Original Word: שֶׁקֶל
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: sheqel
Pronunciation: SHEH-kel
Phonetic Spelling: (sheh'-kel)
KJV: shekel
NASB: shekels, shekel
Word Origin: [from H8254 (שָׁקַל - weighed)]

1. probably a weight
2. used as a commercial standard

shekel

From shaqal; probably a weight; used as a commercial standard -- shekel.

see HEBREW shaqal

Word Origin
from shaqal
Definition
(a measure of weight) shekel
NASB Translation
shekel (42), shekels (46).

שֶׁ֫קֶל₈₇ noun masculine^{Leviticus 27:6} a weight, shekel (originally = weight; late Hebrew = coin GACooke^{Inscr. 356}); — absolute ׳שׁ Amos 8:5 +, שָׁ֑קֶל Exodus 38:29 +; plural שְׁקָלִים Joshua 7:21 +; construct שִׁקְלֵי 1 Chronicles 21:25; — shekel, as standard weight Amos 8:5; of weight of bronze armour 1 Samuel 17:5, iron spear-head 1 Samuel 17:7, +2 Samuel 21:16b (see מִשְׁקָל), hair 2 Samuel 14:26, food Ezekiel 4:10; implying value, of wedge of gold Joshua 7:21 (JE); of nails in temple (gold) 2 Chronicles 3:9; usually a definite weight of silver (used in payment. or valuation) Exodus 21:32 (E), Joshua 7:21 (JE), 1 Samuel 9:8; 2 Samuel 24:24; 2 Kings 7:1 (twice in verse); 2 Kings 7:16 (twice in verse); 2 Kings 7:18 (twice in verse); 2 Kings 15:20; Jeremiah 32:9; Ezekiel 45:12 (twice in verse) (see infra), and ( = coin, from time of Darius I) Nehemiah 5:15; Nehemiah 10:33; Leviticus 5:15; Leviticus 27:3,4,5 (twice in verse) (all P), +53 t. P; also ׳מַחֲצִית הַשּׁ Exodus 30:13 (twice in verse); Exodus 30:15; Exodus 38:26 (= בֶּקַל), all half-shekel, atonement-money; compare ׳שְׁלִישִׁית הַשּׁ Nehemiah 10:33 one-third; also ׳רֶבַע שׁ 1 Samuel 9:8 one-fourth if shekel; ׳שׁ = 20 גֵּרָה (׳ג otherwise unknown) Ezekiel 45:12; Exodus 30:13; Leviticus 27:25; Numbers 3:47; 50׳שׁ = one maneh Ezekiel 45:12 (read וַחֲמִשִּׁים for וחמשׁה [and עֶשְׂרֵה for עֲשָׂרָה preceding], ᵐ5^A Boeckh Hi-Sm Co Toy Da Krae Berthol); הַקֹּדֶשׁ ׳שׁ Exodus 30:13,24; Leviticus 5:15; Numbers 3:47,50; Numbers 7:13 21t. P; land estimated in ׳שׁ of gold 1 Chronicles 21:25; ׳שׂ also often omitted after number — ׳שׁ was of two standards, one one-half the other; actual weights (and values) varied, but most persistent were: (1) gold, 252 3-Febgrams Troy (or 126 1/3), modern equivalent approximately £2 1S., or $10; (2) silver, 224 2-Jangrams (nearly 1/2 ounce) = הַקֹּדֶשׁ ׳שׁ (see above), or 112 1/4, modern equivalent approximately 2s. 9d., or 67 with; בְּאֶבֶן הַמֶּלֶךְ ׳שׁ 2 Samuel 14:26 is dubious; if late (Bu HPS Löhr Now) it probably reference to a Babylonian or Persian scale (compare S-C^pap באבני מלכא often); 60 (or 50) ׳שׁ = 1 mina, 60 minas= 1 talent(see מָנֶה ,כִּכָּר). See especially ARSK^{Hast. DB WEIGHTS AND MEASURES,and MONEY}.

תְּקֵל noun [masculine] shekel (see Biblical Hebrew שֶׁקֶל; ᵑ7 תִּקְלָא); — absolute ׳ת Daniel 5:25,27; see מְנֵא and references

Introduction

The Hebrew word שֶׁקֶל (sheqel, Strong 8255) denotes a “weight” that became the standard monetary unit in ancient Israel. It appears about eighty-eight times in the Old Testament, spanning narrative, legal, poetic, and prophetic literature. While its lexical definition centers on a weight of twenty gerahs, the biblical record consistently portrays the shekel as far more than a unit of commerce; it is woven into Israel’s worship, covenant life, and prophetic hope.

Standard Weight and Monetary Unit

1. Sanctuary Standard: Torah legislation repeatedly speaks of “the shekel of the sanctuary,” indicating a fixed, divinely sanctioned weight (Exodus 30:13; Leviticus 27:25; Numbers 3:47). Ezekiel later reaffirms the standard—“twenty gerahs equal a shekel” (Ezekiel 45:12).
2. Medium of Exchange: Long before coined money, silver or gold was weighed out in shekels (Genesis 23:16; 24:22; Joshua 7:21). As coinage developed in the Persian period, the term was retained for minted currency (Nehemiah 10:32–33).
3. Economic Benchmark: Market prices were expressed in shekels, from field purchases (2 Samuel 24:24) to commodities (2 Kings 7:1) and royal taxation (2 Kings 15:20). Accurate weights safeguarded justice (cf. Leviticus 19:35–36; Proverbs 11:1).

