Everyday life
Money in the Bible
41 passages of the Berean Standard Bible, line by line, from Nave’s Topical Bible.
Silver weighed out
- Abraham weighs out 400 shekels of silver for the cave of MachpelahGen 23:15–16
The verses
Gen 23:15–16“Listen to me, my lord. The land is worth four hundred shekels of silver, but what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.” Abraham agreed to Ephron’s terms and weighed out for him the price he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, according to the standard of the merchants.
- Jacob buys a plot at Shechem for a hundred pieces of silverGen 33:19
The verses
Gen 33:19And the plot of ground where he pitched his tent, he purchased from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of silver.
- Joseph is sold for twenty shekels of silverGen 37:28
The verses
Gen 37:28So when the Midianite traders passed by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.
- The brothers find their silver back in their sacksGen 42:25, Gen 42:35, Gen 43:21
The verses
Gen 42:25Then Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to return each man’s silver to his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. This order was carried out,
Gen 42:35As they began emptying their sacks, there in each man’s sack was his bag of silver! And when they and their father saw the bags of silver, they were dismayed.
Gen 43:21But when we came to the place we lodged for the night, we opened our sacks and, behold, each of us found his silver in the mouth of his sack! It was the full amount of our silver, and we have brought it back with us.
- Joseph collects all the money of Egypt and Canaan for grainGen 47:14–16
The verses
Gen 47:14–16Joseph collected all the money to be found in the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan in exchange for the grain they were buying, and he brought it into Pharaoh’s palace. When the money from the lands of Egypt and Canaan was gone, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? For our funds have run out!” “Then bring me your livestock,” said Joseph. “Since the money is gone, I will sell you food in exchange for your livestock.”
- Each Philistine lord offers Delilah silver for the secret of his strengthJudg 16:5
The verses
Judg 16:5The lords of the Philistines went to her and said, “Entice him and find out the source of his great strength and how we can overpower him to tie him up and subdue him. Then each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver.”
- Micah returns 1,100 shekels he took from his motherJudg 17:2–4
The verses
Judg 17:2–4said to his mother, “The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you and about which I heard you utter a curse—I have the silver here with me; I took it.” Then his mother said, “Blessed be my son by the LORD!” And when he had returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, she said, “I wholly dedicate the silver to the LORD for my son’s benefit, to make a graven image and a molten idol. Therefore I will now return it to you.” So he returned the silver to his mother, and she took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to a silversmith, who made them into a graven image and a molten idol. And they were placed in the house of Micah.
- Ahab offers Naboth silver for his vineyard1 Kgs 21:2
The verses
1 Kgs 21:2So Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard to use as a vegetable garden, since it is next to my palace. I will give you a better vineyard in its place—or if you prefer, I will give you its value in silver.”
- Naaman ties two talents of silver in two bags for Gehazi2 Kgs 5:23
The verses
2 Kgs 5:23But Naaman insisted, “Please, take two talents.” And he urged Gehazi to accept them. Then he tied up two talents of silver in two bags along with two sets of clothing and gave them to two of his servants, who carried them ahead of Gehazi.
- A chest with a hole in its lid collects temple money2 Kgs 12:9–11
The verses
2 Kgs 12:9–11Then Jehoiada the priest took a chest, bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar on the right side as one enters the house of the LORD. There the priests who guarded the threshold put all the money brought into the house of the LORD. Whenever they saw that there was a large amount of money in the chest, the royal scribe and the high priest would go up, count the money brought into the house of the LORD, and tie it up in bags. Then they would put the counted money into the hands of those who supervised the work on the house of the LORD, who in turn would pay those doing the work—the carpenters, builders,
- Menahem takes fifty shekels from each wealthy man for Assyria2 Kgs 15:20
The verses
2 Kgs 15:20Menahem exacted this money from each of the wealthy men of Israel—fifty shekels of silver from each man—to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria withdrew and did not remain in the land.
- David pays Ornan 600 shekels of gold for the site1 Chr 21:25
The verses
1 Chr 21:25So David paid Ornan six hundred shekels of gold for the site.
- Jeremiah weighs out seventeen shekels and signs a sealed deedJer 32:9–10
The verses
Jer 32:9–10So I bought the field in Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel, and I weighed out seventeen shekels of silver. I signed and sealed the deed, called in witnesses, and weighed out the silver on the scales.
- Merchants shrink the ephah and enlarge the shekelAmos 8:5
The verses
Amos 8:5asking, “When will the New Moon be over, that we may sell grain? When will the Sabbath end, that we may market wheat? Let us reduce the ephah and increase the shekel; let us cheat with dishonest scales.
