Bible Dictionary
Denarius
The denarius was a Roman silver coin commonly used in the time of Jesus and the apostles. It represented approximately a day’s wage for a laborer and was used in Jesus’ teaching about wages and taxation.
Definition
The denarius was a Roman silver coin used in the time of Jesus and the apostles. It was the principal silver coin of the Roman commonwealth and commonly represented the pay of a soldier or a day laborer.
Biblical Usage
In the parable of the laborers in the vineyard, a denarius appears as the ordinary payment for a day’s labor. The coin also appears in discussions concerning payment of tribute to the Roman government.
Historical Background
The coin originally equaled ten asses, though the number later increased to sixteen. Its value is variously estimated in the supplied material at about fifteen to twenty cents.
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Smith's Bible Dictionary
(containing ten), Authorized Version “penny,” (Matthew 18:28; 20:2,9,13) a Roman silver coin in the time of our Saviour and the Apostles, worth about 15 cents. It took its name from its being first equal to ten “asses,” a number afterwards increased to sixteen. It was the principal silver coin of the Roman commonwealth. From the parable of the laborers in the vineyard it would seem that a denarius was then the ordinary pay for a day’s labor. (Matthew 20:2,4,7,9,10,13)
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>de-na'-ri-us (denarion): A Roman silver coin, 25 of which went to the aureus, the standard gold coin of the empire in the time of Augustus, which was equal in value to about one guinea or $5,25; more exactly œ1.0,6 = $5.00, the œ = $4,866. Hence, the value of the denarius would be about 20 cents and this was the ordinary wage of a soldier and a day laborer. The word is uniformly rendered "penny" in the King James Version and "shilling" in the American Standard Revised Version, except in Mt 22:19; Mr 12:15 and Lu 20:24, where the Latin word is used, since in these passsages it refers to the coin in which tribute was paid to the Roman government. See MONEY.</p><p>H. Porter</p>