weight
How much is a biblical beka?
A beka was half a shekel, the per-person amount named in Exodus 38:26.
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beka — A beka was half a shekel, the per-person amount named in Exodus 38:26.
The relationship in the text is firmer than any one modern gram equivalent.
Direct answer
1 beka ≈ 5.5–5.8 g ≈ 0.19–0.2 oz
The relationship in the text is firmer than any one modern gram equivalent.
Biblical ratio: 1 beka = 10 gerahs = 1/2 shekel.
| Amount | Metric range | US customary / imperial range |
|---|---|---|
| 1 beka | 5.5–5.8 g | 0.19–0.2 oz |
| 2 bekas | 11–11.6 g | 0.39–0.41 oz |
| 5 bekas | 27.5–29 g | 0.97–1.02 oz |
| 10 bekas | 55–58 g | 1.94–2.05 oz |
Primary reference: ESV Global Study Bible · Table of Weights and Measures ↗. The default system used for the representative estimates. The table says all equivalents are approximate and varied by time and place. Accessed October 10, 2026.
Bible passages using this unit
Questions about bekas
How much is one beka today?
5.5–5.8 g, or 0.19–0.2 oz, in this site's selected approximate system. The relationship in the text is firmer than any one modern gram equivalent.
Is the beka conversion exact?
No. Biblical weights and measures varied by period, place, and standard. The displayed range is for reading scale and should not be treated as a calibrated surviving object.
Can I turn the result into a modern price or food weight?
Not without additional evidence. Metal price, purchasing power, material purity, grain density, and container packing are separate questions from unit conversion.
Related units
gerah
A gerah was one twentieth of a sanctuary shekel in passages that state the relationship.
shekel by weight
Before it was a modern currency name, the biblical shekel was fundamentally a unit of weight.
pim
A pim was an Iron Age weight of roughly two thirds of a shekel, reflected as payim in the WEB text of 1 Samuel 13:21.
mina (50-shekel estimate)
The common reference estimate treats a mina as about fifty shekels or roughly 0.6 kilogram.