The shekel will consist of twenty gerahs.In ancient Israel, the shekel was a standard unit of weight and currency. A gerah was the smallest unit, and twenty gerahs made up one shekel. This reflects the precision and order in the economic system established by God for His people. The use of the shekel and gerah is mentioned in other parts of the Old Testament, such as
Exodus 30:13, where the half-shekel is used for the sanctuary tax. This system ensured fairness and consistency in trade and offerings. The shekel's role in the temple economy underscores the importance of integrity and honesty in worship and daily life.
Twenty shekels plus twenty-five shekels plus fifteen shekels will equal one mina.
The mina was a larger unit of weight and currency, and this verse provides a specific conversion rate for it. The total of sixty shekels to a mina indicates a standardized system that facilitated larger transactions and offerings. This standardization reflects the organized and structured nature of the society God was establishing through Ezekiel's vision. The mention of these specific weights and measures can be seen as a foreshadowing of the ultimate fulfillment of God's order and justice through Christ, who is the true measure of righteousness. The precision in these measurements also points to the meticulous care God takes in His covenant relationship with His people, ensuring that all aspects of life, including economic transactions, are conducted in a manner that honors Him.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
EzekielA prophet during the Babylonian exile, Ezekiel is the author of the book. He receives visions and messages from God to deliver to the Israelites.
2.
IsraelThe nation to whom Ezekiel is prophesying. They are in exile due to their disobedience to God.
3.
Babylonian ExileThe period during which the Israelites were taken captive by Babylon, a significant context for Ezekiel's prophecies.
4.
Shekel and MinaUnits of weight and currency in ancient Israel, used here to describe a standard of measurement.
5.
Temple RegulationsThe broader context of this passage involves instructions for the temple and its services, reflecting God's order and holiness.
Teaching Points
God's Standard of JusticeGod establishes clear standards for weights and measures, reflecting His desire for justice and fairness in all aspects of life.
Integrity in Worship and CommerceThe passage underscores the importance of integrity, not only in worship but also in everyday transactions. Believers are called to reflect God's character in all dealings.
Holiness in the DetailsEven the smallest details, like weights and measures, matter to God. This teaches us that every aspect of our lives should be aligned with His holiness.
Community and AccountabilityBy setting a standard, God ensures that the community operates with accountability and trust. Believers are encouraged to uphold these values in their communities.
Symbolism of NumbersThe specific numbers mentioned (20, 25, 15) may symbolize completeness and order, reminding us of God's perfect design and sovereignty.
Lists and Questions
Top 10 Lessons from Ezekiel 45
What are the Biblical weights and measures?
Could the events of Hosea 3 be purely symbolic or allegorical, and if so, what would that imply about their historical reliability?
Why do the weights and measures in Ezekiel 45:9-12 differ from earlier biblical standards, creating potential contradictions within the text?
(Amos 2:4-5) Why does God's judgment on Judah differ from judgments described in other prophetic books?(12)
The shekel.--The first part of this verse is merely a re-statement of the old law (
Exodus 30:13;
Leviticus 27:25;
Numbers 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
1Kings 10:17;
Ezra 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 Ezekiel's time three different
manehs were in use, of the values respectively assigned to them; but of this there is no other evidence.
