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talents

Talent (Heb. kikkar, "circle"; Gk. talanton, a "balance").

The name given to this weight, perhaps from its having been taken as "a round number" or sum total. It was the largest weight among the Hebrews, being used for metals, whether

gold (1 Ki 9:14; 10:10),

silver (2 Ki 5:22),

bronze (Ex 38:29), or

iron (1 Chr 29:7).

The talent was used by various nations and differed considerably. It is perhaps impossible to determine whether the Hebrews had one talent only or several of different weights. From (Ex 38:24-29) we infer that the talent of gold, silver, and bronze was a talent of the same weight, and the evidence favors but one weight of that denomination, which contained 3,000 shekels. Probably almost 100 pounds or a full weight for an able man to carry (2 Ki 5:23).

In the NT the talent occurs in a parable (Mt 25:15) and as the estimate of a stone's weight, "about one hundred pounds each" (Rev. 16:21).