Money and weight in Biblical times

 Measurements can be divided into weight (often also used for money), distance, dry capacity, and liquid capacity. Here is a list of some biblical measurements and their approximate US and Metric equivalents.

Weight:

Talent (60 minas) is 75 pounds or 34 kilograms.

Mina (50 shekels) is 1.25 pounds or .6 kilograms (600 grams).

Shekel (2 bekas) is 2/5 of an ounce or 11.5 grams.

Pim (2/3 shekel) is 1/4 of an ounce or 7.6 grams.

Beka (10 gerahs) is 1/5 of an ounce or 5.7 grams.

Gerah is 1/50 of an ounce or .6 grams (600 milligrams).

Money:

Shekel is a silver Hebrew coin that is 11.5 grams of silver.

Gerah is a silver Hebrew coin that is .6 grams of silver and is sometimes referred to as ma'ah meaning "money."

Prutah is a copper Hebrew coin that is .22 grams of copper.

A talent of gold is 3000 silver shekels.

Silver dinar is a silver Roman coin that is 4.26 grams of silver and is called a Zuz in Hebrew. The silver dinar was equal to one day's wages.

Mina is a silver Roman coin that is 425 grams of silver (or 100 Zuz/Dinarii).

Gold dinar is a gold Roman coin that is 8 grams of gold.

Issar is a copper Roman coin that is .177 grams of copper.

Pundion is a copper Roman coin that is .349 grams of copper.

Distance:

Cubit is 18 inches or .5 meters.

Span is 9 inches or 23 centimeters.

Handbreadth is 3 inches or 8 centimeters.

Finger is 3/4 of an inch or 1.8 centimeters.

Yoke is the amount of land a pair of yoked oxen could plow in a single day or about 1/3 of an acre.

Dry Capacity:

Homer (or Cor) (10 ephahs) comes from the Hebrew word for donkey or ass, so this measurement was approximately one donkey-load or a little over 5 bushels (200 quarts) or 220 liters.

Lethek (5 ephahs) is 2.7 bushels or 110 liters.

Ephah (10 omers) is 3/5 of a bushel or 22 liters.

Seah (1/3 ephah) is 7 quarts or 7.3 liters.

Omer (1/10 ephah) is 2 quarts or 2 liters.

Cab (1/18 ephah) is 1 quart or 1 liter.

Liquid Capacity:

Bath is the liquid equivalent of 1 Ephah or 5.5 gallons or 22 liters.

Hin (1/6 bath) is 1 gallon (4 quarts) or 4 liters.

Log (1/72 bath) is 1/3 of a quart (11 ounces) or .3 liter.

 Apocrypha: – Why Isn’t it in the Bible: Catholics will tell you, “You Protestants are missing part of the Bible. We have the rest of it.” This can throw people off, but it no longer has to. These false Catholic additions to the Bible are commonly called the Apocrypha or sometimes the Deuterocanonical books. The Apocrypha is a collection of uninspired, spurious books written by various individuals. The Catholic religion considers these books as scripture just like a Bible believer believes that our 66 books are the word of God, e.g. (Genesis to Revelation).

At the Council of Trent in 1546, the Roman Catholic religion pronounced the following apocryphal books sacred. (Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, First and Second Maccabees, Additions to Ester and Daniel). They asserted that the apocryphal books together with unwritten tradition are of God and are to be received and venerated as the Word of God. So now you have the Bible, the Apocrypha, and Catholic Tradition as co-equal sources of truth for the Catholic.

In reality, the Bible is the last source of truth for Catholics. Catholic doctrine comes primarily from tradition stuck together with a few Bible names. In the reading of Catholic materials, you will find notes like this: “You have to keep the Bible in perspective.” Catholics do not believe that the Bible is God’s complete revelation for man. Go to www.jesus-is-lord.com/apocryph.htm for more on this subject.

3,000-Year-Old World’s Oldest Olive Tree on the Island of Crete Still Produces Olives Today | ARCHAEOLOGY WORLD

3,000-Year-Old World’s Oldest Olive Tree on the Island of Crete Still Produces Olives Today | ARCHAEOLOGY WORLD

 Here it is named with Lebanon. Sirion therefore probably did not denote a particular part of the Hermon Range, as did Senir, but may have been suggested by the conformation of the range itself, as seen from the heights above the Phoenician coast.

