Silver(piece of silver)
“Silver, money”
Summary
A precious metal used throughout Scripture for currency, tabernacle furnishings, and ornamentation, symbolizing redemption and testing through refining.
☩Sources and Uses
Silver was known from earliest biblical times, with Abraham described as rich in gold and silver. The ancient supply likely came from Asia Minor, where it is still mined, and later from Phoenician trade with Spain and Greece. Before coinage, silver was weighed for transactions, making it synonymous with 'money' in Hebrew (keseph). It was used for personal ornaments, household vessels, and currency throughout the biblical period.
☩In Sacred Furnishings
Silver featured prominently in tabernacle construction: the sockets for the sanctuary boards, the hooks and bands for the pillars, and various vessels were made of silver. The Israelites obtained silver from Egypt at the exodus and later collected offerings for sacred purposes. Temple furnishings similarly employed silver, and various kings contributed silver vessels to the sanctuary's treasury. The half-shekel atonement money was silver, connecting the metal with redemption.
☩Symbolic Significance
Silver's purification through smelting made it a symbol of testing and refinement. God's words are compared to silver refined seven times, indicating perfect purity. The righteous are refined like silver, with affliction burning away impurities. Isaiah used worthless silver dross as an image of Israel's corruption, contrasting what they had become with what they were meant to be.
☩In the New Testament
Judas's thirty pieces of silver fulfilled Zechariah's prophecy about the insulting price for the shepherd. Silver shrines of Diana sustained the idol-making trade in Ephesus, sparking the riot against Paul. Peter declared that believers were redeemed not with perishable things like silver and gold, but with Christ's precious blood. The New Jerusalem's streets of gold make silver seem common by comparison, transcending earthly wealth entirely.
Related Verses284 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Silver," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. IX (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Silver," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. IV (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Silver," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).