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גֵּרָה

𐤂𐤓𐤄

gêrâh

H1626 noun

SILEX Entry

Root גרר to scrape, scratch, drag

Definition

A small unit of weight, approximately equivalent to one-twentieth of a shekel, used for weighing metals and commodities; by extension, the smallest denomination for currency in the biblical period. The term can also refer generically to a small, rounded object, such as a grain or kernel, from which the weight measurement is derived.

Semantic Range

small weight, smallest unit of currency, kernel, grain, rounded particle

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root גרר (garar), meaning 'to scrape, scratch, drag.' The noun גֵּרָה (gêrâh) likely developed from the sense of a small, scraped-off particle or a kernel/grain, and was employed as a weight standard.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In biblical texts, גֵּרָה consistently refers to a fixed measure of weight, specifically as a subdivision of the shekel (one shekel = twenty גֵּרוֹת), and is most often encountered in legal or ritual prescriptions relating to commerce and offerings (e.g., Exodus 30:13; Leviticus 27:25; Numbers 3:47). There is no indication that the term identified a concrete object in commerce; rather, it denoted an abstract or standardized weight, likely approximating between 0.5 and 0.6 grams. Its association with the root 'to scrape' connects to the idea of something small enough to be produced by scraping. In translation traditions, גֵּרָה is frequently rendered 'gerah,' 'grain,' or 'obol,' but the technical biblical weight-system meaning is more precise than these generalized terms. Distinct from the more generic 'grain' (דגן, דָּגָן), לביב (round cake), or אגורה (agorah, later coinage and currency), גֵּרָה is distinctively attached to the shekel system during the monarchic and exilic periods. After the biblical period, the term is rarely used except as a historical reference.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from גָּרַר (as in גֵּרָה); properly, (like גַּרְגַּר) a kernel (round as if scraped), i.e.; a gerah or small weight (and coin); gerah.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

גרר (g-r-r) — to scrape, scratch, drag

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1620 גַּרְגַּר round berries
H1621 גַּרְגְּרוֹת your throats
H1625 גֵּרָה regurgitated cud
H1627 גָּרוֹן in their throat
H1641 גָּרַר forcibly dragged ones

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H1626-01 גֵּרָה֙ gerah HNcfsa gerahs scraped weight-unit 5

Occurrences in Scripture

5 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H1626-01 Exodus 30:13 גֵּרָה֙ gerah HNcfsa gerahs scraped weight-unit
H1626-01 Leviticus 27:25 גֵּרָ֖ה gerah HNcfsa gerahs scraped weight-unit
H1626-01 Numbers 3:47 גֵּרָ֖ה gerah HNcfsa gerahs scraped weight-unit
H1626-01 Numbers 18:16 גֵּרָ֖ה gerah HNcfsa gerahs scraped weight-unit
H1626-01 Ezekiel 45:12 גֵּרָ֑ה gerah HNcfsa gerahs scraped weight-unit
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