scales, weight

Boyd’s Bible Dictionary:

The standard of Hebrew weights and measures was kept in the sanctuary
(Lev. 19:35-36). A copy of said standard was kept in the household (Deut. 25:13-16). The destruction of the ancient standard with the tabernacle led to the adoption of the various weights and measures of such countries as the Hebrews happened to be subject to or in commercial interaction with. Hence the subject of Hebrew weights and measures is full of perplexity and uncertainty. See various weights and measures under their respective headings.
 
 
Avoirdupois
 
 
Pounds
Ounces
Drams
 
Gerah (1/20 of a shekel)
 
 
0.439
 
Bekah (½ of a shekel)
 
 
4.390
 
Shekel
 
 
8.780
 
Maneh or pound (60 shekels)
2
0
14.800
 
Talent, kikkah (50 maneh)
102
14
4.000
 
Talent of lead (Zech. 5:7), "weighty piece" (margin)
 
Talent (Rev. 16:21): if Attic = about 55 lbs.
 
Pound, λίτρα (John 12:3; 19:39): about 12 oz. avoirdupois
 
 
£
s.
d.
 
 
Gerah (1/20 of a shekel)
0
0
1.5
Ex. 30:13
 
Bekah, beqa (½ of a shekel)
0
1
3
Gen. 24:22
 
Shekel
0
2
6
Gen. 23:15
 
Dram (daric, a Persian gold coin) about
1
2
0
1 Chron. 29:7
 
Maneh or pound, 60 shekels
7
10
0
Ezek. 45:12
 
Talent of Silver
375
0
0
Ezra 7:22
 
Talent of Gold
6000
0
0
Ex. 25:39
 
 
£
s.
d.
 
 
Mite, λεπτόν
0
0
3/32
Mark 12:42
 
Farthing, κοδράντης
0
0
3/16
Matt. 5:26
 
Farthing, άσσάριον
0
0
¾
Matt. 10:29
 
Penny, δηνάριον
0
0
Matt. 20:2
 
Piece of silver, δραχμή
0
0
Luke 15:8-9
 
Tribute money, δίδραχμον
0
1
Matt. 17:24
 
Piece of money, στατήρ
0
2
7
Matt. 17:27
 
Pound, μνά
3
4
7
Luke 19:13-25
 
Talent (Roman), τάλαντον
193
15
0
Matt. 18:24
 
Piece of silver, άργύριον
0
2
6
Matt. 26:15
 
Money, άργύριον
indefinite
Matt. 25:18
 
Measure
Conversion
Example
 
Caph
0.552
 
pints
 
 
Log (1.3 caphs)
0.718
 
pints
Lev. 14:10-24
 
Cab (4 logs)
2.872
 
pints
2 Kings 6:25
 
Hin (12 logs)
1.077
 
gallons
Ex. 29:40
 
Bath, Ephah (72 logs)
6.462
 
gallons
1 Kings 7:26
 
Cor, Homer (720 logs)
64.620
 
gallons
Ezek. 45:14
 
 
 
Pot, ξέστης
0.960
 
pints
Mark 7:4,8
 
Measure, βάτος
7.500
 
gallons
Luke 16:6
 
Firkin, μετρητής
8.625
 
gallons
John 2:6
 
Measure, κόρος
64.133
 
gallons
Luke 16:7
 
Measure
Conversion
Example
 
Log
0.718
 
pints
 
 
Cab (4 logs)
2.872
 
pints
2 Kings 6:25
 
Omer (1.8 cabs)
5.169
 
pints
Ex. 16:16,36
 
Tenth deal (tenth of an Ephah)
5.169
 
pints
Ex. 29:40
 
Measure, seah (6 cabs)
2.154
 
gallons
1 Sam. 25:18
 
Ephah (18 cabs)
6.462
 
gallons
Lev. 5:11
 
Half Homer, lethek (90 cabs)
4.040
 
bushels
Hos. 3:2
 
Homer, chomer (180 cabs)
8.081
 
bushels
Lev. 27:16
 
 
 
Measure, χõινιξ
2.000
 
pints
Rev. 6:6
 
Bushel, μόδιος
2.000
 
gallons
Matt. 5:15
 
Measure, σάτον
2.875
 
gallons
Matt. 13:33
 
Measure
Conversion
Example
 
Finger or Digit, etsba
0.7584
 
inches
Jer. 52:21
 
Handbreadth or Palm (4 digits), tephach
3.0337
 
inches
1 Kings 7:26
 
Span, zereth (3 palms)
9.1012
 
inches
Ex. 28:16
 
Cubit, ammah, πήχυς (2 spans)
18.2025
 
inches
Gen. 6:15
 
Fathom, όρυιά (4 cubits)
6.0675
 
feet
Acts 27:28
 
Reed, qaneh (6 cubits)
9.1012
 
feet
Ezek. 40:3-8
 
Furlong, στάδιον (400 cubits)
606.7500
 
feet
Luke 24:13
 
Sabbath-day's journey (2000 cubits)
3033.7500
 
feet
Acts 1:12
 
Mile, μίλιον (3200 cubits)
4854.0000
 
feet
Matt. 5:41
 
Acre: as much land as a yoke of oxen would plow in a day
1 Sam. 14:14

Concise Bible Dictionary:

