Overview
The maneh served as both a standard weight measurement and a monetary unit in ancient Israel and surrounding cultures. It was commonly used for commerce, taxation, and temple offerings during biblical times. The maneh's value made it useful for larger transactions compared to the shekel.
Key Scriptures
"The rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the Nethinim, and all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, everyone who had knowledge and understanding—these joined with their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse and an oath to walk in God's Law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and His ordinances and His statutes. And they gave, according to their ability, sixty-one thousand darics of gold and five thousand minas of silver and one hundred priests' garments." (Nehemiah 7:71-72, NKJV)
Application
Understanding biblical weights and measures helps us appreciate the generosity of God's people in supporting temple worship and ministry throughout Scripture.