What Is a Widow's Mite?

Coins representing the widow's mite.

In the Bible story, Jesus sat in the Temple, watching people drop money into the treasury. He remarked that the widow had given all she had--two mites, or copper coins of very small value---and had given more than other donors.

Value of a Mite

A mite was a coin of small value during the first century C.E., worth about one-eighth of a U.S. penny. Many mites were produced in the previous century and were still in circulation at the time the story of the widow was told.

Leptons and Prutahs

It is thought that the widow's mite was probably a lepton or a prutah, because these were the smallest denomination coins minted about the time of the Bible story.

Crudely Made Coins

Because bronze leptons and prutahs were of little value and extremely common coins, they were minted crudely and quickly. The imprints on them were frequently off-center and the edges very uneven.

Moral of the Widow's Mite Story

The poor widow had donated her last coins, and Jesus used this act to demonstrate the faith she must have had to give wholeheartedly out of her poverty rather than from an abundance, as others had.

Fun Facts About Leptons

A lepton was extremely small, only about the size of the top of a pencil eraser. The term lepton used in physics also refers to very small subatomic particles.

References

• Forum Ancient Coins: Widow's Mites Biblical Coins
• Doug Smith: Widow's Mites

Resources

• The Widow's Mite: The Story of the Widow's Mites