Albert Barnes Commentary Ezra 8:27

"and twenty bowls of gold, of a thousand darics; and two vessels of fine bright brass, precious as gold." — Ezra 8:27 (ASV)

Twenty basins of gold, of a thousand drams - Not of a thousand drams (i. e., darics) each, but worth altogether a thousand darics. As the value of the daric was about 22 shillings of British money, each basin, or saucer, would have been worth (apart from the fashioning) 55 British pounds.

Of fine copper - The word translated “fine,” which occurs here only, is thought to mean either “yellow” or “glittering” (see the margin). Probably the vessels were of orichalcum, an amalgam which was either brass or something closely resembling brass, but which was very rarely produced in the ancient world, and, when produced, was regarded as highly valuable.