Matius 9:9

The Call of Matthew; Eating with Sinners

9:9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax booth. ¹  “Follow me,” he said to him. And he got up and followed him.

Matius 24:26

24:26 So then, if someone ²  says to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ ³  do not go out, or ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe him.

Matius 26:10

26:10 When ⁴  Jesus learned of this, he said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She ⁵  has done a good service for me.

[9:9]  ¹ tn While “tax office” is sometimes given as a translation for τελώνιον (telwnion, so L&N 57.183), this could give the modern reader a false impression of an indoor office with all its associated furnishings.

[9:9]  sn The tax booth was a booth located on the edge of a city or town to collect taxes for trade. There was a tax booth in Capernaum, which was on the trade route from Damascus to Galilee and the Mediterranean. The “taxes” were collected on produce and goods brought into the area for sale, and were a sort of “sales tax” paid by the seller but obviously passed on to the purchaser in the form of increased prices (L&N 57.183). It was here that Jesus met Matthew (also named Levi [see Mark 2:14, Luke 5:27]) who was ultimately employed by the Romans, though perhaps more directly responsible to Herod Antipas. It was his job to collect taxes for Rome and he was thus despised by Jews who undoubtedly regarded him as a traitor.

[24:26]  ² tn Grk “they say.” The third person plural is used here as an indefinite and translated “someone” (ExSyn 402).

[24:26]  ³ tn Or “in the desert.”

[26:10]  ⁴ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[26:10]  ⁵ tn Grk “For she.” Here γάρ (gar) has not been translated.