“Notice it spoke of a day’s wage, not X number of denarii. As in, “you’ll have to work an entire day to pay for this food staple”, etc.”
Read the text in the original Greek. It specifically states a choenix for a denarius. The term “day’s wages” is an English translation. Same with the term “scales” the original Greek is always translated “yoke”. Yoke is associated with submission or bondage. I think it is painting a picture of economic bondage associated with a great depression.
I was wrong, the KJV speaks of a “penny”, which you are correct, is a denarius which was a manual laborer’s standard daily wage in the reign of Tiberius.
I blame my mistake on Sunday School. LOL!
I found 4 different Greek New Testaments in Bible Gateway, and I am not fluent in Greek at all, so I have to use study guides, therefore I have nothing to add there. I don’t know which version(s) would have the subtext about balances and yokes; I don’t know if it even matters to tell the truth.
Here is something to think about in reference to the devaluation of the Roman denarius, which began happening many years after the death and resurrection of Christ.
Internally to Rome, you’re correct, it wouldn’t mean anything. A denarius is a denarius; a Roman ditch-digger would get paid a denarius a day no matter what.
However, as soon as the hypothetical ditch-digger tried to buy foreign goods, the silver in the denarius becomes crucial. A foreign merchant or a Roman merchant that dealt in foreign goods would suddenly find his customers paying him less and less - even though the number of denarii would remain the same.
Essentially the Roman coins would become a fiat currency, not backed by any truly precious metal.
At any rate, depression, deflation, inflation, whatever, I simply posted a link to an article about the historical situation. It made sense to me; you can respond to the guy who wrote it if you have a different opinion. Here it is again:
http://dailyreckoning.com/the-fall-of-the-roman-denarius/