Their silver Coyns.
גרה Gerah. It was the twentieth part of the shekel of the Sanctuary; A shekel is twenty Gerahs, Exod. 30. 13. It was the least silver coyn among the Hebrews; it valued of ours 1 d. ob.
אגורת Agorath: We English it in general, a piece of silver, 1 Sa. 2. 36. But it appeareth by the Chaldee paraphrase, that it is of the same value with Gerah; that paraphrase renders both מעא Megna; by the Greek they are both rendred ὄβολος the value therof therfore is 1 d. ob.
קשיטה Keshitah. The word signifieth a lamb, and is used for a certain coyn among the Hebrews, on the one side whereof the Image of a lamb was stamped; our English reads it in general, a piece of mony. Jacob bought a parcel of a field for an hundred pieces of mony, Gen. 33. 19. In the original it is, for an hundred lambs. But it is apparent, that Jacob paid mony; for S. Stephen saith, he bought it for mony, Act. 7. 16. In the judgment of the Rabbines,[784] it was the same that Obolus, twenty of them went to a shekel;[785] so that the value thereof was 1 d. ob.
[784] R. Solom. Gen. 33. 19. It. R. David. in lib. radic. It. Levi ben Gers. Gen. 33. 19.
[785] Drus. ad diffic. loca, Gen. p. 119.
כסף Ceseph, ἀργύριον Argenteus, a piece of silver: as the Romans numbred their sums by Sesterces, insomuch that Nummus is oftentimes put absolutly to signifie the same as Sestertius: So the Hebrews counted their sums by shekels, and the Grecians by Drachmæ: Hence Argenteus, a piece of silver, being put absolutely in the Bible, if mention in that place be of the Hebrew coyns, it standeth for a shekel, and valueth 2 s. 6 d. if it stand for the shekel of the sanctuary: if it stand for a common shekel, then it valueth 1 s. 3 d. But if mention be of the Greek coyns, as Acts 19. 19. then it signifieth the Attick Drachma, which valueth of our money 1 d. ob.
Δραχμὴ, Luk. 15. 8. It was a quarter of a shekel,[786] and thus by consequence it valued of ours 7 d. ob.
[786] Breerwood de nummis.
Δίδραχμον, Didrachmon; Mat. 17. 24. We English it tribute money: The Syriack readeth Duo Zuzim;[787] now that coyn which was termed Zuz by the Hebrews, was answerable to the Roman Denair; whence it appeareth, that it valued of ours 1 s. 3 d.