Observations Natural and Moral, Part 4
Of Weights.
From number and meaſure ariſeth weight, Weight ariſeth from number and meaſure.for the two firſt being found out, to wit number and meaſure, the third is eaſily ſound out. The greateſt weight is a talent, and the leaſt is minuta or lepta. The … weight … … brewes.The weights according to the Hebrewes, Greekes and Romans, are theſe, deſcending from the greateſt to the leaſt.
Pondus.
| Heb. | Grac. | Rom. | |||
| foreign | |||||
| foreign | Libra. | ||||
| foreign | foreign foreign | Semuncia. | |||
| foreign | foreign | Denarius. Numiſina. | |||
| foreign | foreign foreign | foreign | Nauta. | ||
| foreign | foreign | foreign | Areola. Quadram. | foreign | Minuta. |
The Talent by the Hebrewes is called Cicar. The talent what.It was the greateſt weight amongſt them, conſiſting of three thouſand ſh…kels, as may be gathered out of Exod. 38.24.25.26.27. … it is ſayd that 6035 … men did pay every one of them halfe a ſh…kell, The talent confeſted of 3000 ſliekelsthe ſumme came to 100 talents and 1775 ſhekels. The 600000 thouſand men came to 100 talents, and the 3550 men came to 1775 ſhekels, two men paying one ſhekell, therefore there is a double proportion betwixt the number of men and the ſhekels. Now if 600000 men pay 100 talents, then ſixe thouſand men pay one talent, every one paying halfe a ſh…kell; What they weighted with the talent.therefore a talent containeth 3000 ſhekels. By the talent gold, ſilver, braſſe and yron were weighed, Exod. 38.29. 1 Chron. 29.7. In the Scriptures there were not two ſorts of talents, for the Lord diſcharged divers weights, Lev. 19. So may it be ſayd of the Mina, ſhekell, Epha, …; the talent was of a great weight becauſe one man could not carry two of them, 2 King. 5.23.
But it may ſeeme that there were two ſorts of talents, Object. The weight of the crowne of Milcom.for it is ſaid 2 King. 12.30. and David tooke their kings crowne from off his head (the weight thereof was a talent of gold, with the pretious ſtones) and it was ſet on Davids head. Who can beare upon his head a crowne of 125 pound weight, which a man will ſcarcely lift off the ground, much leſſe carie it upon his head, how could the King of Ammon carry it on his head, and David after him?
1 Chro. 20.2. Anſw. How David could beare the crowne of Milcom.David tooke the crowne of Milchom from off his head, for this was an idol amongſt them, 1 King. 11.7. which was a great braſen ſtatue, having upon the head of it a crowne which weighed a talent of gold; but how could this be put upon Davids head? That place of the Chronicles anſwereth to this, when it faith, that David ſet it is upon his head, firſt he brake this crowne, purged it by the fire, and changed it into another forme, neither did he put all the weight of the talent into it, but that which was competent.
Mina was the hundreth part of the talent, foreignand contained ſixtie ſhekels.
But it may ſeeme that Mina was a talent, Luk. 19.13. Object. but Matth. 25.15. he gave ſo many talents to his ſervants, and both the Evangeliſts ſpeake of one matter. Anſw.
By talent there is not meant properly a talent, Mina and the talent were not one.but a great ſumme; and by the ſcope of the parable onelyonly this much is intended, that theſe who had received greateſt gifts made greateſt gaine, and more who had received leſſer gifts made leſſer gaine, & they whe had received leaſt gifts made no gaine. If the parable were underſtood according to the letter, What the min… is which is made … Ezek…el.a man could not bind his talent in his napkin, being ſuch a great ſumme.
