Greek word · G1220

δηνάριον

dēnarion

denarius

The Roman silver denarius, the basic coin of the Roman east. It was the usual daily wage for an agricultural labourer.

Appears 16 times in 15 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

δηνάριον, -ου, τό

the Lat. denarius, a Roman coin, nearly equal to the δραχμή, which see: Matthew 18:28 20:2, 9, 13 22:19, Mark 6:37 12:15 14:5, Luke 7:41 10:35 20:24, John 6:7 12:5, Revelation 6:6; τὸ ἀνὰ δ., Matthew 20:10.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of John 12:5

Range of meaning

The Roman silver denarius, the basic coin of the Roman east. It was the usual daily wage for an agricultural labourer.

Against the English

KJV 'pence' (from Tyndale onward, translating denarius as 'penny') sounds like small change to a modern reader. NIV/NLT turn it into 'a year's wages', which conveys the value but drops the coin. BSB/ESV/NASB/WEB keep 'denarii'.

How it drifted

English Bibles used the native silver penny as the nearest equivalent coin. Inflation and decimal coinage have since made 'pence' mean almost nothing.

Used elsewhere in the period

In Matt 20:2 the vineyard workers agree to 'a denarius for the day'. Tobit 5:14 (Septuagint) has a drachma, an equivalent coin, as a day's pay. Mark 14:5 gives the figure as 'more than three hundred denarii'. Feeding the crowd in John 6:7 would have taken 'two hundred denarii'.

From the study of Matthew 20:13

Range of meaning

The Roman silver denarius, about 3.5–4 grams of silver in the first century. In the Gospels it is the typical pay for a day's labour (Matt 20:2) and the coin of the imperial tax (Matt 22:19).

Against the English

KJV's "penny" makes it sound like pocket change. In 1611 an English penny was a silver coin of real but modest value, and the translators chose it as the closest everyday silver coin. Modern readers hear an almost worthless coin. NLT's "the usual wage" (or similar) gets the function right but loses the specific coin.

How it drifted

The English penny lost value over centuries, so the KJV wording now badly understates the sum.

Used elsewhere in the period

Tobit 5:15 has a drachma (roughly equal to a denarius) as a day's wage. Later rabbinic sources also treat a denarius (zuz) as roughly a day's pay. Tacitus (Annals 1.17) has mutinous soldiers demanding a denarius a day as fair pay.

From the study of Mark 6:37

Range of meaning

The Roman denarius, a silver coin. It was the standard wage for a day's farm work (Matthew 20:2) and carried the emperor's image (Mark 12:15–16).

Against the English

The KJV's 'two hundred pennyworth' sounds like small change to modern ears. The ESV, NASB, BSB and WEB keep 'denarii', which is accurate, but they rely on a footnote or on readers already knowing its value. The NIV and NLT convert it into time worked ('more than half a year's wages', 'work for months'), which gets the scale across but drops the coin.

How it drifted

In 1611 the English penny was a silver coin with real buying power, and translators commonly used 'penny' for the denarius. Centuries of inflation have turned the penny into the smallest coin there is, so the KJV wording now suggests the opposite of what it meant.

Used elsewhere in the period

Matthew 20:2, 'a denarius for the day.' Tobit 5:15 gives a drachma a day as a wage, and the drachma was worth about the same as the denarius. Revelation 6:6 treats a quart of wheat for a denarius as a famine price. John 6:7 has Philip use the same figure: 'two hundred denarii worth of bread is not enough.'

Where it appears

Matthew · 6

  1. Matthew 18:28 δηνάρια, denarii,

    But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe me!’

  2. Matthew 20:2 δηναρίου a denarius

    He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

  3. Matthew 20:9 δηνάριον. a denarius.

    The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius.

  4. Matthew 20:10 δηνάριον a denarius

    So when the original workers came, they assumed they would receive more. But each of them also received a denarius.

    Here: A Roman silver coin, the usual pay for a day's labour. It is exactly what they had agreed to in v. 2, neither less nor more.

  5. Matthew 20:13 δηναρίου for a denarius

    But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Did you not agree with me on one denarius?

    Here: "For a denarius". The genitive case marks the agreed price. A denarius was the Roman silver coin that served as the ordinary day's pay for a hired labourer.

  6. Matthew 22:19 δηνάριον. a denarius.

    Show Me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought Him a denarius.

Mark · 3

  1. Mark 6:37 δηναρίων denarii

    But Jesus told them, “You give them something to eat.” They asked Him, “Should we go out and spend two hundred denarii to give all of them bread to eat?”

    Here: 'Denarii.' The Greek case here shows the price: 'for denarii.' A denarius was a silver Roman coin, roughly a day's pay for a labourer.

  2. Mark 12:15 δηνάριον a denarius

    But Jesus saw through their hypocrisy and said, “Why are you testing Me? Bring Me a denarius to inspect.”

  3. Mark 14:5 δηναρίων denarii

    It could have been sold for over three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor.” And they scolded her.

Luke · 3

  1. Luke 7:41 δηνάρια denarii

    “Two men were debtors to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.

  2. Luke 10:35 δηνάρια denarii

    The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Take care of him,’ he said, ‘and on my return I will repay you for any additional expense.’

  3. Luke 20:24 δηνάριον· a denarius;

    “Show Me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?” “Caesar’s,” they answered.

John · 2

  1. John 6:7 δηναρίων denarii worth

    Philip answered, “Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to have a small piece.”

  2. John 12:5 δηναρίων denarii

    “Why wasn’t this perfume sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?”

    Here: The standard day's wage for a labourer (Matt 20:2). Three hundred is close to a full year's pay once Sabbaths and feast days are left out.

Revelation · 2

  1. Revelation 6:6 δηναρίου δηναρίου, for a denarius, for a denarius,

    And I heard what sounded like a voice from among the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine.”

    Here: The genitive case here marks a price: "for a denarius". A denarius was a silver coin and roughly a labourer's pay for a day (Matthew 20:2).

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.