Measures & money
Denarius
A Roman silver coin; in the vineyard parable it is the daily pay agreed by the owner.
Also called · denarii
What it means
In Matthew 20, the owner agrees to pay the early workers one denarius for the day. In the evening he pays the last arrivals first; those who worked one hour and those who came early each receive a denarius. This agreement in a parable does not set a fixed wage for every worker.
In Mark 12, Jesus asks for a denarius after a question about taxes. He asks whose image and inscription it bears. They answer Caesar’s, and Jesus tells them to give Caesar what belongs to Caesar and God what belongs to God.
How it appears in the Bible
In Revelation 6, the rider on the black horse holds a balance, and a voice announces a choenix of wheat or three choenix of barley for a denarius. Prices in this vision should not be treated as ordinary market prices.
Translation note
The daily wage is a comparison within a particular parable, not a fixed equivalent in modern wages or currency.