Ezra 8:26

I even weighed unto their hand six hundred fifty talents of silver,.... Which, according to Scheuchzer (a) amount to 975,000 imperials, and, of our money, 2,229,450 pounds sterling: and silver vessels one hundred talents; which came to 35,300 pounds, or 50,000 imperials; according to Jarchi, there were one hundred vessels, and every vessel weighed a talent, and so Aben Ezra, which, with Brerewood (b), was three hundred and seventy five pounds: and of gold one hundred talents; which, according to Scheuchzer (c), were equal to 1,222,000 ducats of gold; the value of gold now is above 14 and a 3d to the value of silver, by which may be judged the difference between one hundred talents of gold and one hundred talents of silver; according to David de Pomis (d), there were two sorts of talents; common talents, which weighed sixty pounds, and the talent of the sanctuary, which weighed double to that. (a) Physica Sacra, vol. 4. p. 651. (b) De Pond. & Pret. Vet. Num. c. 4. (c) Ut supra. (Physica Sacra, vol. 4. p. 651.) (d) Tzemach David, fol. 57. 3.

Ezra 8:26-27 . Six hundred and fifty talents of silver — Making, at f375 sterling to the talent, f243,750 sterling. And silver vessels a hundred talents — Making near f40,000 sterling. And of gold (probably in coin) a hundred talents — Which at f4,500 per talent, make f450,000 sterling. Also twenty basins of gold of a thousand drachms — About f1,000 sterling value. And two vessels of fine copper — As valuable as gold.

Verse 26. - Six hundred and fifty talents of silver , according to Mr. Peele's estimate of the talent, would be nearly a quarter of a million of our money. The annual revenue of Persia was about three and a half millions (Herod., 3:95). Of gold an hundred talents. Rather more than a million of our money. Ezra 8:26

24-32. Then I separated twelve of the chief of the priests … and weighed unto them the silver, &c.—The custody of the contributions and of the sacred vessels was, during the journey, committed to twelve of the chief priests, who, with the assistance of ten of their brethren, were to watch closely over them by the way, and deliver them into the house of the Lord in Jerusalem. The treasures in silver and gold, according to the value of the Babylonian talent, amounted to about £515,000 sterling.

26 . unto their hand ] R.V. into their hand . Cf. note on Ezra 1:8 . The enormous value of these gifts is startling. The suspicion that the figures have been exaggerated by copyists is not unnatural. six hundred and fifty talents of silver ] A talent of silver being reckoned as worth £375, this means a sum approaching to a quarter of a million sterling, £243,750. silver vessels an hundred talents ] i.e. worth a 100 talents = £37,500. and of gold an hundred talents ] R.V. omits ‘and’. A gold talent was worth about £6,750; 100 talents would then = £675,000.

Some suggest party-walls, for the division of chambers. goeth fast on ] R.V. goeth on with diligence. ‘With diligence’, a Persian word ‘osparna’ (used also Ezra 6:8 ; Ezra 6:12-13 , Ezra 7:17 ; Ezra 7:21 ; Ezra 7:26 ) which denotes care and attention as well as energy. in their hands ] referring to the Jews, implied in the words ‘the province of Judah’.

To these chief priests and Levites Ezra weighed the silver and the gold and the vessels; שׁקל, to weigh, i.e., to deliver by weight. In the Chethiv אשׁקולה the O sound is maintained, and consequently the Keri is pointed -. On the other hand, in Ezra 8:26 the וּ is dropped, and the form pointed with -, though many MSS, followed by J. H. Michaelis, have ו- here also. אל בּית תּרוּמת is in apposition with the before-named objects: the gold, the silver, and the vessels, the offering for the house of our God, which the king, his councillors ... had offered; comp. Ezra 7:15-16 , Ezra 7:19 . In ההרימוּ the article represents the relative pronoun; see on 1 Chronicles 26:28 . הנּמצאים, all Israelites who were found, met with, in Babylon, and were not going with them to Jerusalem; comp. 1 Chronicles 29:17 ; 2 Chronicles 5:11 . ידם על, like יד על, Ezra 1:8 , to their hand, i.e., handed over to their keeping. The gifts amounted to: six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and silver vessels one hundred in talents, i.e., one hundred talents in value, one hundred talents of gold, and twenty covered basins of gold (comp. Ezra 1:10 ) one thousand dariks in value, and two brazen vessels of fine golden brilliancy, precious as gold. מצהב is an abstract noun, formed from the participle Hophal of צהב, to glitter like gold, and constructed as a feminine.

The word, with its adjective, either depends upon נחשׁט, in the stat. construct., or stands in apposition thereto, and is not, as a participle Hophal, used adjectively and combined with נחשׁט, for then the two adjectives מצהב and טובה would not be in different genders. חמוּדות, like חמוּדות כּלי, 2 Chronicles 20:25 .