The Mind made mention of Ezek. 45.12. is ſixty ſhekels; the mina amongſt the nations, ſome were ſixty drachmas, others eighty, others an hundreth, that is, fifteene ſhekels: but the Lord ſaith, twenty ſhekels, five and twenty ſhe…els, fifteene ſhekels ſhall be your Manch. All theſe divers ſorts of ſhekels the Lord forbiddeth, and for them all he will have them to keepe a min… of ſixty ſhekels, Shekel in the originall ſignifieth to weigh, Iob. 6.2. foreign The money was not numbred but weighed at firſt.for at the firſt the money was not numbred but weighed: this the Greekes called foreign , and it weighed foure Atticke drachmas: the Perſians and Macedonians uſed the ſame ſort of money, therefore they are called Philippici Alexandrini or Dariet. 1 Sam. 9.8. Behold now in my hand is the fourth part of a ſhekle of ſilver; the Sevenly tranſlate it the fourth part of a foreign . So 2 King. 7.1. The …orrow a meaſure of meale ſhall be for a ſhekell, or a foreign So Matth. 17.24. take out of the …, and give it for, …ee and thee, that is, a ſhek…ll.Two ſorts of ſhekels.
There were two ſorts of ſhekels, ponderal… & numeralis. The ſhekell was weighed at the firſt, Ioſh. 7.20. the wedge of gold was fifty ſhekels, that is, it was of weight fifty ſhekels.
The ſhekell was alſo ſtamped and numbred, The ſhekell ſtamped and numbred.it was ſtamped firſt with the print of a lambe, and this was called keſhita, and after when the tabernacle was erected it had Aarons rod upon the one ſide, and the pot with Manna upon the other ſide.
When ſilver is alone wee muſt underſtand ſhekels, When ſilver is ſet downe alone then ſhekell is to be underſtood.as Mat. 26 15. He was ſold for thirty peeces of ſilver, that is, for thirty ſhekels. So Hoſ. 3.2. I bought for her fifteene peeces of ſilver, that is, for fifteene ſhekels of ſilver. And ſometimes the number and the matter are ſet downe, but not the ſhekell, as Gen. 20.16. Behold I have given thy brother a thouſand peeces of ſilver, that is, ſhekels of ſilver.
The halfe ſhekell was called bekaugh ſhekel from [bakaugh] findere, foreignbecauſe it cut the halfe ſhekel in two. Every one in Iſrael payed this halfe ſhekell to the Lord both rich and poore equally when they went up to Ieruſalem, Why every one in Iſrael payed the halfe ſhekell.becauſe all equally did hold their life of God. Secondly, becauſe all were redeemed a like by Chriſt. Thirdly, becauſe the Lord accepteth of us, halfe payment for the whole; and although our ſervice be very defective, yet he giveth us the whole ſhekell. Matth. 20. he gave to them who came at the ſixt houre and at the ninth houre both a penny alike. This halfe ſhekell was the tribute which the Phariſes ſought of Chriſt Matth. 17.23. although Chriſt was free from tribute becauſe he was the Kings ſonne, yet to avoid ſcandall he commanded Peter, goe to the ſea and caſt in his angle and he ſhould pull out a fiſh with aſtater in his mouth, that is, a ſhekell, which was to be payed for them every one halfe a ſhekell; this halfe ſhekell was called foreign or denarius, and it had the ſuperſcription of Caeſar upon it, Matth. 17.
There is mention made of the third part of the ſhekell, Nehe. 10.38. which is three drachmas: The third part of the ſhekell was three drachmas.we charged our ſelves with the third part of a ſhekell.foreign
The fourth part of a ſhekell was called zuzim, and by the Greeks foreign ; and Nehe. 7.71. darkemonim, foreigna Chalde name from which the Greekes borrow their foreign : Luk. 15.9. I have found my drachma.
A ſhekell had twenty Gerahs in it, foreignas foreign was twenty oboli, and every foreign was five oboli: foreign was that naula which they put in the mouth of the dead, that they might have haſtie paſſage over Lethe by Acheron.
Obol… was divided in ſixe areola or foreign : How Obolus was divided.this fourth was called quadrans, and it was divided in ſeven minuta or foreign , which was the leaſt of all their ſtamped money. This was the widdowes offering, Mark. 12.4. Luk. 21.1. ſhe caſt in two mites, which is a quadrant or the fourth part of areola or the Engliſh farthing.
FINIS.
End of the text · John Weemes, Observations Natural and Moral (1633)