bekah, half a shekel

“Bekah” From Boyd’s Bible Dictionary:

A half shekel, valued at about thirty-three cents.

“Shekel” From Boyd’s Bible Dictionary:

(weight). A weight for weighing uncoined money, of Assyrian and Babylonian origin. There seem to have been two standards, that of the sanctuary and the king (Ex. 30:1313This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) an half shekel shall be the offering of the Lord. (Exodus 30:13); 2 Sam. 14:2626And when he polled his head, (for it was at every year's end that he polled it: because the hair was heavy on him, therefore he polled it:) he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels after the king's weight. (2 Samuel 14:26)). Both approximated half an ounce, valued in silver at about 64 cents. Later, a Hebrew silver coin, with bronze half and quarter shekels. Probably the “pieces of silver” (Matt. 26:1515And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. (Matthew 26:15)), though the “pieces of silver” in Luke 15:88Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? (Luke 15:8) are clearly the Greek drachmas. The first Jewish coins were struck by Simon Maccabeus, who obtained permission to coin money from Antiochus, King of Syria. His shekel showed a vase on one side, representing a pot of manna, and on the other an almond branch with flowers, representative supposedly of Aaron’s rod.
 

“Bekah” From Concise Bible Dictionary:

“Shekel” From Concise Bible Dictionary:

Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew Words:

Number:
1235 (find all occurrences in KJV Bible)
Transliteration:
beqa`
Phonic:
beh’-kah
Meaning:
from 1234; a section (half) of a shekel, i.e. a beka (a weight and a coin)
KJV Usage:
bekah, half a shekel