Summary: A limestone weight of two shekels has been discovered by archaeologists at the base of the Western Wall in Jerusalem. The weight connects to commerce in biblical times and reminds us of the Bible’s concern for justice and fairness.
A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is his delight. – Proverbs 11:1 (ESV)
Limestone 2-Shekel Weight Used for Commerce in Time of Solomon’s Temple
Archaeologists digging beneath the Western Wall in Jerusalem have uncovered a stone weight that was used in commerce during the First Temple period (roughly Iron Age II 1000-586 BC). Weights of this kind were used with balances to measure precious metals and produce.
The excavation is seeking to reach the foundations of the Western Wall, one of the most visited sites in Jerusalem. It is being conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) with the Western Wall Heritage Foundation. The weight was found beneath Wilson’s Arch, a stone archway leading up to Herod’s Temple, which was near the Western Wall.
“The weight is etched with signs symbolizing the letter “Shin” and two lines noting two shekels. The weight weighs 23 grams and we know that a single shackle weighed about 11.5 grams. This points to the incredibly accurate abilities of the artists who etched this stone weight in ancient Jerusalem,” said Dr. Barak Monnickendam-Givon, who co-directs the dig with Tehillah Lieberman of the IAA. He went on to call it part of “ancient Jerusalem’s glorious history.”
According to the archaeologists, the dome-shaped stone has a flat base and the incised symbol is Egyptian but represents a “Shin” for the abbreviated unit, “shekel.”
Provides a Better Understanding of Ancient Jerusalem
One interesting aspect is that the weight was found in earth sifted from a landfill area very close to the Western Wall, which because of COVID restrictions is closed to visitors. This was done by the City of David sifting project. However, the Western Wall was part of King Herod’s upgrade of the Second Temple that was carried out in the first centuries BC and AD. The Bible has the First Temple being built by King Solomon before the kingdom of Israel was split in two. Eventually the First Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC, nearly 600 years before the Western Wall was upgraded.
This helps researchers better understand life in Jerusalem and the Temple complex itself. They propose that the fill from the remains of the earlier Temple was used to backfill the foundations for Herod’s expansions centuries later, including the huge stones that have recently been unearthed beneath the Western Wall.
Any remains from the earlier Solomon Temple were caught up in the fill and disturbed from their original archaeological context, so they can’t be dated with precision. Many finds from the Iron Age have been discovered in this fill. In 2018 a stone weight for the half-beka temple tax was found in the same area. The Bible mentions payments in relation to shekels that were collected to pay an annual tax for sacrifices and the upkeep of the Temple.
These finds cause archaeologists to conclude that an ancient marketplace existed in this spot. They related, “All year, but particularly at times of pilgrimage, the area at the foot of the Temple Mount was certain to be busy. Locals and pilgrims would have traded for sacrifices and offerings as well as for food, souvenirs and other commodities. A weight such as the one discovered would have been used to measure accurate amounts of products at the market.”
Some see this as more evidence supporting this being the true Temple location, which has been a point of debate recently. The excavations are nearly complete, and more finds are anticipated to help inform our understanding of life in First Temple period Jerusalem.
The Development of Ancient Commerce and Currency
These kinds of stone weights were essential to the functioning of ancient Israel’s economy. The researchers note that have been found in multiple locations in First Temple period contexts, especially at food markets.
Shekels are often mentioned in the Bible as measurements of weight – the first time being with Abraham in the 19th century BC. However, it would not be until around 600 BC that coins were first produced, and they were not commonly used in the land of Israel until two centuries after that point. Money before then was often in the form of gold or silver in the form of bracelets, rings or other bits of metal that were weighed on a balance and compared to a standard shekel weight. Find the accurate weight and you have determined the value of the metal pieces.
In time, the idea to stamp metal in uniform sizes was developed to produce currency. The 2-shekel weight eventually was replaced by modern coins, such as Israel’s 2-shekel coin that is the namesake of the shekel unit of weight measurement.
Biblical Warnings on Weights, Balances – and Justice
“How exciting, in the month of Tishrei, whose symbol is the scales of justice, to find a souvenir from the First Temple period. Actually now, when coming to the Western Wall is so restricted due to the coronavirus pandemic, this finding strengthens the eternal connection between the Jewish nation, Jerusalem, and the Western Wall while offering us all encouragement,” Mordechai (Suli) Eliav, director of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation said in a statement.
Even after coins were developed, scales continued to be used to measure other things like rings, grain and other produce. Unscrupulous merchants and officials could cheat the system by having weights that were lighter than claimed, and that could be switched out for a standard weight if their integrity was ever challenged. Deceptive balances that were rigged in favor of the merchant and to the disadvantage of the customer could also be used.
Many passages in the Bible contain stern warnings from God about such practices. These were prime examples of ways the powerful oppressed the weak. Having fair and accurate weights and balances showed love for neighbor and God. They were also expressions of God’s concern for truth and righteousness.
“You shall not have in your bag two kinds of weights, a large and a small. You shall not have in your house two kinds of measures, a large and a small. A full and fair weight you shall have, a full and fair measure you shall have, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. For all who do such things, all who act dishonestly, are an abomination to the LORD your God.” – Deuteronomy 25:13-16 (ESV)
Hear this, you who trample on the needy and bring the poor of the land to an end, saying, “When will the new moon be over, that we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, that we may offer wheat for sale, that we may make the ephah small and the shekel great and deal deceitfully with false balances, that we may buy the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals and sell the chaff of the wheat?” The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob: “Surely I will never forget any of their deeds.” – Amos 8:4-7 (ESV)
Shall I acquit the man with wicked scales and with a bag of deceitful weights? – Micah 6:11 (ESV)
Knowing this system of weights and balances, and God’s demand for justice and righteousness, helps us understand passages such as Daniel Chapter 5 where the Babylonian King Belshazzar had a great feast where he brought out the vessels taken from Jerusalem’s Temple to drink wine from while they praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. A mysterious hand appeared, writing a message on the wall and Daniel was brought in to interpret the message, which he said was a result of the king not humbling himself or honoring the true God who holds life, including Belshazzar’s, in his hand.
Objects as small as a 2-shekel weight can speak volumes about ancient life and history. They can also act as reminders for our hearts in turbulent times. Until next time – KEEP THINKING!
TOP PHOTO: Ancient 2-shekel weight. (credit: Shai Halevi, Israel Antiquities Authority)
