Money

Boyd’s Bible Dictionary:

(warning). Gold and silver passed by weight among Hebrews (Gen. 17:13; 23:16); though the ring tokens of Egypt may have been current (Gen. 20:16; 37:28). Persian coined money (daric or dram) came into use after the captivity (Esther 2:69; Neh. 7:70-72). The Maccabees first coined Jewish money, B. C. 140—shekels and half shekels of gold and silver, with minor copper coins. The N. T. coins (Matt. 17:27; 22:19; 10:29; 5:26; Mark 12:42), were Roman or Grecian.

Concise Bible Dictionary:

Mention is made of money as early as Genesis 17:12-13, where persons are said to be “bought with money”; and from Genesis to Zechariah it is spoken of as being not counted, but weighed, which would give the true value of the precious metals in the form of rings or in odd pieces of gold or silver. The names Gerah, Bekah, Shekel, Maneh, and Talent, being used for weights as well as money, the two are better considered together. See WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.
On the return of the Jews, B.C. 536, Persian money was used by them. This would be followed by Greek money when they were under the dominion of the Greeks. Antiochus VII, about B.C. 140, granted permission to Simon Maccabeus to coin Jewish money. Shekels were coined bearing a pot of manna and an almond rod. Under the Romans, Roman money was used.
 
Greek
Authorized Version
Approximate. Value
 
 
 
 
 
£ s. d.
$
 
 
λεπτόν
mite
0 0 0 3/32
0.0005
Mark 12:42; Luke 12:59; 21:2
 
κοδρύντης
farthing
0 0 0 3/16
0.0007
Matt. 5:26; Mark 12:42
 
ὰσσάριον
farthing
0 0 0 3/4
0.0039
Matt. 10:29; Luke 12:6
 
δηνάριον
penny
0 0 7 3/4
0.03
Matt. 20:2; Rev. 6:6
 
δραχμή
piece of silver
0 0 7 3/4
0.03
Luke 15:8-9
 
δίδραχμον
tribute (money)
0 1 3 1/2
0.06
Matt. 17:24
 
στατήρ
piece of money
0 2 7
0.12
Matt. 17:27
 
μνᾶ
pound
3 4 7
4
Luke 19:13-25
 
τάλαντον
talent (Roman)
193 5 0
242
Matt. 18:24; 25:14-30
 
ὰργύριον
piece of silver
indefinite
 
Matt. 26:15; Acts 19:19
 
ὰργύριον
money
--
 
Matt. 25:18; Acts 7:16

“Money” From Bible Handbook:

The last-named is the common word for ‘silver’ and ‘money,’ as l’argent in French. ‘Piece of silver’ is always ὰργύριον, except in Luke 15:8-9, where it is δραχμή, as above.
The only weight mentioned is the pound, λίτρυ (John 12:3; 19:39). Its weight is 12 ounces avoirdupois.
The value of the words employed is at times meant to be instructive. For instance, in Matthew 18:24, a forcible point in the parable is the immensity of the debt forgiven by the lord, nearly two million pounds of our money (£1,937,500, $2,421,875), in comparison with the few pounds owing by the fellow-servant (£3. 4s. 7d., $4.00).
Then as to the parable of the talents (Matt. 25), we are apt to regard the one talent as a small gift, whereas we find that it represents nearly £200 ($250), and money was of much more value then, for a man’s daily wages were but 7¾d. ($.04).l
Matthew 20 gives the wages for a full day’s work (apparently from 6 o’clock to 6 o’clock), as 7¾d. Was this fair wages for a day’s work? Tacitus (Annal i. 17) says that a denarius was the pay of a Roman soldier in the time of Tiberius, a few years previous. Polybius (ii. 15-16) mentions that the charge for a day’s entertainment at the inns in Cisalpine Gaul was half an as, which equals one-twentieth of a denarius. This shows that a penny (denarius) a day was liberal pay, the country being fertile, and food cheap.
Revelation 6:6 names the same sum (7¾d.) as purchasing a measure (choenix) of wheat, equalling one quart; or three quarts of barley for the same sum. Now as 7¾d. was the wages for a day’s work, the above shows that great scarcity is alluded to.
By comparing Matthew 17:24 and 27 it will be seen by the tables given that the tribute to the temple was 1S. 3½ d. ($.08)and that the exact sum for the Lord and Peter was found in the fish’s mouth. It was a stater, worth 2S. 7d. ($.14)
Matthew 26:15. The price paid for the betrayal of our Lord Jesus is stated as ‘thirty pieces of silver.’ These are supposed to be shekels of the sanctuary, and were heavier than ordinary shekels. Josephus puts them as equal to four Attic drachmas (Ant. iii. 8, 2. The LXX has ἀργυροῦς in Zechariah 11:12-13.); Jerome as 3⅓ drachmas. This latter agrees with some existing specimens, and would be about 2S. 6d. in value. Thirty of these would be £3. 15s. 0d. ($ 4.65) the price of a man or maid-servant (Ex. 21:32). Alas! for the man that would betray his Lord — and such a Lord — for so paltry a sum!
Acts 19:19. The books burned were valued at fifty thousand (pieces) of silver. There is no means of telling definitely what the value really was; but it is generally supposed that the coin drachma is alluded to (as in Luke 15:8). The Vulgate has denarius, which is the same value as the drachma. The total would then be about £1,615 ($2020). When books were copied by hand their cost was great, and these magical books may have had an additional value set on them, being used to deceive the people for gain.

“Weights, Measures and Coins” From Bible Handbook:

Weights
A Shekel weighed about ½ ounce, avoirdupois.
A Maneh weighed about 3 pounds 2 ounces, avoirdupois.
A Talent weighed about 93 pounds 12 ounces, avoirdupois.
A Gerah weighed about 11 grains.
A Bekah weighed about 110 grains.
These must only be regarded as an approximation to current weights. Authorities are not at all agreed.
Amongst the most ancient forms of commerce was that practiced by Abraham, who bought the field of Ephron, containing the cave of Machpelah, for a burying-place for himself and family, for four hundred shekels of silver, estimated according to weight; not necessarily of one size. Buying and selling by weight, and not by current money, is still extensively practiced in certain parts of the world.
Measures of Lengths
A Cubit (common) about 18 inches; holy cubit, about 21 inches.
A Span, about 10 inches.
A Hand-breadth, about 3½ inches.
A Fathom, about 6½ feet.
A Measuring Reed, about 11 feet.
A Measuring Line, about 146 feet.
A Stadium or Furlong, about 1/8th of a mile.
A Sabbath day’s journey, considerably less than a mile.
An ordinary day’s journey, about 33 miles.
An Eastern Mile, about 400 paces (a pace about 5 feet) more than our mile.
Measures of Liquids
The Log, nearly 1 pint.
The Hin, nearly 10 pints.
The Bath, nearly 7½ gallons, or 60 pints.
The Homer or Cor, about 75 gallons, or 600 pints.
The Firkin, nearly 7½ gallons.
Measures of Dry Goods
The Cab, about 2 pints.
The Omer, about 6 pints.
The Seah or Measure, about 20 pints.
The Ephah, about 60 pints.
The Homer, about 8 bushels.
The Tenth-deal was the tenth part of an Ephah.
The Choenix was the daily allowance for a Roman slave. In Revelation 6:6, it implies great scarcity, if not a time of positive want and famine.
Coins
English Money Value
We would repeat the warning already given not to place implicit confidence in these tables; the whole subject is one of confessed difficulty to Biblical authorities on these matters.