Ezra 8:26

26 I weighed out into their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and silver vessels worth a hundred talents, and a hundred talents 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 Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests: Sherebi'ah, Hashabi'ah, and ten of their kinsmen with them.

25 And I weighed out to them the silver and the gold and the vessels, the offering for the house of our God which the king and his counselors and his lords and all Israel there present had offered;

26 I weighed out into their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and silver vessels worth a hundred talents, and a hundred talents of gold,

27 twenty bowls of gold worth a thousand darics, and two vessels of fine bright bronze as precious as gold.

28 And I said to them, "You are holy to the LORD, and the vessels are holy; and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering to the LORD, the God of your fathers.