And how much would Jor-El have paid in Kryptobux?
You may believe in the bible, or not at all.
You may believe that its more "recent" passages correspond with a known reality -- you may even cite suggestive archaeological proof of David's kingdom.
How you figure out what a silver shekel was worth 4,000 years ago and what it's worth today -- that's entering the realm of, shall we say, the delusional.
Is there something I'm missing? Comparative data? An unearthed Sears catalogue featuring a sale on red heifers? ("Two for the price of one -- twice the purification, twice the fun!")
From the Hebron Jewish Community newsletter:
This past Saturday over 20,000 people compressed themselves into one huge body of Am Yisrael, in the holy city of Hebron, to take part in 'Shabbat Hebron,' when we read in the Torah how Abraham paid Efron the Hittite 400 silver shekels ($750,000 today) for a field and a cave at the edge of that field.
2 Comments
Share This
Comments RSS Feed Reader Comments
Leave a Comment
To comment on this article, you must first be registered with JTA.
Not Registered?
There are real advantages to a FREE registration with JTA.org:
- Make your voice heard through comments on articles
- Receive our e-mailed Daily Briefing, an invaluable quick-read
- Help decide what Jewish news matters most with interactive tools
Register Now
Already a JTA member?
Not registered? Sign up now. It's fast and it's free.
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
- Bill Pearlman on The power of example -- the NIF, the attacks, and Goldstone
- david bedein on The power of example -- the NIF, the attacks, and Goldstone
- david bedein on The power of example -- the NIF, the attacks, and Goldstone
- Jeremiah Haber on The power of example -- the NIF, the attacks, and Goldstone
- Jeremiah Haber on The power of example -- the NIF, the attacks, and Goldstone
Joshua
11/16/09 06:41 PM
A shekel, in the classic Biblical context, is a unit of mass. 1 shekel is equal to 180 grains. As 480 grains comprise a Troy ounce, 400 shekels would be the equivalent of 150 Troy ounces. The price of silver at the current time is $18.40/oz. Thus, 400 shekels would actually cost $2,760 today. So I don’t know where they got that calculation.