Keraia
Ezra 2

Ezra 2:69

Offerings by the Exiles · Ezra 2:68–70
Read Ezra 2

Translations

Modern
According to their ability, they gave to the treasury for this work 61,000 darics of gold, 5,000 minas of silver, and 100 priestly garments.
Traditional
They gave after their ability unto the treasure of the work threescore and one thousand drams of gold, and five thousand pound of silver, and one hundred priests’ garments.
Literal
According to their ability, they gave to the treasure of the work six myriads and a thousand darics of gold, and five thousand minas of silver, and a hundred priestly garments.
Latin
Secundum vires suas dederunt impensas operis, auri solidos sexaginta millia et mille, argenti mnas quinque millia, et vestes sacerdotales centum.

Original

Hebrew
English
According to their ability, they gave to the treasury for this work 61,000 darics of gold, 5,000 minas of silver, and 100 priestly garments.

Notes

Ezra 2:69

  • Each gold coin, known as a Hebrew daric, was worth a month's wages for a professional soldier.

  • 5,000 minas of silver: Each mina weighed 20 ounces and equaled 60 shekels of silver. Each shekel was worth an average worker's monthly wages.

Ezra 2:68–69

When the tabernacle was built (Exodus 25:2–7; 35:4–9) and the temple was renovated (2 Kings 12:1–21), the people gave voluntary offerings to support the work. These funds added to the provincial grant by Darius (Ezra 6:8) and gifts from Israelites who remained in Babylon (1:6). Each person gave according to his resources.

Ezra 2:1–70

This chapter is Ezra's first major digression from the main story. The returning exiles needed to identify true Jews to maintain their community identity and theological purity. This helped them know whom they could marry and who could worship at the temple. This list is not the initial list of all Jews who returned to Jerusalem (compare Nehemiah 7:6–73). Instead, it is a slightly later list, created after Sheshbazzar died, of people who had settled in their towns.

Theme notes and profiles

Esther Zerubbabel

Measurements

  • 61,000 darics of gold: About 1,129.7 lb (512.4 kg)
  • 5,000 minas of silver: About 3.14 t (2.85 mt)

Parallels

Exodus 38:21–31 Nehemiah 7:70–73

Glossary

Book of Ezra Census Coins Dram First Book of Esdras Genealogy Postexilic Period Pound Singer Temple

Topics

Dram: A Persian Coin of Differently-Estimated Value Liberality: Jews After the Captivity Maneh: Rendered Pound Pound: The Hebrew Word |Maneh| is Translated |Pound| Priests: Garments of Often Provided by the People Temple: The Second: Restored by Zerubbabel