H1871 H1871
Daric or drachma; a gold coin used in post-exilic temple donations and rebuilding contributions.
A Persian-era gold coin mentioned exclusively in post-exilic contexts of temple fundraising. The term appears in Ezra 2:69 and Nehemiah 7:70–72 in tallies of generous donations for rebuilding the Jerusalem temple. Whether it refers precisely to the Persian daric (a gold coin bearing the image of a kneeling archer) or the Greek drachma remains debated, though the post-exilic setting favors the daric. English splits between 'darics' and 'drachmas,' while Spanish uses 'dracmas,' reflecting this longstanding numismatic uncertainty.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Daric or drachma — a gold coin of the Persian period, mentioned in the context of voluntary contributions for the rebuilt Jerusalem temple. In Ezra 2:69, returning exiles donate 61,000 darics of gold; Neh 7:70–72 records similar contributions. The prosthet. aleph form אֲדַרְכּוֹן appears alongside דַּרְכְּמוֹן, both likely loan-words from Persian or Greek. English translations vary between 'darics' (favoring a Persian gold coin) and 'drachmas' (favoring the Greek silver coin), while Spanish 'dracmas' leans Greek. The post-exilic Persian administrative context makes the gold daric the more probable referent. 4×
AR["دَرَاهِمَ", "دَرْكَموناتٍ"]·ben["দর্কমোন", "দারিক"]·DE["[דרכמונים]", "[דרכמנים]"]·EN["darics", "drachmas"]·FR["[דרכמונים]", "[דרכמנים]"]·heb["דרכמון"]·HI["दारिक", "द्रक्मे"]·ID["drachma", "dua-puluh-ribu-drakma", "seribu-drakma"]·IT["[דרכמונים]", "[דרכמנים]"]·jav["drakma"]·KO["다리크", "드라크마들"]·PT["dracmas"]·RU["драхм", "драхмами"]·ES["dracmas"]·SW["darikoni", "drakma"]·TR["darikler", "drahmi"]·urd["درم", "درہم"]
Related Senses
H4325 1. water, waters (582×)H6965b 1. Qal: to rise, arise, get up (432×)H2091 1. gold (the metal) (389×)H0068 1. stone, rock (material/object) (267×)H5178a 1. bronze/copper as metal (131×)H6083 1. dust, dry earth, soil (108×)H8313 1. burn, set fire to (94×)H2734 1. anger was kindled (82×)G5204 1. water (80×)H2822 1. darkness, absence of light (80×)G5457 1. light (illumination) (71×)G0450 1. rise, stand up (physical) (69×)H6965b 2. Qal: to stand firm, endure, be valid (50×)H6999a 2. burn sacrifice on altar (Hifil) (45×)H5553 1. rock, cliff (physical feature) (43×)H6965b 4. Hifil: to establish, confirm (covenant/kingdom/word) (40×)H1197a 1. burn, be on fire (39×)H4306 1. rain, showers (38×)H1653 1. rain, precipitation (34×)G4655 1. darkness (30×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [דַּרְכְּמוֹן, אֲדַרְכּוֹן (א prosthet.)] n.[m.