Dram

The dram (also called drachm, and rendered "daric" in the UPDV) is a Persian gold coin used in the postexilic books to count large gifts of precious metal. It surfaces only in the records of the temple project — David's transfer of resources to Solomon, and the offerings of the returnees under Cyrus and Nehemiah.

David's Provision for the Temple

In the assembly at which David hands the building project to Solomon, the inventory of contributions is given in talents of gold and silver and in darics: "and they gave for the service of the house of God: of gold five thousand talents and ten thousand darics, and of silver ten thousand talents, and of bronze eighteen thousand talents, and of iron a hundred thousand talents" (1Ch 29:7).

The Returnees' Treasury Under Cyrus

The list of those who came back with Zerubbabel closes with a record of what they gave to the rebuilding fund. The contribution is given as a sum of darics, minas of silver, and priests' garments, set down as a measure of generosity according to means: "they gave after their ability into the treasury of the work threescore and one thousand darics of gold, and five thousand minas of silver, and one hundred priests' garments" (Ezr 2:69).

A second contribution is recorded when Ezra brings up the gold and silver vessels with the later return. The bowls he carries are weighed in darics: "and twenty bowls of gold, of a thousand darics; and two vessels of fine bright bronze, precious as gold" (Ezr 8:27).

Nehemiah's Roll of Gifts

Nehemiah's parallel list of returnees concludes with three layered gifts to the treasury — from the governor, from the heads of fathers' houses, and from the rest of the people — each measured in darics of gold and minas of silver: "And some from among the heads of fathers' [houses] gave to the work. The governor gave to the treasury a thousand darics of gold, fifty basins, five hundred and thirty priests' garments" (Ne 7:70). "And some of the heads of fathers' [houses] gave into the treasury of the work twenty thousand darics of gold, and two thousand and two hundred minas of silver" (Ne 7:71). "And that which the rest of the people gave was twenty thousand darics of gold, and two thousand minas of silver, and threescore and seven priests' garments" (Ne 7:72).