Ezra 8:26

26 I weighed the treasure as I gave it to them and found the totals to be as follows: 24 tons of silver, 7,500 pounds of silver articles, 7,500 pounds of gold,

Ezra 8:26 Meaning and Commentary

Ezra 8:26

I even weighed unto their hand six hundred fifty talents of
silver
Which, according to Scheuchzer ^F1 amount to 975,000 imperials, and, of our money, 2,229,450 pounds sterling: and silver vessels one hundred talents; which came to 35,300 pounds, or 50,000 imperials; according to Jarchi, there were one hundred vessels, and every vessel weighed a talent, and so Aben Ezra, which, with Brerewood {b}, was three hundred and seventy five pounds:

and of gold one hundred talents;
which, according to Scheuchzer ^F3, were equal to 1,222,000 ducats of gold; the value of gold now is above 14 and a 3d to the value of silver, by which may be judged the difference between one hundred talents of gold and one hundred talents of silver; according to David de Pomis ^F4, there were two sorts of talents; common talents, which weighed sixty pounds, and the talent of the sanctuary, which weighed double to that.

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FOOTNOTES:

F1 Physica Sacra, vol. 4. p. 651.
F2 De Pond. & Pret. Vet. Num. c. 4.
F3 Ut supra. (Physica Sacra, vol. 4. p. 651.)
F4 Tzemach David, fol. 57. 3.

Ezra 8:26 In-Context

24 I appointed twelve leaders of the priests—Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten other priests—

25 to be in charge of transporting the silver, the gold, the gold bowls, and the other items that the king, his council, his officials, and all the people of Israel had presented for the Temple of God.

26 I weighed the treasure as I gave it to them and found the totals to be as follows: 24 tons of silver, 7,500 pounds of silver articles, 7,500 pounds of gold,

27 20 gold bowls, equal in value to 1,000 gold coins, 2 fine articles of polished bronze, as precious as gold.

28 And I said to these priests, “You and these treasures have been set apart as holy to the LORD . This silver and gold is a voluntary offering to the LORD, the God of our ancestors.

Footnotes

• [a]. Hebrew 650 talents [22 metric tons].
• [b]. Hebrew 100 talents [3,400 kilograms]; also in 8:26c .