CategoryBackground / Coin and Value Term
Modern Equivalentday’s wage coin; small money amount.
KJV Word TypeCoin term / value term
DefinitionA coin or wage amount used in KJV translation, often corresponding to a Roman denarius. “Pence” is the plural form.
Key Verses"And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard." (Matthew 20:2); "Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little." (John 6:7)
KJV Usage NoteRefers to ancient coinage or wage value, commonly associated with the Roman denarius in New Testament contexts.
Common MisunderstandingIt does not mean a modern penny; in KJV contexts it often represents a much larger ancient wage or coin value.
EtymologyFrom Old English pening ("penny, coin").