Metal books found in Jordan cave could change the view of Biblical history

Metal books found in Jordan cave could change the view of Biblical history

Sirion Definition and Meaning - Bible Dictionary

Sirion Definition and Meaning - Bible Dictionary

Evidence Of Ancient Lakes In The Sahara Desert Discovered - Ancient Pages

Evidence Of Ancient Lakes In The Sahara Desert Discovered - Ancient Pages

 Do not underestimate the impact you have on those around you. Even if they say nothing, people are noticing how you move through the storm. Live in such a way that people can see the God in you -- hold your head high, keep a smile on your face & speak life into others. The Christ Within is not just your birthright; it is your legacy...

Water baptism

 1 Peter 3:21 "The figure whereunto [even] baptism doth also now save.us (not putting away the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,"

Peter is teaching that 8 people were in the ark and went through the judgment unharmed, it is comparable to the Christian's experience of salvation being in Christ, the ark of one's salvation.

Baptism... By the resurrection of Jesus Christ," Peter is not teaching water baptism, but he is teaching a figurative into a union with Christ as an ark of safety from God's judgment. Christ's resurrection demonstrates God's acceptance of Christ's substitutionary death for the sins of those who believe ( Acts 2:30-31; Romans 1:4).

"Baptism doth also now save us": does not mean water baptism is essential to salvation. It can't wash away the "filth of the flesh," Baptism is a testimony of one's faith in the resurrection because it symbolizes our resurrection with Him.

To be sure nobody misunderstands him; Peter clearly says he is not talking about water baptism when he says " Not putting away the filth of the flesh."

Water baptism is the outward show of the death of the body and rising from the water into a new life with Christ our redeemer. The real baptism that will save us is the changing of the heart. 

America

 America is named after Amerigo Vespucci, the Italian explorer who set forth the then-revolutionary concept that the lands that Christopher Columbus sailed to in 1492 were part of a separate continent. A map created in 1507 by Martin Waldseemüller was the first to depict this new continent with the name "America," a Latinized version of "Amerigo."

Creation

  “Are we able to know how many days apart Adam and Eve were created?”, the answer is yes. The answer is that both Adam and Eve were created on Day 6 of God’s creative work. Here is how we know.

First, read Genesis 1:26a: “26aThen God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” This is from the English Standard Version (ESV)of the Bible. The ESV has this footnote about the word “man” in verse 26a. The footnote says, quoting: “The Hebrew word for man (adam) is the generic term for mankind and becomes the proper name Adam.” So verse 26a is talking not just about the individual first man “Adam”, but collectively about mankind in general.

The read Genesis 1:26b: “26bAnd let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” The third word in v. 26b is the pronoun “them”, referring to a plural noun, a number of persons. The verse says God created more than the one person “adam”, created in v. 26a, i.e., He created them.

Then read Genesis 1:27: “27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” God created both male and female when He created people on Day 6. This is emphasized by the last word in the verse, again, the pronoun referring to a plural number of persons, them. The plural them is repeated twice in Genesis 1:28, in verse 28a: “28aAnd God blessed them,” and again in 28b: “28bAnd God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply….” So God is blessing more than one person, them, in 28a, and commanding more than one person to be fruitful and multiply in 28b. And from v. 27, the “them” are both male and female.

Then read Genesis 1:31 through 2:2. Genesis 1:31: “31And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”. Then Genesis 2:1-2: “1Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done.” God saw that everything was very good, and upon seeing that, Day 6 of creation ended. Then in Genesis 2:1 it says the heavens and the earth were finished, and in v. 2 it says God had finished the work he had done, and He rested.

That’s it. There is no more creating after that. Everything God created, He created during those six days of active creating. He didn’t create anything, after creating male and female, on Day 6, or anytime thereafter

The Battle of Kadesh: The First Peace Treaty

The Battle of Kadesh: The First Peace Treaty

On This Day In History: Cyrus The Great Enters Capital Of Babylon And Allows Jews Return To Their Land - On Oct 29, 539 BC - Ancient Pages

On This Day In History: Cyrus The Great Enters Capital Of Babylon And Allows Jews Return To Their Land - On Oct 29, 539 BC - Ancient Pages

Going to Heaven - how can I guarantee my eternal destination? | GotQuestions.org

Going to Heaven - how can I guarantee my eternal destination? | GotQuestions.org

A Strange Dark Cloud Appeared in 536 AD that Changed History Dramatically

A Strange Dark Cloud Appeared in 536 AD that Changed History Dramatically

Triumphal Arch Of Roman Emperor Constantine And His Great Vision - Ancient Pages

Triumphal Arch Of Roman Emperor Constantine And His Great Vision - Ancient Pages

Surnames

 Rhea was first used as a surname among the descendants of the ancient Scottish people known as the Picts. It was a name for a prosperous person. The Gaelic form of the surname Rhea is Mac Rath, which literally means son of grace or son of prosperity.

