The Widow's Mite (Bronze Prutah / Lepton)
The smallest coins in circulation — Hasmonean and Herodian bronze leptons
Found 1900 — Found by the thousands in every excavation of the period in Israel; no single discovery
Where Throughout Judea and Galilee (Israel)
Dates from c. 103 BCE–70 CE · Late Hellenistic–Early Roman · Ministry of Yeshua
Now at Israel Museum, Jerusalem, and virtually every collection of ancient coins
How The Widow's Mite (Bronze Prutah / Lepton) was found
Tiny bronze coins of Alexander Jannaeus (103–76 BCE) were struck in such huge numbers that they stayed in circulation for over a century, joined by small bronzes of Herod, his sons and the Roman governors. They are the most common find in Second Temple sites.
What it is
Crude bronze coins about 1 cm across and 1–2 grams in weight. The commonest, of Alexander Jannaeus, show an anchor with a Greek legend on one side and an eight-pointed star within a diadem with the Hebrew 'Yehonatan the king' on the other. A lepton was worth 1/128 of a denarius, the day's wage.
Why it matters for the Bible
Mark says the widow put in 'two lepta, which make a quadrans', the smallest coins there were. Coins like these are what she gave — all she had to live on. Their crude, worn condition makes the story concrete: her gift was almost worthless in money and, in Yeshua's eyes, worth more than all the rest.
The Hebrew word: pe-roo-TAH
פְּרוּטָה
פְּרוּטָה is pronounced pe-roo-TAH and means prutah, the smallest bronze coin (rabbinic term); Greek lepton, 'thin, small' (G3016) (Strong's G3016).
People this discovery connects to
- Alexander Jannaeus — יְהוֹנָתָן (יַנַּאי) הַמֶּלֶךְ (Ye-ho-na-TAN (Yan-NAI) ha-MEH-lech) — Hasmonean king 103–76 BCE, named on the coins
Places
- Temple — בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ (Beit ha-mik-DASH) — house of the sanctuary
Events
The widow's offering in the Temple treasury
The Widow's Mite (Bronze Prutah / Lepton) in Scripture
Matthew 5:26 First mention of Mite in Scripture.
Mark 12:42 'A poor widow came and put in two lepta, which make a quadrans' — the coin itself.
Luke 21:2-4 Luke's telling: 'she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on'.
Questions people ask
What is The Widow's Mite (Bronze Prutah / Lepton)?
Crude bronze coins about 1 cm across and 1–2 grams in weight. The commonest, of Alexander Jannaeus, show an anchor with a Greek legend on one side and an eight-pointed star within a diadem with the Hebrew 'Yehonatan the king' on the other. A lepton was worth 1/128 of a denarius, the day's wage.
When was The Widow's Mite (Bronze Prutah / Lepton) discovered?
It was found in 1900 by Found by the thousands in every excavation of the period in Israel; no single discovery, at Throughout Judea and Galilee.
Where is The Widow's Mite (Bronze Prutah / Lepton) today?
Israel Museum, Jerusalem, and virtually every collection of ancient coins.
Which Bible verses does The Widow's Mite (Bronze Prutah / Lepton) relate to?
Matthew 5:26, Mark 12:42, Luke 21:2-4.
Related discoveries
- חֶבֶר הַיְּהוּדִיםHasmonean Coins of John Hyrcanus and Alexander JannaeusThe bronze prutot of the Maccabean priest-kings, with 'Yehohanan the High Priest' and Jannaeus's anchor and star
- אֲשֵׁרָהJudean Pillar FigurinesThousands of little clay women from Judah's homes — Asherah, prayer aids or charms?
- מִקְוֶהHasmonean Winter Palaces at JerichoRoyal estate with swimming pools and ritual baths where the Hasmonean kings wintered
- מַטְבֵּעַCoins of Pontius PilateSmall bronzes with Roman priestly symbols, minted in Jerusalem under Pilate in 29–31 CE
- צֶלֶםTribute Penny (Denarius of Tiberius)'Whose image is this?' — the silver denarius with Caesar's portrait
- שְׁבִיJudaea Capta CoinsRoman coins celebrating the conquest of Judea with a weeping woman under a palm tree
Sources
- Hendin, Guide to Biblical Coins (5th ed., 2010)
- Wikipedia: Lesson of the widow's mite
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