An ancient Hebrew unit of weight, equal to half a shekel, used especially for weighing precious metals and in biblical contexts.
From Hebrew 'beqah,' literally meaning 'half' or 'division,' derived from the root meaning to divide or split. The term appears in biblical texts as a standard monetary and weight unit in ancient Israel.
The bekah appears in the Bible when Exodus describes how Israeli families were taxed—each person paid a half-shekel called a bekah, and archaeological discoveries confirm these weights were actually used in ancient commerce!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.