This noun refers to a Greek coin worth two drachmas, equivalent to the Jewish half-shekel. In the New Testament it appears exclusively in Matthew 17:24, where temple tax collectors ask Peter whether Jesus pays the 'two-drachma' tax. The question is asked twice in the same verse, giving us both occurrences. This tax was the annual temple contribution required of Jewish males based on Exodus 30:13. The terminology reflects the multilingual reality of first-century Judea, where Greek coinage terms were used for Jewish religious obligations. The resulting miracle story (Jesus directing Peter to find the tax money in a fish's mouth) addresses both the obligation and Jesus' unique relationship to the temple.