What Did They Use For Money In Bible Times?

What did people use for money in ancient times in the Old and the New Testament?

The Origin of Money

When someone is paid a salary, they are paid on a regular schedule (for most people) but this wasn’t the way in ancient times. The word salary has an interesting history to it because at a time before people exchanged money because it was not in use, they used salt. Salt was highly valuable since there was no refrigeration at that time and salt was a very valuable commodity and so it was used as a form of currency. The reason salt was so valuable was that it could be used to preserve foods for longer periods of times. The interesting thing about the word “salary” is that it comes from the word “salt” because that was an early form of currency and so when someone bought something, people were often paid with salt or paid someone with salt when exchanging services and goods with others, so the phrase “he ain’t worth his salt” makes a lot more sense now, doesn’t it? Even the Roman soldier’s pay was originally salt, and thus, the word salary derives from the use of salt as currency. The Roman commanders would certainly want a soldier worth his salt.

The Barter System

Long ago, before it even had a name, there was a barter system where one person would exchange a skill, trade, services or goods for something of value from another. If someone knew how to build, they might barter their skills for supplies of something that they needed like grain. Of course, bronze, silver, or gold was a valuable form of currency too because these were precious metals not easily found at that time. Gold was used in the making of vessels, coverings, or ornamental decorative pieces, so there was an exchange of currency using these valuable metals that began to take the place of salt. In fact, these were currencies in themselves because of their value. In the day that Joseph was sold into slavery, the slave traders paid his brothers twenty shekels of silver (Gen 37:28) and later, Jesus was betrayed for thirty pieces of silver (Matt 27:3).

The Bible on Money

The Bible says a lot about money and most of it is not good. Money’s not bad in itself and it’s not what people do with money; it’s what money does to them. They may possess a lot of money but they might not realize that it can possess them. Money is not the root of all evil but it can be a root of all sorts of evil as the Apostle Paul writes, it is “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs” (1st Tim 6:10). Money can become its own god, supplying all your needs, wants, desires, and satisfying of our lusts but Jesus warned that “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matt 6:24) which is why the author of Hebrews wrote, “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb 13:5).

Conclusion

Solomon had a great take on riches and poverty when he wrote “Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God” (Prov 30:8-9) so by all means necessary, “Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist. When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven” (Prov 23:4-5). Money talks and it mostly says “goodbye,” but the riches found in Christ through repentance and faith far outweighs any momentary and fleeting pleasure of what money brings.

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.