1 Chronicles 29:7

1Ch 29:7 And gave for the service of the house of God of gold five thousand talents and ten thousand drams, and of silver ten thousand talents, and of brass eighteen thousand talents, and one hundred thousand talents of iron.

Ver. 7. And ten thousand drams.] Shillings, some render it: the Rabbis say the word signifieth a piece of silver money, the value whereof is now not known; the Septuagint render it drams both here and in Ezr 8:27. The word here used, saith one, signifieth to do some great work, for it is Adarchon, which cometh of Adar, strong or mighty, and Con, to prepare; because money is the monarch of the world, and bears most mastery: but others, with more likelihood, say that Adarchon is made of the Greek Dραχμη, quales sunt nonnullae vocis Chaldaicae et Syracae.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

29:7 10,000 gold coins: Persian darics were first minted during the reign of King Darius I of Persia (522–486 BC). In describing the Temple gifts presented during the days of Solomon, the Chronicler converted the information of his sources into the equivalents of his own day, just as the NLT converts Hebrew weights and measures to modern equivalents.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

drams--rather, darics, a Persian coin, with which the Jews from the time of the captivity became familiar, and which was afterwards extensively circulated in the countries of Western Asia. It is estimated as equal in value to 25s. of British currency.

of brass eighteen thousand talents, and one hundred thousand talents of iron--In Scripture, iron is always referred to as an article of comparatively low value, and of greater abundance and cheaper than bronze [NAPIER].

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 7. Of gold five thousand talents] These, at five thousand and seventy-five pounds, fifteen shillings, and seven pence halfpenny each, amount to twenty-five millions, three hundred and seventy-eight thousand nine hundred and six pounds, five shillings, sterling. If, with Dr. Prideaux, we estimate the golden talent at upwards of seven thousand pounds sterling, the value of these five thousand talents will be much more considerable. See Clarke on Ex 25:39; "Mt 18:24"; and the calculations at the end of Clarke's notes on "2Ch 9:29".

Ten thousand drams] Probably golden darics, worth each about twenty shillings, amounting to ten thousand pounds.

Of silver ten thousand talents] These, at three hundred and fifty-three pounds, eleven shillings, and ten-pence halfpenny, each, amount to three millions five hundred and thirty-five thousand, nine hundred and thirty-seven pounds, ten shillings, sterling.

Brass eighteen thousand talents] Each six hundred and fifty-seven thousand grains, amount to one thousand and twenty-six tons, eleven hundred weight, and one quarter.

One hundred thousand talents of iron] Each six hundred and fifty-seven thousand grains, amount to five thousand seven hundred and three tons, two hundred weight, and a half.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(7) And gave . . . of gold.—And they gave . . . gold, five thousand talents; between thirty and forty millions sterling (!).

Ten thousand drams.—Rather, Darics. The Daric (Greek, Δαρεικὸς) was a Persian gold coin, value about £1 2s., first struck by the great Darius, son of Hystaspes (B.C. 521-485). It remained current in Western Asia long after the fall of the Persian Empire. The Hebrew word (’ãdarkônîm) occurs again only once, viz., at Ezr_8:27, where it clearly means Darics, and is so rendered by the Syriac (dγrξkϋnκ). The darkôn (or darbôn) is mentioned in the Talmud as a Persian coin. The chronicler, or his authority, has evidently substituted a familiar modern term for some ancient expression of value. No real coins are mentioned in Scripture before the age of the exile.

Silver ten thousand talents.—About £4,000,000 in modern value (see 1Ki_10:21; 1Ki_10:27); or, according to Schrader, who argues from Assyrian data, £3,750,000. The value of the bronze and the iron must have been much greater then than now. (See Note on 1Ch_22:14.)

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

7. five thousand talents] i.e. of uncoined gold by weight.

ten thousand drams] R.V. ten thousand darics. A daric was a Persian gold coin worth about 22 shillings. The translation of A.V. drams (i.e. drachmæ) may however be right. The value of a gold drachma is about 9s. 5d. The total sum given in this verse sounds impossibly large; cp. 1Ch_22:14, note.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And gave for the service of the house of God,.... For building and adorning it, and providing proper utensils for it:

of gold five thousand talents; which, according to Scheuchzer (l), came to 61,100,000 ducats of gold: and these, with "the 10,000 drachms"; make of our money, according to Brerewood (m), 22,507,500 pounds; some reckon a drachm at two ducats and a half, and somewhat more (n):

and of silver ten thousand talents; which, according to the former writer, amounted to 450,000,000 imperials, or rix dollars; and, according to the latter, they made of our money 3,750,000 pounds:

and of brass eighteen thousand talents, and one hundred thousand talents of iron; the weight of each of which were so much.