Verse 12. -
The shekel shall be twenty garahs. This ordained that the standard for money weights should remain as it had been fixed by the Law (
Exodus 30:13;
Leviticus 27:25;
Numbers 3:47). The "shekel" (or "weight," from
שָׁקַל, "to weigh;" compare the Italian
lira,
the French
livre out of the Latin
libra, and the English Found sterling) was a piece of silver whose value, originally determined by weight, became gradually fixed at the definite sum of twenty "gerahs," beans, or grains (from
גָּרַר, "to roll"). The "gerah," value two pence, was the smallest silver coin; the "shekel," therefore, was forty pence, or 3s. 4d. Commentators are divided as to how the second half of this verse should be understood:
twenty shekel, five and twenty shekels, fifteen shekels shall be your maneh. The "maneh" (or "portion," from
מָנָה, "to be divided"), which occurs only here and in
1 Kings 10:17;
Ezra 2:69; and
Nehemiah 7:71, 72 - "that is to say, only in books written during the Captivity or subsequent to it" (Keil) - was probably the same coin as the Greek rains (
μνᾶ), though its weight may have somewhat differed. A comparison of
1 Kings 10:17 with
2 Chronicles 9:16 shows that a maneh was equal to a hundred shekels, which cannot be made to harmonize with the statement in this verse without supposing either that an error has crept in through transcription, or that the chronicler has employed the late Greek style of reckoning, in which one mina is equivalent to a hundred drachmas. Again, the Hebrew and Attic talents, when ex-stained, fail to solve the problem as to how the text should be rendered. The Hebrew talent,
כִּכָּר, contained 3000 sacred or Mosaic shekels according to
Exodus 38:25, 26; and the Attic talon 60 minas, each of 100 drachmas,
i.e. 6000 drachmas, or 3000 drachmas, each of which again was equal to a Hebrew shekel. Hence the Attic mina must have been one-sixtieth part of 3000,
i.e. 50 shekels, which once more fails to correspond with Ezekiel's notation. What this notation is depends on how the clauses should be connected. If with "and,"
as Ewald, following the Targumists, thinks, Ezekiel is supposed to have ordained that in the future the maneh should be, not 50, but 60 (20 + 25 -1- 15) shekels - the weight of the 'Babylonian
mana ('Records of the Past,' 4:97, second series); only, if he so intended, one sees not why he should have adopted this roundabout method of expression instead of simply stating that henceforth the maneh should be sixty shekels If with "or," as Michaelis, Gesenius, Hitzig, and Hengstenberg prefer, then the prophet is regarded as asserting that in the future three manehs of varying values should be current - one of gold, another of silver, and a third of copper (Hitzig), or all of the same metal, but of different magnitudes (Michaelis); and this arrangement might well have been appointed for the future, although no historical trace can be found of any such manehs of twenty, twenty-five, and fifteen shekels respectively having been in circulation either
among the Hebrews or among foreign peoples. Kliefoth pronounces both solutions unsatisfactory, but has nothing better to offer. Keil supposes a corruption of the text of old standing, for the correction of which we are as yet without materials. Bertheau and Havernick follow the LXX. (Cod. Alex.),
Οἱ πέντε σίκλοι πέντε καὶ δέκα σίκλοι δέκα καὶ πεντήκοντα σίκλοι ἡ μνᾶ ἐσται ὑμῖν, "
The five shekel (piece) shall be five shekels,
and the ten shekel (piece) shall be tea shekels,
end fifty shekels shall your maneh be;" but Hitzig's judgment on this proposal, with which Kliefoth and Keil agree, will most likely be deemed correct, that "it carries on the face of it the probability of its resting upon nothing more than an attempt to bring the text into harmony with the ordinary value of the maneh."
Parallel Commentaries ...
Hebrew
The shekelוְהַשֶּׁ֖קֶל(wə·haš·še·qel)Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 8255:A weight, a commercial standardwill consist of twentyעֶשְׂרִ֣ים(‘eś·rîm)Number - common plural
Strong's 6242:Twenty, twentiethgerahs.גֵּרָ֑ה(gê·rāh)Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 1626:A gerah (one-twentieth of a shekel)Twentyעֶשְׂרִ֨ים(‘eś·rîm)Number - common plural
Strong's 6242:Twenty, twentiethshekelsשְׁקָלִ֜ים(šə·qā·lîm)Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 8255:A weight, a commercial standardplus twenty-fiveוְעֶשְׂרִ֣ים(wə·‘eś·rîm)Conjunctive waw | Number - common plural
Strong's 6242:Twenty, twentiethshekelsשְׁקָלִ֗ים(šə·qā·lîm)Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 8255:A weight, a commercial standardplus fifteenעֲשָׂרָ֤ה(‘ă·śā·rāh)Number - masculine singular
Strong's 6235:Tenshekelsשֶׁ֔קֶל(še·qel)Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 8255:A weight, a commercial standardwill equalיִֽהְיֶ֥ה(yih·yeh)Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961:To fall out, come to pass, become, beone mina.הַמָּנֶ֖ה(ham·mā·neh)Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4488:A fixed weight, measured amount, a maneh, mina
Links
Ezekiel 45:12 NIVEzekiel 45:12 NLTEzekiel 45:12 ESVEzekiel 45:12 NASBEzekiel 45:12 KJV
Ezekiel 45:12 BibleApps.comEzekiel 45:12 Biblia ParalelaEzekiel 45:12 Chinese BibleEzekiel 45:12 French BibleEzekiel 45:12 Catholic Bible
OT Prophets: Ezekiel 45:12 The shekel shall be twenty gerahs (Ezek. Eze Ezk) 
