WAGE, DAY LABORER
In ancient times, it was common to pay in kind (Gen. 29:15, 20; 30:28-34), but also with silver (Ex. 2:9).
The Law of Moses ordered that laborers be paid at nightfall (Lev. 19:13; Deut. 24:14, 15).
The prophets denounced those who withheld wages due from their workers (Jer. 22:13; Mal. 3:5; Jas. 5:4).
In the time of Christ, the salary for a day’s work was one denarius (equivalent to about four grams of silver, cf. Mt. 20:2). The purchasing capacity of this sum was great, although we do not know it exactly (cf. Luke 10:35).