(l) Ut supra. (Physica Sacra, vol. 4. p. 631.) (m) Ut supra. (Physica Sacra, vol. 4. p. 631.) (n) Eisenschmidius apud Scheuchzer. ib. p. 635.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

The word here translated “dram” is regarded by most critics as the Hebrew equivalent of the Persian “daric,” or ordinary gold coin, worth about 22 shillings of British money (circa 1880’s). Not, however, that the Jews possessed darics in David’s time: the writer wished to express, in language that would be intelligible to his readers, the value of the gold subscribed, and therefore he translated the terms employed in his documents, whatever they were, into terms that were in use in his own day. The doric became current in Palestine soon after the return from the captivity Ezr 2:69; Ezr 8:27; Neh 7:70-72.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Solids. Septuagint, "pieces of gold;" Greek: chrusous. Hebrew adarcnim, which Protestants render "drachms," (Haydock) after the Syriac, &c. Others think that the Darics, used in Persia, are meant, though they did not exist in David’s time. Esdras might reduce the money to correspond with the coin with which his countrymen were then acquainted, 2 Esdras vii. 70. (Pelletier) --- The Daric was equivalent to the golden sicle, which was only half the weight of one of silver, though this is not certain. (Calmet) --- A solid was only the sixth part of an ounce, whereas the sicle weighed half an ounce, or four drachms. --- Talents were always of the same weight, 125 Roman pounds. (Menochius)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

The Authorized Version translation drams occurs also twice in Ezra and twice in Nehemiah. There is no doubt that the coin referred to is the Persian daric, with which the Jews became familiar during the time of their exile. The Hebrew word appears in three different forms.

1. As wOmKrda here and Ezr_8:27.

2. As wOmKrD Ezr_2:69; Neh_7:70-72.

3. As workD in rabbinical writings, but not in Scripture.

Respecting the possible derivations of the words in the first and second forms, see Gesenins"s "Lexicon," sub voce, and Conder"s "Handbook to the Bible" (2nd edit., p. 181). The obverse of the coin shows the image of a king, with bow and spear. The value of the coin is variously computed at thirteen shillings and sixpence or twenty. two shillings and sixpence. Keil suggests that the mention of darics as well as talents in this verse may point to some of the gold being contributed in the shape of coin instead of talents-weight. This does not seem likely, however, because, of course, the daric itself was not in use in Jerusalem in David"s time, and any gold coin that was then in use might have received mention on its own account, even if translated also into the daric. The Septuagint translates in this verse merely by the word crusouv, the Vulgate by solidos. Under any circumstances, the coin is to be distinguished from the dracnh. Specimens of the daric, both in gold and silver, exist in the Paris and Vienna Museums. The Hebrew word for the ten thousand preceding the so-called drams of this verse is the word for "myriad" (wOBri, a shortened form of twOBr), found also in Ezr_2:64; Neh_7:66; Dan_11:12; Jon_4:11.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And gave for the service of the house of God,.... For building and adorning it, and providing proper utensils for it:

of gold five thousand talents; which, according to Scheuchzer (l), came to 61,100,000 ducats of gold: and these, with "the 10,000 drachms"; make of our money, according to Brerewood (m), 22,507,500 pounds; some reckon a drachm at two ducats and a half, and somewhat more (n):

and of silver ten thousand talents; which, according to the former writer, amounted to 450,000,000 imperials, or rix dollars; and, according to the latter, they made of our money 3,750,000 pounds:

and of brass eighteen thousand talents, and one hundred thousand talents of iron; the weight of each of which were so much.

(l) Ut supra. (Physica Sacra, vol. 4. p. 631.) (m) Ut supra. (Physica Sacra, vol. 4. p. 631.) (n) Eisenschmidius apud Scheuchzer. ib. p. 635.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

and ten thousand darics - quinons or quinens in Old French, drachmas.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.