Measures & money
Shekel
An ancient unit of weight used especially for silver and later associated with coins.
Also called · sheqel
What it means
In early biblical periods a shekel was weighed metal, not necessarily a minted coin.
Different standards existed, including the sanctuary shekel, so exact modern equivalents require caution.
How it appears in the Bible
Abraham weighed shekels of silver for a field, and the Torah names a half-shekel contribution by the sanctuary standard.
Translation note
The biblical unit should not be confused with the value of the modern Israeli shekel.