I read in Genesis chapter 47 verses 14 - 18 in the Bible that Jacobs son Joseph and his brothers used money. I do believe this "money" would have been used around 1836 BC to 1689 BC. So I am asking what form this money was? Maybe somebody even has a picture of some or even an example? Thank you!
Hmm. Not sure on the years but I did find this online (Duh, where else). In early biblical times, ‘money’ just meant pieces of silver that were checked for purity with a touchstone and weighed out when a transaction was made1. Silver was used for trade and transactions while gold became a way to hold and preserve wealth1. The history of the money used by the Jews, the different denominations of ancient money, the debasement of money, conversions among the various monetary systems of the time, how money was used in the New Testament, and the appearance of ancient money are also discussed
Good question. I can see how you could arrive at that conclusion based on most English translations of Genesis. However, the Hebrew word from which "money" was translated actually simply means "silver". Below is Genesis 47:14 from Young's Literal Translation: "And Joseph gathereth all the silver that is found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn that they are buying, and Joseph bringeth the silver into the house of Pharaoh." Before the usage of any coins or currency began (which surely included the days of Joseph), precious metals were used for purchases. So, in a way, silver was used as money, however it was not "money" as we think of it today.
As mentioned, silver, either as articles of use or bulk, served as a medium of exchange. Abraham purchased a field and cave to bury his wife, Sara. Genesis 23:3-20 gives a fascinating account of the details of the transaction. They agreed on a price of 400 shekels of silver, and it says Abraham "weighed out for Ephron the silver..." He weighed it, not counted it. Commodities also served as money. In the book of Job, which seems to describe a time pre-Abraham, Job is described as the richest man in the east, but his wealth is given in numbers of sheep, camels, oxen, donkeys, and servants rather than precious metal. (Job 1:3) Samson paid a gambling debt with clothing. (Judges 14:19)
The Book of Genesis was written in the post-exile period, c. 5th c. BC. At this time, coins were currently used in the Levant. Even if Joseph and his brothers' story was supposed to take place in ancient times, the redactors could have mentioned their own time's realia... This being said, we know that a kind of precursory silver coinage already existed in 18th Dynasty Egypt, in the 14th c. BC. https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=6500036
