I even weighed unto their hand six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and silver vessels an hundred talents, and of gold an hundred talents;

EZRA 8:26KJV
Know the Bible

Ezra 8:26 (KJV)

What does Ezra 8:26 mean?

Ezra 8:26 describes Ezra carefully weighing out a large amount of silver and gold—specifically, 650 talents of silver, 100 talents of silver vessels, and 100 talents of gold—and entrusting it to certain men for safekeeping. This verse highlights the exact amounts and the care taken in handling these valuable items during the journey from Babylon to Jerusalem.

Ezra is the speaker here, addressing the priests and Levites who would be responsible for transporting these treasures. The situation is a critical moment in the return from exile, where Ezra organizes the safe transfer of temple offerings and sacred vessels back to Jerusalem. The verse shows the seriousness and transparency with which Ezra manages the resources dedicated to God’s temple.

The Hebrew behind Ezra 8:26

  • "weighed" (שָׁקַל, shaqal): This word means to measure out by weight, emphasizing that Ezra did not just estimate but carefully measured the silver and gold, showing accountability and precision.
  • "talents" (כִּכָּר, kikkar): A "talent" was a large unit of weight, often understood as about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms. The use of this term shows the massive scale of the offering.
  • "silver" (כֶּסֶף, keseph) and "gold" (זָהָב, zahav): These words refer to the precious metals themselves, highlighting the value and importance of what was being transported.
  • "vessels" (כְּלִי, keli): This refers to containers or utensils, likely those used in temple service, underscoring the sacred purpose of these items.

Why Ezra 8:26 matters

  • This verse clears up any idea that the transfer of temple treasures was casual or disorganized; it shows a deliberate process with careful record-keeping.
  • The specific mention of weights and items emphasizes the trust placed in the priests and Levites, and the accountability expected of them.
  • Ezra 8:26 connects to the wider passage by setting up the importance of integrity and transparency in handling resources dedicated to God, which becomes a recurring theme in the return from exile.

Where else these words appear

“weighed” Hebrew H8254 · used in 21 verses

  • Genesis 23:16 And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant.
  • Ezra 8:29 Watch ye, and keep them, until ye weigh them before the chief of the priests and the Levites, and chief of the fathers of Israel, at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the LORD.
  • Isaiah 33:18 Thine heart shall meditate terror. Where is the scribe? where is the receiver? where is he that counted the towers?

“talents” Hebrew H3603 · used in 55 verses

  • Genesis 13:10 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.
  • 2 Samuel 12:30 And he took their king's crown from off his head, the weight whereof was a talent of gold with the precious stones: and it was set on David's head. And he brought forth the spoil of the city in great abundance.
  • 1 Chronicles 22:14 Now, behold, in my trouble I have prepared for the house of the LORD an hundred thousand talents of gold, and a thousand thousand talents of silver; and of brass and iron without weight; for it is in abundance: timber also and stone have I prepared; and thou mayest add thereto.

“fifty” Hebrew H2572 · used in 141 verses

  • Genesis 6:15 And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.
  • Numbers 4:30 From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old shalt thou number them, every one that entereth into the service, to do the work of the tabernacle of the congregation.
  • 2 Kings 21:1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hephzibah.