Where did the Picts come from originally?

Picts were a tribal confederation of Celtic peoples, who lived in the ancient eastern and northern Scotland. The Picts are thought to be the descendants of the Caledonii peoples and other Celtic tribes mentioned by Roman Historians.

Are the Scots and the Picts the same: The Picts were better organized, more unified, and had a more powerful army. The Scots, on the other hand, were unruly, untrustworthy, cunning, but fierce fighters.

Are Picts and Vikings the same?

When the Vikings arrived in Orkney, it was already inhabited by a people known as the Picts. They were the descendants of Orkney's Iron Age broch builders, and by 565 AD they had been incorporated into the larger Pictish kingdom of northern mainland Scotland.

What happened to the Picts?

The Picts were massacred at a battle near the town of Grangemouth, where the rivers Carron and Avon meet. According to Northumbrian sources, so many Picts died they could walk dry-shod across both rivers.

What is the Pictish race?

Pict, (possibly from Latin picti, “painted”), one of an ancient people who lived in what is now eastern and northeastern Scotland, from Caithness to Fife. Their name may refer to their custom of body painting or possibly tattooing.

What language did the Picts speak?

Pictish language, language spoken by the Picts in northern Scotland and replaced by Gaelic after the union in the 9th century of the Pictish kingdom with the rest of Scotland.

Did the Romans fight the Picts?

The Picts held their territory against the invading Romans in a number of engagements and, although they were defeated in battle, they won the war; Scotland holds the distinction of never falling to the invading armies of Rome, even though the Romans attempted conquest numerous times.

Are the Picts still alive?

TEN percent of Scottish men are directly descended from the Picts, according to a new discovery by a DNA project. Generations of historians have questioned why the Picts seemed to disappear from history after fighting the Romans and Vikings.

Byrd is a surname of Anglo-Saxon origin. It is a variant spelling of the English word "bird," which is derived from the Old English pre-7th-century word "bridde" (Middle English "brid" or "bird"). Another common variant of this surname is "Bird."

Salvation

 Salvation cannot be bought and it's not by good works or by good behavior. Salvation comes by responding favorably to the Gospel. That message is found in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verses 1 through 4. Everyone will spend eternity in one of 2 places. That is everyone's decision for themselves to make. Heaven or hell. Choose wisely. Don't make the choice depending on someone else's behavior or even your own behavior. Make the choice in light of who you are and who CHRIST is. Conviction of our sins comes by the HOLY GHOST leading to repentance and salvation. To look at our good behavior or the lack thereof in others leaves one in condemnation. Thankfully, we have a choice because of the cross of CHRIST and HIS resurrection. Choose wisely.

Paralytic mans friends

 In Matthew 9:8 the crowd chose to glorify God in response to Jesus' power. They glorified God who had given that kind of power to men. Scripture doesn't tell us but the people understood that he had this authority because He was the Son of God. Still, the crowd glorified God.

In response to your question about the paralytic man's friends: In Mark 2:5 we see that Jesus saw the faith of the paralytic man's friends. Keep in mind the man was paralyzed. He had to rely on his friends to get him to Jesus. The persistent effort and aggressiveness of his friends were evidence of their faith in Christ to heal. 

In the time of Christ, most homes in Israel had flat roofs. There would be a stairway outside that went up to the roof. The roof was made from dried-out slabs of clay. A uniform coat of fresh, wet clay was then put over the slabs of hardened clay to seal out the rain. The paralytic man's friends took him to the roof of the house and dug out the top coat of clay, then they removed several of the slabs until they had made enough room to lower him down in front of Jesus. 

The paralytic man's friends had a great love for their friend and showed great faith in Jesus. 

