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 (