- Thirty pieces of silver weighed out as wagesZech 11:12–13
The verses
Zech 11:12–13Then I told them, “If it seems right to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.” So they weighed out my wages, thirty pieces of silver. And the LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—this magnificent price at which they valued me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the LORD.
In the Law
- An ox that gores a servant: thirty shekels of silverExod 21:32
The verses
Exod 21:32If the ox gores a manservant or maidservant, the owner must pay thirty shekels of silver to the master of that servant, and the ox must be stoned.
- Everyone counted pays a half shekelExod 30:13–16
The verses
Exod 30:13–16Everyone who crosses over to those counted must pay a half shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs. This half shekel is an offering to the LORD. Everyone twenty years of age or older who crosses over must give this offering to the LORD. In making the offering to the LORD to atone for your lives, the rich shall not give more than a half shekel, nor shall the poor give less. Take the atonement money from the Israelites and use it for the service of the Tent of Meeting. It will serve as a memorial for the Israelites before the LORD to make atonement for your lives.”
- No lending silver at interest to a poor countrymanLev 25:37
The verses
Lev 25:37You must not lend him your silver at interest or sell him your food for profit.
- A tithe exchanged for money and spent at the feastDeut 14:25–26
The verses
Deut 14:25–26then exchange it for money, take the money in your hand, and go to the place the LORD your God will choose. Then you may spend the money on anything you desire: cattle, sheep, wine, strong drink, or anything you wish. You are to feast there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice with your household.
In the Gospels and Acts
- A denarius for a day’s work in the vineyardMatt 20:2
The verses
Matt 20:2He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
- The coin for the tax bears Caesar’s imageMatt 22:19–21
The verses
Matt 22:19–21Show Me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought Him a denarius. “Whose image is this,” He asked, “and whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they answered. So Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
- A coin in a fish’s mouthMatt 17:27
The verses
Matt 17:27“But so that we may not offend them, go to the sea, cast a hook, and take the first fish you catch. When you open its mouth, you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for My tax and yours.”
- A servant buries his master’s money in the groundMatt 25:18, Matt 25:27, Luke 19:23
The verses
Matt 25:18But the servant who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money.
Matt 25:27Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received it back with interest.
Luke 19:23Why then did you not deposit my money in the bank, and upon my return I could have collected it with interest?’
- A woman sweeps the house for one of ten silver coinsLuke 15:8–9
The verses
Luke 15:8–9Or what woman who has ten silver coins and loses one of them does not light a lamp, sweep her house, and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls together her friends and neighbors to say, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost coin.’
- Jesus overturns the tables of the money changersMatt 21:12, John 2:14–15
The verses
Matt 21:12Then Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those selling doves.
John 2:14–15In the temple courts He found men selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and money changers seated at their tables. So He made a whip out of cords and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle. He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.
- The disciples are sent with no money in their beltsMatt 10:9, Mark 6:8
- A poor widow’s two small copper coinsMark 12:41–42
The verses
Mark 12:41–42As Jesus was sitting opposite the treasury, He watched the crowd putting money into it. And many rich people put in large amounts. Then one poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amounted to a small fraction of a denarius.
- Judas returns the thirty pieces of silver; a field is boughtMatt 27:3–7
The verses
Matt 27:3–7When Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was filled with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders. “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood,” he said. “What is that to us?” they replied. “You bear the responsibility.” So Judas threw the silver into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself. The chief priests picked up the pieces of silver and said, “It is unlawful to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.” After conferring together, they used the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners.
- The soldiers are given a large sum of moneyMatt 28:12
The verses
Matt 28:12And after the chief priests had met with the elders and formed a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money
- Peter: “Silver or gold I do not have”Acts 3:6
The verses
Acts 3:6But Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!”
- Simon the sorcerer offers the apostles moneyActs 8:18–20
The verses
Acts 8:18–20When Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money. “Give me this power as well,” he said, “so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” But Peter replied, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!
Sayings
- “Money is the answer for everything”Eccl 10:19
The verses
Eccl 10:19A feast is prepared for laughter, and wine makes life merry, but money is the answer for everything.
- He who loves money is never satisfied by moneyEccl 5:10
The verses
Eccl 5:10He who loves money is never satisfied by money, and he who loves wealth is never satisfied by income. This too is futile.
- Wisdom, like money, is a shelterEccl 7:12
The verses
Eccl 7:12For wisdom, like money, is a shelter, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of its owner.
- The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil1 Tim 6:10
The verses
1 Tim 6:10For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
Sources
From Nave’s Topical Bible (Orville J. Nave, 1896; public domain): subjects chosen, lines shortened and put into modern words, lines of interpretation left out; each verse checked.
Berean Standard Bible · Public domain