Matthew 20:2

A penny a day. — Measured by its weight, the “penny — i.e., the Roman denarius, then the common standard of value in Palestine — was, as nearly as possible, sevenpence-halfpenny of our coinage. Its real equivalent, however, is to be found in its purchasing power, and, as the average price of the unskilled labour of the tiller of the soil, it may fairly be reckoned as equal to about half-a-crown of our present currency. It was, that is, in itself, an adequate and just payment.