Exodus 30:13 - Exposition

Half a shekel . The shekel of later times was a silver coin, about the size round of our shilling, but considerably thicker, and worth about one shilling and eightpence. But at the date of the exodus coins were unknown, and the "shekel" meant a certain weight. The burthen imposed by the tax was evidently a light one. The shekel of the sanctuary . A standard weight in the possession of the priests, equal probably to about 220 grains troy. Twenty gerahs . The word " gerah "means" a bean;" and the gerah must bare been a weight equal to about eleven grains troy, It remained in use to the time of the captivity ( Ezekiel 45:12 ).