The answer is: 20

Gen 37:28

Joseph, the favored son of Jacob, set the stage for one of the most dramatic family sagas in the Bible; all in the midst of his brothers' jealousy. When his own siblings, driven by envy, decided to sell him to the passing Ishmaelites, they agreed on the price: 20 shekels of silver.

Now, let’s dive a bit deeper into that number. Twenty shekels represented a fairly low selling price—enough to underscore how greatly the brothers despised him. For comparison’s sake, a slave during that time might be worth much more, pointing to how Joseph's brothers might have disregarded him as worthless. Interestingly, shekels were a standard unit of weight and currency used in ancient times, with silver being a major trade material.

What’s more fascinating is the historical tie this narrative has with economic factors in ancient Egypt and the Near East. Later, in biblical laws like those in Leviticus (25:50), transactions often referenced shekels, showing how pervasive and familiar this currency was in society at the time.

Joseph's journey from being sold to Egypt would ultimately lead him from pit to power, where he would reunite with his family during a time of famine, revealing the mercy and grace that often flows through these encounters—true echoes of reconciliation found throughout a larger biblical narrative!