 Men have got the impression that God got a cowardly man to deliver His people. Is God going to use the most unfit person to deliver Israel from the Midianites, Amalekites and the children of the East? God doesn’t operate like that. God raises up men to do His work and He raises them up with the ability to do as He commands them. A lot of people assume because Gideon was threshing wheat by the winepress at night (Judges 6:11) he was afraid. The Midianites greatly oppressed Israel and had taken all they had (6:4-6). If anyone had any food they would have to use much caution and wisdom.

Judges 6:11 “And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which [was] in Ophrah, that [pertained] unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide [it] from the Midianites.”

Gideon is living in a time of strong oppression. The Midianites are taking everything the Israelites have. Gideon got wheat by threshing it at night so he could hide it from them. So, Gideon was cautious and wise.

In Judges 6:12 an angel of the Lord appeared to him calling him a mighty man of valor. That doesn’t sound like he is a coward.

Judges 6:13:13-16 “Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.”

14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!”

15 “But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!”

16 The Lord said to him, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.”

It’s difficult to assume that Gideon was a coward from these verses. At first he didn’t question the angel regarding his courage but only about the Lord being with him. He reasoned that if the Lord was with him, he would not be oppressed. Next he said that he was the least in his house and that his family was poor. This doesn’t mean he was a coward, this shows that he was humble. Gideon didn’t see himself fit for such a big task.

People also bring up his reaction when he saw the angel. Who wasn’t afraid when they saw an Angel of the Lord. Balaam fell flat on his face (Numbers 22:31) so did David and the elders of Israel (1 Chronicles 21:16) and so did Sampson’s parent’s (Judges 13:20).

25 That night the Lord said to Gideon, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one that is seven years old. Pull down your father’s altar to Baal, and cut down the Asherah pole standing beside it. 26 Then build an altar to the Lord your God here on this hilltop sanctuary, laying the stones carefully. Sacrifice the bull as a burnt offering on the altar, using as fuel the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down.” A lot of people come down hard on Gideon because of how he obeyed this command.

27 So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord had commanded. But he did it at night because he was afraid of the other members of his father’s household and the people of the town. Being brave doesn’t mean your stupid. Gideon had to go in and bring down his father’s altar of Baal, as well as cut the grove beside it then make an altar to God and make a burnt offering for Him. The men in that city, as well as his father,  were idol worshippers. He wasn’t going in there in broad daylight and do all that. He wasn’t afraid of what the men would do to him, rather he feared they would try to hinder him from doing what God wanted. I believe he done it at night so he wouldn’t have to deal with the men of the city.

Judges 7:2-3

2 The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength. 3 Therefore, tell the people, ‘Whoever is timid or afraid may leave this mountain and go home.’” So 22,000 of them went home, leaving only 10,000 who were willing to fight. Gideon did not go home with the others.

4 But the Lord told Gideon, “There are still too many! Bring them down to the spring, and I will test them to determine who will go with you and who will not.”5 When Gideon took his warriors down to the water, the Lord told him, “Divide the men into two groups. In one group put all those who cup water in their hands and lap it up with their tongues like dogs. In the other group put all those who kneel down and drink with their mouths in the stream.” 6 Only 300 of the men drank from their hands. All the others got down on their knees and drank with their mouths in the stream. It should be clear by now that Gideon was a mighty man of valor.,

Salvation

 Salvation cannot be bought and it's not by good works or by good behavior. Salvation comes by responding favorably to the Gospel. That message is found in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verses 1 through 4. Everyone will spend eternity in one of 2 places. That is everyone's decision for themselves to make. Heaven or hell. Choose wisely. Don't make the choice depending on someone else's behavior or even your own behavior. Make the choice in light of who you are and who CHRIST is. Conviction of our sins comes by the HOLY GHOST leading to repentance and salvation. To look at our good behavior or the lack thereof in others leaves one in condemnation. Thankfully, we have a choice because of the cross of CHRIST and HIS resurrection. Choose wisely.

Lots wife

 Question: How can Christians say, after God kills Lot's wife for merely looking at the destruction of her home, that he is still an ALL loving & ALL merciful being?

Answer:  You are assuming that there was nothing wrong with Lot’s wife looking back at her home’s destruction in Sodom. But what longing in her heart made her look back in the first place? Did Lot’s wife long for her life and/or possessions amid the sin and evil of Sodom? We do not know, for only God knows what is in a person’s heart (Acts 15:8). However, from the passage of scripture that records this event, we do know that one of the angels of the Lord told Lot and his family to flee Sodom for their lives and to not look back (Genesis 19:17). Given this, Lot’s wife was disobedient to the instructions that God had given them, and she suffered the consequence for her disobedience (Genesis 19:24-26). 

