1) half, part also called "shekel of the sanctuary" or "holy shekel" 2) half a shekel (meton) There appears to be at least three different shekels, one of silver, gold and copper. See a Bible Dictionary for a complete treatment of the subject.
STRONG'S WORD STUDY
H1235 — בֶּ֫קַע
be.qa · bekah · Hebrew/Aramaic
2 tagged verse occurrences
Genesis 24:22 · בֶּ֖קַעAnd after the camels had finished drinking, he took out a gold ring weighing a beka, and two gold bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels.Exodus 38:26 · בֶּ֚קַעa beka per person, that is, half a shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel, from everyone twenty years of age or older who had crossed over to be numbered, a total of 603,550 men.