Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

GOLD

The most frequently mentioned precious metal in the Bible. In OT times gold was used for money (Gen. 44:8); jewelry (41:42); decoration, such as gilding the ark of the covenant (Exod. 25:11); thread in weaving priests’ garments (28:8); and idols (20:23). Many of the tabernacle and temple artifacts and utensils were made of pure, solid gold (Exod. 25:31; 37:6; 1 Kgs. 7:49-51). Solid gold figures of mice and tumors were sent by the Philistines to the Israelites as a guilt offering (1 Sam. 6:3-5). The possession of gold indicated wealth (Gen. 24:35). Gold and silver are often mentioned together since both metals have similar physical and chemical properties and have historically been used for similar purposes, including money. Gold rings were a sign of wealth and status in the Greco-Roman world; several admonitions against wearing gold as an indication of personal wealth occur in the NT (1 Tim. 2:9; 1 Pet. 3:3).

Solomon’s wealth in gold is well recorded, and a principal source for his gold was Ophir (1 Kgs. 9:28; a Hebrew ostracon from Tell Qasile reads “Gold of Ophir”). None of Solomon’s gold wealth has been uncovered, but archaeological discoveries in Egypt and the Near East indicate that items similar to Solomon’s do exist. Tutankhamun’s throne is almost totally gold-plated. A golden goblet from Ur (ca. 2600 b.c.e.) has been found, as well as a solid gold bowl attributed to either Darius I or Darius II of Persia (ca. 522-404). Gold-plated furniture was buried with Queen Hetepheres of Egypt (ca. 2600). A clay inscription from the reign of Sargon II records “six shields of gold” as part of the booty from the conquest of the Urartian city Muṣaṣir (714; cf. Solomon, 1 Kgs. 10:16-17).

Gold coins began to circulate in Palestine in the 7th century. Croesus, king of Lydia (560-546), was likely the first to mint pure gold and silver coins. Before this time, and even afterwards, gold as a medium of exchange was measured by weight, usually in shekels (Num. 31:52) or talents (Exod. 25:39). Since the earliest coins were irregular in shape and weight due to the minting process known as “striking,” coins were often reweighed and not accepted at face value.

Bibliography. M. I. Finley, The Ancient Economy, 2nd ed. (Berkeley, 1985); A. Mazar, Archaeology of the Land of the Bible, 10,000-586 b.c.e. (New York, 1990); A. R. Millard, “Does the Bible Exaggerate King Solomon’s Golden Wealth?” BARev 15/3 (1989): 20-31, 34; L. von Mises, The Theory of Money and Credit, rev. ed. (Irvington-on-Hudson, 1971); C. L. Thompson, “Rings of Gold — Neither ‘Modest’ nor ‘Sensible,’ ” BibRev 9/1 (1993): 28-33, 55.

Alan Ray Buescher

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

GOLD

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)