In the Old Testament money was weighed. The first recorded transaction in scripture is that of Abraham buying the field of Ephron the Hittite for four hundred shekels of silver, which Abraham “weighed” to Ephron (Gen. 23:15-16). The shekel here was a weight. Judas Maccabaeus, about B. C. 141, was the first to coin Jewish money, though there existed doubtless from of old pieces of silver of known value, which passed from hand to hand without being always weighed. Herod the Great coined money with his name on it; and Herod Agrippa had some coins; but after that the coins in Palestine were Roman.
The following tables must be taken approximately only: the authorities differ.
WEIGHTS.
The principal weights in use were as follows with their approximate equivalents:—
900006
It must be noted that there are two shekels mentioned in the Old Testament: one according to the “king’s weight,” probably the standard shekel used for all ordinary business (Ex. 38:29; Josh. 7:21; 2 Sam. 14:26; Amos 8:5); and another called the “shekel of the sanctuary,” of which it is said in Exodus 30:13; Leviticus 27:25; Numbers 3:47 and Numbers 18:16, “the shekel is 20 gerahs,” implying perhaps that the common shekel was different. Michaelis says that the proportion was as 5 to 3, the business shekel being the smaller.
This seems confirmed by the word maneh in the following passages. By comparing 1 Kings 10:17 with 2 Chronicles 9:16 it will be seen that a maneh equals 100 shekels (probably, for the word “shekels” has been added by the translators); whereas in Ezekiel 45:12 The maneh equals 60 shekels, because the latter would be shekels of the sanctuary. The passage in Ezekiel is obscure, but the sense appears to be that three weights (20, 25, and 15 shekels) should be their maneh, which makes, as in the above table, a maneh = 60 shekels. Some modern tables give the maneh as equal to 50 shekels, from the supposition that this is what is meant in Ezekiel 45:12 in the LXX. The maneh is translated “pound” “1 Kings 10:17; Ezra 2:69; Neh. 7:71-72).
The word bekah occurs in Exodus 38:26: it signifies “half,” and is “half shekel” in Exodus 30:13.
MONEY.
If the weights in the foregoing list be approximately correct, and silver be taken at 5/- per ounce, and gold at £4 per ounce Troy, the money value will be about
900007
With respect to “Piece of money” (Gen. 33:19; Job 42:11) and “Piece of silver” (Josh. 24:32) qesitah, Gesenius compares Genesis 33:19 with Genesis 23:16 and supposes the weight to equal 4 shekels.
900008
The Greek word ἀργύριον is the common word for “silver,” and “money,” as l’argent in French. “Piece of silver” in the AV is always ἀργύριον, except in Luke 15:8-9, where it is δραχμή.
The above gives no idea of the purchasing value of these sums, which often varied. A penny (δννάριον) was the usual daily wages of a working man: its purchasing value then must have been considerably more than it is now.
Liquid Measure
900009
Dry Measure
900010
Long Measure
900011
The above measures are calculated from the cubit being the same as the Hebrew ammah and the Greek πῆχυς, which latter is found in Matthew 6:27; Luke 12:25: John 21:8; Revelation 21:17. This may be called the short cubit (perhaps not the shortest: See CUBIT). In Ezekiel 41:8 is the expression, “a full reed of six great cubits.” The “great cubit” is supposed to be a cubit and a handbreadth. This would make Ezekiel’s reed to be about 10.618 feet. By adding a sixth to any of the above measurements they will correspond to the great cubit. There can be no doubt, however, that the “furlong” and the “mile” were Greek measures.
Though all these reckonings are only approximate, they help to throw light upon many passages of scripture. Thus Isaiah 5:10 shows that there is a curse resting upon the fields of a covetous man. In Revelation 6:6 the quantities prove that the time then spoken of will be one of great scarcity.

Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew Words:

Transliteration:
pelec
Phonic:
peh’-les
Meaning:
from 6424; a balance
KJV Usage:
scales, weight

From Manners and Customs of the Bible:

Deuteronomy 25:13. Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers weights, a great and a small.
1. The marginal reading for “divers weights” is “a stone and a stone,” which is a literal rendering of the Hebrew. See also Proverbs 11:1; 16:11. Weights were no doubt originally made of different-sized stones, from which fact eben, a stone, was used to signify a weight, even after other materials were used for weights. We have the word “stone” in our own language to denote a weight of a certain size, and the Germans use the corresponding word stein for a similar purpose.
2. Oriental peddlers still have, as in ancient times, two sets of weights, one for buying and the other for selling. Allusion is made to this species of dishonesty in Proverbs 20:10 and in Micah 6:11.