Penny. In the New Testament, "penny," either alone or in the compound, "pennyworth," occurs as the rendering of the Roman denarius. Matthew 20:2; Matthew 22:10; Mark 6:37; Mark 12:15; Luke 20:24; John 6:7; Revelation 6:6. The denarius was the chief Roman silver coin, and was worth about 15 to 17 cents.