Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ezekiel 45:12
And the shekel [shall be] twenty gerahs: twenty shekels, five and twenty shekels, fifteen shekels, shall be your mina.
12. Cf. Exo 30:13; Lev 27:25; Num 3:47; Num 18:16. The verse at present is without meaning. Read after LXX. (cod. Alex.): and the shekel shall be twenty gerahs; five (shekels) shall be five, and ten shekels ten, and fifty shekels shall be your maneh (mina). The text is grammatically suspicious, and the way in which “fifteen” is supposed to be expressed, viz. “ten and five” is without parallel. The statement that “five shekels shall be five,” &c., does not imply that there were five and ten shekel pieces, but means that just weighing of money shall prevail, and five go for five, no more and no less. The passage has been fully discussed by Bertheau ( Zur Gesch. der Israeliten, pp. 8 14), whose table of money weights may be given (p. 14):
Talent
1
Maneh
60
1
Shekel
3,000
50
1
Beka
6,000
100
2
1
Gera
60,000
1,000
20
10
1.
Cf. Exo 38:25; Lev 27:3; Lev 27:6; Jos 7:21; 1Ki 10:17; Ezr 2:69; Neh 7:71.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The shekel – See the marginal reference.
The maneh shall be of true weight, but it would seem that in Ezekiels time there were manehs of different value.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Having laid down the standard for weight and measure in less valuable things, and that are sold for money, now the standard is set down for the current coin which passed among them, and the valuation of which was part of the princes prerogative. The first mentioned in the text is the shekel, which, saith the text, contained
twenty gerahs; now every gerah was one penny halfpenny English value: the shekel then was two shillings and sixpence. The twenty shekels was two pounds ten shillings, the fifteen shekels was one pound seventeen shillings and sixpence, and twenty-five was three pounds two shillings and six pence.
Maneh: some say it is one pound, and that the pound was either least, middle, or greatest, according as there were more or fewer shekels in it; the least or common pound was but seventeen shillings and sixpence; the next, which was the royal, was fifty shillings; and the greatest, or pound of the sanctuary, was sixty-two shillings and six pence.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
12. The standard weights werelost when the Chaldeans destroyed the temple. The threefoldenumeration of shekels (twenty, twenty-five, fifteen) probably refersto coins of different value, representing respectively so manyshekels, the three collectively making up a maneh. By weighingthese together against the maneh, a test was afforded whetherthey severally had their proper weight: sixty shekels in all,containing one coin a fourth of the whole (fifteen shekels), anothera third (twenty shekels), another a third and a twelfth (twenty-fiveshekels) [MENOCHIUS]. TheSeptuagint reads, “fifty shekels shall be yourmaneh.“
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the shekel shall be twenty gerahs,…. This is a rule for money or coin; the shekel was a silver coin, and is generally reckoned about the value of two shillings and six pence of our money, so a gerah about three half pennies: Bishop Cumberland reckons the shekel more exactly at two shillings and four pence farthing, and a little more, and the gerah at eleven grains of silver; see Le 27:25:
twenty shekels, five and twenty shekels, fifteen shekels, shall be your maneh; these were several pieces of money; one was a twenty shekel piece, which according to the common account was fifty shillings of our money; another was a five and twenty shekel piece, which was three pounds, two shillings, and sixpence; and a third was a fifteen shekel piece, which was one pound thirteen and sixpence; and together made a maneh or pound, which consisted of sixty shekels, or seven pounds, ten shillings; by which the other pieces should be tried, whether they were of just weight: the sense of the whole is, that no adulteration of coin should be made, which is very prejudicial in civil affairs.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(12) The shekel.The first part of this verse is merely a re-statement of the old law (Exo. 30:13; Lev. 27:25; Num. 3:47) that the shekel should be of the value of twenty gerahs, or of the estimated weight of 220 grains; but the latter part of the verse is extremely obscure. The maneh is mentioned elsewhere only in 1Ki. 10:17; Ezr. 2:69; Neh. vii 71, and is translated in our version pound. Its actual value is unknown. If the text as it stands is correct, it is possible that in Ezekiels time three different manehs were in use, of the values respectively assigned to them; but of this there is no other evidence.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
12. The LXX. is to be preferred, “And the shekel shall be for you twenty gerah, five shekels a V; and ten shekels a X; and fifty shekels the maneh.” This was according to the old Hebrew usage. In later times, according to Professor Peters, there were sixty shekels in the maneh ( Journal of Biblical Literature, xii), but Kautzsch considers this to be the earlier usage, and thinks Ezekiel here changes from the old sexagesimal to the new decimal system. Coined money was certainly used elsewhere in this century (see Introduction to Daniel, III, 2, 3), and perhaps this marks the time of its introduction among the Hebrews. Dr. Davidson quotes from Bertheau the following table of values:
Talent 1 Maneh 60 1 Shekel 3,000 50 1 Beka 6,000 100 2 1 Gera 60,000 1,000 20 10 1
Toy calculates the Hebrew silver shekel to have been worth about fifty-five cents, though its purchasing power was at least ten times as great, and quotes Dr. G.A. Reisner’s opinion, that the ratio of gold and silver among the old Babylonians was not 1:13, or 1:16, but about 1:30. It has been proved from many examples of Babylonian weights, of Ezekiel’s day and earlier, digged up in recent years, that there were several systems in use the light maneh, for example, only weighing about half as much as the heavy maneh so there was great need of a corrected scale such as the above.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Eze 45:12 And the shekel [shall be] twenty gerahs: twenty shekels, five and twenty shekels, fifteen shekels, shall be your maneh.
Ver. 12. And the shekel shall be twenty gerahs ] Exo 30:13 Lev 27:25 Num 3:47 .
Fifteen shekels, shall be your maneh.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
And the shekel, &c. Reference to Pentateuch (Exo 30:13, Lev 27:25. Num 3:47). App-92.
shekel. See App-51.
gerahs. See App-51.
maneh. See App-51.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
the shekel: Exo 30:13, Lev 27:25, Num 3:47
twenty shekels: That is, 20+25+15=60; for the maneh as a weight was equal to sixty shekels, though as a coin it was only equal to fifty, weighing about 2 lb. 6 oz.; and reckoning the shekel at 2s 6d being in value 6 5s.
Reciprocal: Gen 23:15 – shekels Gen 23:16 – four Exo 30:24 – the shekel Num 18:16 – which is Rth 2:17 – ephah
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Eze 45:12. Mamelt Is a unit of indefinite capacity and was to be recognized according to the custom in force in any given community. A shekel was
to consist of 20 gerahs, but as to the number of shekels required to make up a maneh, whether 20, 25 or 15, the prevailing practice must be observed by the princes in their dealing with the people.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
45:12 And the shekel [shall be] twenty gerahs: twenty shekels, {d} five and twenty shekels, fifteen shekels, shall be your maneh.
(d) That is, sixty shekels make a weight called Mina, for he joins these three parts to a Mina.