גֵּרָה (ge.rah)
ge.rah
gerah
H:N-FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 4 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-F
Word Overview
The noun gerah refers to a specific unit of weight in ancient Israel, defined as one-twentieth of a shekel. This small measure was significant enough to serve as a standard for financial transactions and temple contributions, yet it remained far below the value of a full shekel.
Lexical sources describe its physical basis by noting that a gerah equaled the weight of sixteen barley grains or four to five carob beans. This concrete definition grounded monetary value in tangible, everyday agricultural items rather than abstract concepts.
The word appears exclusively in the Torah, specifically within legal texts in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. Its usage is strictly technical, appearing in regulations concerning the half-shekel census offering and other monetary standards. Translators typically render it as "gerah" or "frankincense" (in some contexts of weight), preserving its identity as a precise measure rather than converting it to a modern currency equivalent.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word gerah represents a precise unit of weight in ancient Israel, defined as one-twentieth of a shekel. This small measure was significant enough to serve as a standard for financial transactions and temple contributions, yet it remained far below the value of a full shekel. Lexical sources describe its physical basis by noting that a gerah equaled the weight of sixteen barley grains or four to five carob beans.
This concrete definition grounded monetary value in tangible, everyday agricultural items rather than abstract concepts. The word appears exclusively in the Torah, specifically within legal texts in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. Its usage is strictly technical, appearing in regulations concerning the half-shekel census offering and other monetary standards.
Translators typically render it as "gerah" or "frankincense" (in some contexts of weight), preserving its identity as a precise measure rather than converting it to a modern currency equivalent. Understanding this term helps us see how ancient Israelites valued fairness and precision in their dealings with God and each other.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 4 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- gerah[s]4×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- גֵּרָ֖ה3×
- גֵּרָה֙1×
Key Verses
-
Exodus 30:13
They shall give this, everyone who passes over to those who are counted, half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs); half a shekel for an offering to Yahweh.
This verse establishes the gerah as the foundational unit for the census offering, showing that every individual contributed equally regardless of status.
-
Leviticus 27:25
All your valuations shall be according to the shekel of the sanctuary: twenty gerahs to the shekel.
Here the gerah defines the standard for all valuations, ensuring consistency in religious assessments across the community.
-
Numbers 3:47
you shall take five shekels apiece for each one; according to the shekel of the sanctuary you shall take them (the shekel is twenty gerahs);
The text uses the gerah to calculate the redemption price for firstborn sons, highlighting its role in practical temple administration.