Ezra 2:69

they gave&c. There is a slight discrepancy between the sums mentioned in this verse and the sums recorded in greater detail in Nehemiah. The figures stand thus

Ezra

Heads of fathers" houses 61,000

darics of gold

5,000

pounds of silver

100

priests" garments.

Nehemiah

darics of gold

basons

pounds silver

priests" garments

Tirshatha

1,000

50

500?

30

Heads of fathers'houses

20,000

2,200

Rest of people

20,000

2,000

67

Total

41,000

4,700

97

The contributions as described in Ezra are all placed to the credit of the heads of fathers" houses; in Nehemiah we find a considerable portion contributed by the Tirshatha and by the rest of the people.

(a) The 61,000 darics of gold appear to consist of the Tirshatha's 1000+other contributions of which we are able to identify 40,000 (i.e. 20,000 given by heads of fathers" houses+20,000 given by the rest of the people). Perhaps the value of 50 basons and of the other gifts amounted to a figure which could be described in round numbers as 20,000.

(b) The 5,000 pounds of silver express in round numbers the 2,200 contributed by the heads of fathers" houses+the 2,000 by the rest of the people+500 pounds silver given by the Tirshatha (the probable reading of Nehemiah 7:70).

(c) The 100 priests" garments represent the 30 given by the Tirshatha (probable reading of Nehemiah 7:70), and the 67 given by the rest of the people.

after their ability literally -strength" or -power" as in Daniel 1:4: not elsewhere of -wealth". The word rendered -ability" in Nehemiah 5:8 is different and denotes -sufficiency".

unto the treasure R.V. into the treasury.

drams R.V. darics. The A.V. translation -dram" seems to suppose that the coin spoken of was the Greek -drachma". It is in reality the well-known Persian gold coin -daric". The name has commonly been derived from the Darius who was said to have first had the piece coined. But this is far from certain. The word -daric" more probably refers to the emblem on the coin, and is to be derived either from a Persian word meaning -a bow", or from -dara" = -a king", cf. our -sovereign". The obverse side of the coin has the figure of a crowned king, kneeling, holding in his right hand a sceptre or spear and in his left a bow; for the sake possibly of securing a good impression, the reverse of the coin was left rough.

The -daric" is transliterated into Hebrew as -Adarcon" in chap. Ezra 8:27; 1 Chronicles 29:7: but in this verse and in Nehemiah 7:70-72 it appears as -Darcemon" with a various reading -Adarcemon".

Its value was as nearly as possible equivalent to our sovereign. The coin is by some identified with the gold staterof Crœsus, the last king of Lydia. This is the first mention of coinedmoney in the Old Testament, as the reference to -darics" in David's reign (1 Chronicles 29:7) is strictly an anachronism.

pound Hebr. -maneh". We do not find in the Old Testament any mention of Persian silver coinage. Before the Persian period, Hebrew money had for the most part been calculated by weightupon something akin to the Babylonian system, by -talent", -maneh", -shekel".

A -talent" of Hebrew money consisted of -50 manim", one maneh of 60 shekels.

priests" garments The priests differed from the Levites in having special garments -in which they ministered" and which they put off as being holy, as soon as they had ceased from their ministrations (Leviticus 6:10; Ezekiel 42:14; Ezekiel 44:19). The priestly garments are briefly enumerated in Exodus 28:40; Exodus 39:27. They consisted of (1) a long coat or tunic, (2) a mitre or turban, (3) breeches or nether garments, (4) a girdle. The material was fine linen, and the colour white. These garments the priest appears to have laid aside and deposited in one of the chambers at the entrance of the inner court of the Temple, before passing into the people's court.