שֶׁ֫קֶל87 H8255
Shekel; a standard unit of weight (~11.4 g) used as the primary measure of value and currency
The sheqel is ancient Israel's fundamental unit of weight and monetary value. Derived from the root meaning 'to weigh,' it originally denoted a specific mass of silver or gold placed on a balance rather than a minted coin. It prices the compensation for a slave gored by an ox (Exod 21:32), measures the gold of the tabernacle (Exod 38:24), and sets sanctuary valuations (Lev 27). Amos condemns merchants who shrink the shekel to cheat customers (Amos 8:5). Cross-linguistic glosses — Spanish 'siclo,' French 'sicle,' German 'Schekel' — all transliterate rather than translate, recognizing the shekel as a culturally specific standard.
Senses
1. shekel (unit of weight/currency) — A standard unit of weight approximately 11.4 grams, serving as ancient Israel's principal measure of value for silver, gold, and bronze. It functions both as a weight placed on scales and as a monetary denomination in commercial and cultic transactions. From tabernacle inventories (Exod 38:24–29) to Amos's denunciation of dishonest traders (Amos 8:5), the shekel is Israel's baseline economic measure. The transliterated forms across languages — 'siclo,' 'sicle,' 'Schekel' — signal a culture-specific unit with no native equivalent. 88×
AR["شاقِلاً", "شَاقِلًا", "شَاقِلٍ", "شَاقِلَ", "شَاقِلِ", "شَواقِلَ", "شَوَاقِلَ"]·ben["শেকল", "শেকেল", "শেকেল;", "শেকেল।", "শেকেলে"]·DE["Schekel"]·EN["shekel", "shekels"]·FR["sicle", "sicles"]·heb["שקל", "שקלים"]·HI["शेकेल"]·ID["syikal"]·IT["shekels", "sicli", "siclo"]·jav["sekel", "sekel.", "syekel", "syikal", "syékel"]·KO["세겔", "세겔들로", "세겔을", "세겼"]·PT["sheqalim", "sheqel", "siclo", "siclos"]·RU["сиклей", "шекелей", "шекеля"]·ES["siclo", "siclos", "siclos-de"]·SW["shekeli"]·TR["şekel", "şekel-"]·urd["شیقل", "شیقلوں", "مثقال", "مشقال"]
Exod 21:32, Exod 38:24, Exod 38:25, Exod 38:29, Lev 5:15, Lev 27:3, Lev 27:4, Lev 27:5, Lev 27:5, Lev 27:6, Lev 27:6, Lev 27:7 (+38 more)
Related Senses
H8033 1. There (locative adverb) (835×)H7760a 1. put, place, set physically (444×)H8064 1. heavens / sky (329×)H5439 1. around, all around (spatial) (319×)H4057b 1. wilderness, desert region (270×)H3220 1. sea, body of water (269×)H0520a 1. cubit (unit of length) (246×)H0127 1. ground, land (territory) (210×)H3383 1. Jordan River (proper noun) (183×)G1093 1. earth, the world (176×)H5800a 1. forsake, abandon (Qal active) (166×)H8121 1. sun (celestial body) (133×)H7126 1. offer, present sacrificially (122×)H6828 1. north, cardinal direction (120×)H2351 1. outside, exterior space (119×)H5104 1. river, stream (119×)H7341 1. width, breadth (101×)G1563 1. there (95×)H7126 2. draw near, approach (95×)G2281 1. sea, large body of water (91×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
שֶׁ֫קֶל87 n.m. Lv 27:6 a weight, shekel (orig. = weight; late Heb. = coin GACooke Inscr.356);—abs. שׁ׳ Am 8:5 +, שָׁ֑קֶל Ex 38:29 +; pl. שְׁקָלִים Jos 7:21 +; cstr. שִׁקְלֵי 1 Ch 21:25;—shekel, as standard weight Am 8:5; of weight of bronze armour 1 S 17:5, iron spear-head v 7, + 2 S 21:16b (v. מִשְׁקָל), hair 2 S 14:26, food Ez 4:10; implying value, of wedge of gold Jos 7:21 (JE); of nails in…