Jeremiah Buys Land in Anathoth (32:1-44) 507
seventeen shekels of silver. Since we do not know how much land was
sold, nor do we know current values, this purchase price cannot be assessed
as to worth. Biblical comparisons have only limited value. Joseph was sold
to the Midianite traders for 20 (shekels of) silver (Gen 37:28), and David
bought a threshing floor and oxen from Araunah the Jebusite for 50 shekels
of silver (2 Sam 24:24). Presumably, Jeremiah bought the field at market
value, although land values now would surely be depressed. It should be noted
that Jeremiah did have the money to make the purchase. We do know how
much silver changed hands. One shekel was equivalent to 11.4 grams in
weight (Meshorer 1978: 131; 1998: 21; P. J. King 1999: 105), which means that
17 shekels of silver would have weighed 193 .8 grams, or 6.78 ounces (Appen-
dix IV), just less than half a pound. For pictures of a silver jewelry hoard,
Hacksilber, and a silver ingot excavated at Tel Miqne-Ekron (Hoard 2), dat-
ing to Nebuchadrezzar's destruction of the city in 604 B.C. and weighing
259.4 grams, see Gitin and Golani 2001: 31, 33 +pis. 2.3 and 2.4. The T sets
Jeremiah's purchase price at "seven manas and ten selas of silver," where the
mana (Heb maneh) is now said to equal 25 usual shekels, and the sela one
shekel (Rosenberg, 260). This would total 185 shekels, which looks to be an
inflationary figure, but we have to be cautious since values and standards
changed over time, and at a given time could even differ in regions of the
same country. The Mishnah, for example, states that the maneh of Jerusalem
differed in weight from the maneh in Tsippori (Meshorer 1978: 131). There is
some doubt over an apparent reference to this verse in Matt 27:9-10, where it
states that the 30 pieces of silver returned by Judas were used to buy a burial
place for strangers. Quesnel (1989) says that while most exegetes think thf,
Matthew passage alludes to Zech 11:12-13, he thinks the allusion is rather to
Lam 4: 1-2, noting that ancient Jewish tradition ascribed Lamentations to Jere-
miah. But the Zechariah text and its reference to 30 shekels of silver is a better
fit, which would mean that Matthew's citation of Jeremiah is in error. If refer-
ence is being made to Jeremiah's purchase here, then we have to settle for a
very loose fulfillment of this prophetic act by the Gospel writer.
- Then I wrote in the deed, and I sealed it, and I called for witnesses, and I
weighed the silver on the two scales. This verse, repeating as it does the weighing
of the money, is simply a listing of all the actions necessary to complete the
transaction. Hebrew wa>ektob basseper ("Then I wrote in the deed") is trans-
lated in some of the modern Versions (JB; NAB; NJV) to mean that Jeremiah
drew up the deed, but more likely it means that the deed was drawn up at his
instruction and he simply signed it (RSV; NEB; NIV). The same expression is
used of the witnesses in v 12, and they only affix their signatures. Baruch, the
scribe, is present and would be the one writing up the deed (Avigad 1987: 202).
From the Elephantine papyri we know that professional scribes were required
to draw up legal documents (Porten 1968: 192-93). Avigad thinks that Baruch
would also have sealed it. We know from seal impressions found with Baruch's
name on it that he had his own seal (see Note for 36:4). But Jeremiah could
have affixed his name to the deed, since he was a party to the transaction.
