The above words refer to the mina. According to most authorities, the maneh was equal to 50 shekels, and there were 60 minas in a talent. Some authorities, however, say there were 60 shekels in a mina and 50 minas in a talent (see EZK 45:12).
1KI 10:17: The weight of a gold shield is given as “three minas” (RSV) in this verse. Most common-language translations have a modern weight equivalent, for example, “almost four pounds” (CEV) and “almost two kilograms” (ITCL).
EZR 2:69; NEH 7:70; NEH 7:71: Translators generally give the amounts here for the word maneh in minas (with or without a note), or they give a modern weight equivalent. In EZR 2:69 for the literal phrase “five thousand minas of silver” (RSV), SPCL is a bit heavy, writing out “two thousand seven hundred and fifty kilos of silver.” NCV rounds off the figure to the same number of significant figures as the original text, saying “about 6000 pounds of silver.”
EZK 45:12 defines one mina as 60 shekels. This is unusual in Scripture, and it may represent a purposefully higher “royal” figure.
LUK 19:13; LUK 19:16; LUK 19:16; LUK 19:18; LUK 19:18; LUK 19:20; LUK 19:24; LUK 19:24; LUK 19:25: The amount given to the servants in this parable almost certainly represents a sum of money and not a weight. The precise value of this money is not in focus here but rather what three of the servants did with what they received. It may be helpful to keep in mind that one mna was approximately equal to the wages of a day laborer for four months. While the exact amount is not important, it is significant that they each received the same amount. CEV seems to obscure this point by rendering the second clause in LUK 19:13 as “gave each of them some money” (similarly REB). Here the model of ITCL is preferable: “he gave each of them the same amount of money.” NCV renders mna as “a coin,” but this is misleading since no country today has in circulation a coin of such high value. Its footnote does explain that it was a large sum of money, but inaccurately states the amount to be three months’ wages. GNT “a gold coin” is only slightly better. Better still is “a large sum of money” (SPCLITCL).
For the Aramaic word mne’ in DAN 5:25; DAN 5:25; DAN 5:26, see the discussion under peres above, Peres, Parsin.