he carried away the shields of gold which Solomon had made.
Surely there is a mine for the silver, and a place where they refine gold.
The Words of Jehovah are pure Words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the refiner.
or ever the silver cord is not 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
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and clothing, and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious things to her brother and to her mother.
You shall not make with Me gods of silver, neither shall you make to you gods of gold.
besides that from the traders, and that the merchants brought. And all the kings of Arabia and governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon.
For the king's ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Hiram. Once every three years the ships of Tarshish came bringing gold and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
Reprobate silver they call them, because Jehovah has rejected them.
Silver beaten into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the workman, and of the hands of the goldsmith. Violet and purple is their clothing; they are all the work of skillful ones.
Tarshish was your merchant because of the multitude of your wealth; with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they gave for your wares.
And now they sin more and more, and have made themselves a molten image of their silver, and idols according to their own understanding, all of it the work of the craftsmen. They say of them, Let the men who sacrifice kiss the calves.
For a certain silversmith named Demetrius was making silver temples of Artemis, providing not a little trade for 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.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And there was also a son born to Seth, and he called his name Enos. Then men began to call upon the name of Jehovah.
And to Sarah he said, Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. Behold, he is to you a covering of the eyes, to all that are with you, and with all this, you are reproved.
And Sarah died in Kirjath-arba; the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan. And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.
My lord, listen to me. The land is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that between me and you? And bury your dead.
And fastening his eyes on him, Peter with John said, Look on us!
I have coveted no man's silver or gold or apparel.
but according to the Holy One who has called you, you also become holy in all conduct,