What is the significance of the "third of a shekel" in Nehemiah 10:32? Text of Nehemiah 10:32 “We also placed ourselves under the obligation to contribute a third of a shekel each year for the service of the house of our God.” Setting the Scene in Nehemiah 10 • Returned exiles are entering a fresh covenant, solemnly sealing it (Nehemiah 9–10). • Three priorities surface: obey the Law, maintain temple worship, and preserve holiness. • The third-shekel commitment is listed first among their financial pledges, underscoring its weight. What Is a Shekel? • A shekel in Scripture is a weight of silver, not originally a coin (Genesis 23:16). • The “sanctuary shekel” (Exodus 30:13) was about 11 g (0.4 oz). • A “third of a shekel” equaled roughly 3.7 g (0.13 oz) of silver—about a day’s wage for a common laborer in the Persian period. From Half-Shekel to Third-Shekel • Exodus 30:11-16 required “half a shekel” as atonement money whenever a census was taken. • By Nehemiah’s day currency standards had shifted under Persian rule to the daric/siglos system: – Half-shekel (11 g) ≈ two Persian siglos. – Third-shekel (3.7 g) ≈ one Greek drachma, the coin in everyday circulation. • Thus the “third” reflects a real-time conversion, not a reduction of faithfulness. Scripture records the exact silver weight God’s people pledged in their economic setting. Practical Functions of the Contribution • Funded the continual burnt offering, grain and drink offerings (Numbers 28–29). • Supplied showbread, incense, lamps, and sacred oil (Exodus 25:30; 30:7-8). • Provided for priests, Levites, gatekeepers, and singers (Nehemiah 10:34-39). • Guaranteed that worship never lapsed—even when the nation was poor and rebuilding. Spiritual Lessons for Believers Today • Priority of God’s house: they pledged this gift before any personal or civic expense (Matthew 6:33). • Shared responsibility: the amount was small enough for every family, echoing “no rich, no poor” in Exodus 30:15 and foreshadowing the equalizing grace of Acts 4:32-35. • Tangible gratitude for atonement: their silver remembered the ransom price of sin (Exodus 30:16), anticipating the “precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18-19). • Integrity in changing times: faithfulness adjusts methods without altering obedience—an example for modern stewardship amid shifting economies (1 Corinthians 16:2). Citations for Further Study Exodus 30:11-16; Numbers 28–29; 2 Chronicles 24:4-10; Malachi 3:10; Matthew 17:24-27; 1 Corinthians 9:13-14; 2 Corinthians 8:1-5 |
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