Nehemiah 7:71

71 And of the princes of families, they gave into the treasure of the work, twenty thousand drachmas of gold/twenty thousand drams of gold, and two thousand and two hundred bezants of silver. (And the leaders of the families, they gave to the treasury for the work, twenty thousand drachmas of gold, and two thousand and two hundred bezants of silver.)

Nehemiah 7:71 Meaning and Commentary

Nehemiah 7:71

And some of the chief of the fathers gave to the treasure of
the work
To be put into the treasure, out of which the expenses of the temple, and service of it were defrayed:

twenty thousand drachms of gold;
which were so many pounds of our money, and somewhat more: for, according to Bishop Cumberland ^F6, a drachm of gold was of the value of twenty shillings and four pence: and 2200 pounds of silver; "the maneh", or pound, with the Jews, was of the value of sixty shekels, ( Ezekiel 45:12 ) and so is reckoned by our Brerewood ^F7 to be of our money seven pounds and ten shillings; he reckoning a shekel at half a crown, whereas it was little more than two shillings and four pence; and so sixty of them, or a "maneh", came to about seven pounds; wherefore this sum here was seven times so many pounds of silver.

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FOOTNOTES:

F6 Scripture Weights and Measures, ch. 4. p. 115.
F7 De Ponder & Pret. Vet. Num. c. 4.

Nehemiah 7:71 In-Context

69 the camels of them, four hundred and five and thirty; the asses of them, six thousand eight hundred and thirty. (their camels, four hundred and thirty-five; and their donkeys, six thousand seven hundred and twenty.)

70 Soothly some of the princes of the families gave costs into the work of God; (the) Tirshatha gave into the treasure, a thousand drachmas of gold/a thousand drams of gold, fifty vials, or basins, (and) five hundred and thirty coats of priests. (And some of the leaders of the families contributed to the costs, or the expenses, of the work of God; the governor gave to the treasury a thousand drachmas of gold, fifty basins, and five hundred and thirty priests? coats.)

71 And of the princes of families, they gave into the treasure of the work, twenty thousand drachmas of gold/twenty thousand drams of gold, and two thousand and two hundred bezants of silver. (And the leaders of the families, they gave to the treasury for the work, twenty thousand drachmas of gold, and two thousand and two hundred bezants of silver.)

72 And that that the residue people gave, twenty thousand drachmas of gold/twenty thousand drams of gold, and two thousand bezants of silver, and seven and sixty coats of priests. (And the rest of the people gave twenty thousand drachmas of gold, and two thousand bezants of silver, and sixty-seven priests? coats.)

73 Soothly [the] priests, and deacons, and porters, and singers, and the residue people, and Nethinims, and all Israel dwelled in their cities. And (when) the seventh month was come under Ezra and Nehemiah, soothly the sons of Israel were in their cities. (And so the priests, and the Levites, and the guards, or the doorkeepers, and the singers, and the rest of the people, and the Temple workers, yea, all Israel, lived in their own cities and towns. And when the seventh month had come under Ezra and Nehemiah, all the Israelites were in their cities.)