Shekel in the Tabernacle and Temple Service

• Construction Offerings: The wilderness census brought “half a shekel” per male for the tabernacle (Exodus 30:13–16; 38:24–28).
• Tribal Gifts: Each tribal leader presented “one silver dish weighing one hundred thirty shekels” and “one silver bowl of seventy shekels” (Numbers 7:13, 19, etc.).
• Valuation Laws: Persons, animals, and property vowed to the Lord were assigned shekel values (Leviticus 27:1–25), underscoring that all of life could be dedicated to God in measurable terms.

Shekel as Atonement and Redemption

• Census Ransom: “The atonement money…half a shekel” signified every Israelite life belonging to the Lord (Exodus 30:15–16).
• Redemption of Firstborn: Five shekels redeemed firstborn sons (Numbers 3:47; 18:16), foreshadowing the ultimate redemption price paid by Christ (1 Peter 1:18–19).
• Guilt Compensation: Specific trespasses required restitution plus a fifth, calculated in shekels (Leviticus 5:15–16).

Narrative Illustrations

• Patriarchal Era: Abraham purchases the cave of Machpelah for “four hundred shekels of silver” (Genesis 23:16), establishing a legal foothold in the land of promise.
• Joseph’s Sale: “They sold Joseph…for twenty shekels of silver” (Genesis 37:28), a tragic transaction that God later overruled for salvation (Genesis 50:20).
• Achan’s Concealed Spoils: Two hundred shekels of silver lay hidden beneath his tent (Joshua 7:21), revealing how covetousness hinders covenant blessing.
• Delilah’s Bribe: Each Philistine lord offers Delilah “eleven hundred shekels of silver” (Judges 16:5), a stark picture of betrayal for money later echoed in Judas’s thirty pieces of silver.
• Absalom’s Vanity: The annual weight of his hair—“two hundred shekels by the king’s standard” (2 Samuel 14:26)—symbolizes dangerous pride.
• David’s Altar: Refusing to offer “burnt offerings…that cost me nothing,” the king pays “fifty shekels of silver” for the threshing floor (2 Samuel 24:24), modeling sacrificial worship.

Prophetic and Eschatological Usage

Ezekiel 45–46 employs the shekel in the envisioned future temple economy, prescribing offerings and marketplace fairness. The prophet thereby links restored worship to restored economic righteousness, anticipating the Messianic age when holiness will pervade every sphere.

Theology and Ministry Implications

1. Ownership and Stewardship: The half-shekel ransom teaches that every believer belongs to God and owes Him worshipful service.
2. Redemption Typology: Fixed redemption prices point to the sufficiency of Christ’s atoning work—He paid the full “weight” of sin’s debt.
3. Integrity in Commerce: Just shekels call modern disciples to honesty in financial dealings, reflecting God’s character (Proverbs 16:11).
4. Generous Giving: From tabernacle construction to Nehemiah’s temple tax, the shekel underscores collective responsibility for God’s house.

Archaeological and Historical Insights

• Weight Stones: Numerous inscribed shekel weights from Iron-Age strata corroborate the biblical standard.
• Shekel Coins: Persian-period Yehud coins bear paleo-Hebrew inscriptions and imagery (e.g., lily, falcon), attesting to post-exilic monetary use referenced in Nehemiah 10:32.
• Tyrian Shekel: By New Testament times the temple tax was paid with the high-silver Tyrian shekel, providing historical context for the coins exchanged in Matthew 17:24–27.

Typological Foreshadowing of Christ

The shekel’s role in ransom, valuation, and covenant worship prepares the reader for the true ransom “not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18-19). Every shekel weighed out in Scripture whispers of the immeasurable worth of the Redeemer who fulfills the law’s demands and inaugurates a kingdom where righteousness and generosity reign forever.

בְּשֶֽׁקֶל־ בְּשֶׁ֔קֶל בְּשֶׁ֖קֶל בְּשֶׁ֗קֶל בְּשֶׁ֣קֶל בְּשֶׁ֤קֶל בְּשֶׁ֥קֶל בשקל בשקל־ הַשֶּׁ֔קֶל הַשֶּׁ֖קֶל הַשָּֽׁקֶל׃ הַשָּׁ֑קֶל השקל השקל׃ וְהַשֶּׁ֖קֶל והשקל לִשְׁקָלִ֖ים לשקלים שְׁקָלִ֑ים שְׁקָלִ֖ים שְׁקָלִ֗ים שְׁקָלִ֛ים שְׁקָלִ֜ים שְׁקָלִ֣ים שְׁקָלִ֥ים שְׁקָלִֽים׃ שְׁקָלִים֙ שִׁקְלֵ֣י שֶֽׁקֶל־ שֶׁ֔קֶל שֶׁ֖קֶל שֶׁ֣קֶל שֶׁ֥קֶל שָֽׁקֶל׃ שָׁ֑קֶל שקל שקל־ שקל׃ שקלי שקלים שקלים׃ bə·še·qel bə·še·qel- bəšeqel bəšeqel- beShekel haš·šā·qel haš·še·qel hashShakel hashShekel haššāqel haššeqel liš·qā·lîm lishkaLim lišqālîm šā·qel šāqel šə·qā·lîm še·qel še·qel- šəqālîm šeqel šeqel- Shakel shekaLim shekel shikLei šiq·lê šiqlê vehashShekel wə·haš·še·qel wəhaššeqelInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts