Discovery BoxExodus 21:32 
Context21:32 If the ox gores a male servant or a female servant, the owner 1 must pay thirty shekels of silver, 2 and the ox must be stoned. 3
Exodus 38:25
Context38:25 The silver of those who were numbered of the community was one hundred talents and 1,775 shekels, 4 according to the sanctuary shekel,
Exodus 38:28
Context38:28 From the remaining 1,775 shekels 5 he made hooks for the posts, overlaid their tops, and made bands for them.
1 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the owner) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 sn A shekel was a unit for measure by means of a scale. Both the weight and the value of a shekel of silver are hard to determine. “Though there is no certainty, the shekel is said to weigh about 11,5 grams” (C. Houtman, Exodus, 3:181). Over four hundred years earlier, Joseph was sold into Egypt for 20 shekels. The free Israelite citizen was worth about 50 shekels (Lev 27:3f.).
3 sn See further B. S. Jackson, “The Goring Ox Again [Ex. 21,28-36],” JJP 18 (1974): 55-94.
4 sn This would be a total of 301,775 shekels (about 140,828 oz), being a half shekel exacted per person from 605,550 male Israelites 20 years old or more (Num 1:46). The amount is estimated to be around 3.75 tons.
5 tn Here the word “shekels” is understood; about 45 pounds.
