Penny
Summary
The penny in the New Testament refers to the Roman denarius, a silver coin worth approximately a day's wages for a common laborer.
☩Value and Usage
The denarius was the principal Roman silver coin and the standard currency in Palestine during New Testament times. It bore the image and inscription of the reigning emperor, which Jesus referenced when teaching about paying taxes to Caesar. A denarius represented a day's wages for a laborer, as illustrated in the parable of the workers in the vineyard.
☩New Testament References
The denarius appears in several parables and teachings: the good Samaritan paid two denarii for the injured man's care, the woman with the lost coin sought a drachma of similar value, and a year's wages were calculated in denarii. In Revelation, extreme scarcity is depicted when a day's wages could only purchase a single measure of wheat.
Related Verses11 mentions
See Also
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Penny," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. VII (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Penny," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. IV (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.George Morrish, "Penny," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 4.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Penny," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).