Balance

The balance or scales was the primary instrument of commercial weight measurement in the ancient Near East and appears throughout Scripture both as a practical object and as a moral symbol. The Hebrew kaneh (measuring rod or scale) and moznaim (balance, literally two ears) refer to the two-pan balance suspended from a central beam. Leviticus 19:36 commands just balances and just weights as an expression of covenant ethics in commerce. Proverbs 11:1 declares that a false balance is an abomination to the LORD but a just weight is his delight.

The theological range of the metaphor is wide. Isaiah 46:6 pictures idolaters weighing gold in the balance to hire a goldsmith. Ezekiel 5:1 uses the balance to weigh divided portions of the prophet's hair in an enacted sign. Daniel 5:27 announces God's judgment on Belshazzar with the word Tekel — thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. Revelation 6:5 places a balance in the hand of the rider on the black horse, symbolizing the economic scarcity of the third seal.