Genesis 24:22 · measurement explained
A half-shekel ring and ten-shekel bracelets
After the camels finish drinking, Abraham's servant gives Rebekah a gold ring and two bracelets whose weights are stated in shekels.
Read the verse first
As the camels had finished drinking, the man took a golden ring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold,
World English Bible · engwebp-source-2026-09-12
Modern measurement range
Ring: half a shekel
4.8–7.0 g
0.17–0.25 oz
Using the shekel by weight estimate. Merchant, sanctuary, royal, regional, and later coin standards differed. The broad range prevents a single 11 g reference estimate from being treated as universal.
Calculate another amount →Bracelets: ten shekels
95–140 g
3.35–4.94 oz
Using the shekel by weight estimate. Merchant, sanctuary, royal, regional, and later coin standards differed. The broad range prevents a single 11 g reference estimate from being treated as universal.
Calculate another amount →A half shekel is equivalent to a beka in the sanctuary system, but the verse itself says half a shekel rather than using the word beka.
What this conversion does—and does not—show
It gives a defensible modern scale for the amount stated in the verse. Ancient standards varied by time and place, so the endpoints are deliberately approximate. A volume is not a food mass, a metal weight is not a modern cash value, and a conversion does not settle a textual, archaeological, or theological debate.
Conversion references: ESV weights and measures ↗, American Bible Society ↗, and Encyclopedia of the Bible ↗. Reference pages accessed October 10, 2026.