So yes, God is all-loving and all-merciful. You seem to be overlooking the fact that God instructed His angels to deliver Lot and his family from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. We must remember that God is also all-just. There is a penalty that God has justly assigned to all who choose sin (disobedience to God’s order and will for their lives). That penalty is death (Genesis 2:16-17). We must also remember that God in His love and mercy has provided for us, the Way to be delivered from the sin and death we deserve (Romans 3:23, 6:23; John 3:16; John 14:6).  

For more thoughts on the action of Lot’s wife please see the GotQuestions answer given in the link below:

https://www.gotquestions.org/pillar-of-salt.html

 The dollar is worth 1% of what it was worth in 1913  when congress delivered it into the hands of the Federal Reserve, a private corporation owned and operated for the benefit of the country’s largest banks.

Confession

 Jesus taught that believers must continue to seek God's forgiveness daily (Matthew 6:11-12). After salvation, Christians miss the mark (Philippians 3:12; James 3:2, 8, 4:17). That's why John said, " If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." Sins confessed to God will not hinder us from walking in the pure light of genuine fellowship with Jesus Christ. 

When a person dies, their spirit goes back to God and the body returns to dust  (Ecclesiastes 12:7). Believers go directly to heaven and nonbelievers seem to be sent to a temporary holding place to await their final resurrection, judgment, and eternal destiny. It will be a place of torment. So, the unbeliever will see God at the final judgment.

It is normal to not understand everything you read in the Bible. You need to find a good Bible-believing church. The pastor of that church and the deacons will be willing to help you in any way they can..

Sources: https://www.gotquestions.org/where-do-you-go-when-you-die.html

https://www.gotquestions.org/what-happens-after-death.html

https://www.gotquestions.org/confess-our-sins-faithful-and-just.html

https://www.gotquestions.org/what-is-the-church.html

Read all of the sources above. 

The fear of Hell

 The fear of Hell is also known as hadephobia. Hadephobia comes from two Greek words, Hades meaning Hell, and phobos meaning fear. So Hadephobia means fear of Hell.

  Hadephobia should not be part of a Christians life.  It’s true that Hell is real. It is a place where the unredeemed go, but you needn’t worry – if you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ, you are saved from that. Believers have the promise: “Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them” (Revelation 20:6). And there is this one: “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death” (Revelation 2:11). 

Because Jesus took your punishment and now intercedes on your behalf you need not suffer from hadephobia. You needn’t fear ever being separated from God. 

Time and time again God tells us not to fear (Luke 12:32). There is no fear in love. 

If you are experiencing any kind of fear, including hadephobia, here are some practical steps to take:

1) Make sure you are saved. It is only the child of God who does not need to fear hell. The saved have the Holy Spirit—the Comforter—in their hearts.
2) Do away with anything that promotes mental images of scary things, e.g., horror movies, occult practices, etc.
3) If your fear persists, get qualified professional help, just to rule out anything clinical.
4) Fill your mind with God’s Word (Matthew 4:4). There is a reason why the Word is likened to food for your daily sustenance.

Source: https://www.gotquestions.org/hadephobia.html

4,500-Year-Old Board Games And Game Pieces Unearthed At Gath - Ancient Pages

4,500-Year-Old Board Games And Game Pieces Unearthed At Gath - Ancient Pages

Baptism

 Baptism is significant in that it represents the forgiveness and cleansing from sin that comes through faith in Jesus Christ. Baptism publicly acknowledges one's confession of faith and belief in the gospel message. It also symbolizes the sinner's entrance into the community of believers (the church).

How is Jesus "Begotten, Not Made" as Found in the Nicene Creed?

How is Jesus "Begotten, Not Made" as Found in the Nicene Creed?

What does it mean to be a born again Christian? | GotQuestions.org

What does it mean to be a born again Christian? | GotQuestions.org

On This Day In History: The King James Bible Is Published For The First Time In London - On May 2, 1611 - Ancient Pages

On This Day In History: The King James Bible Is Published For The First Time In London - On May 2, 1611 - Ancient Pages