Yohanes 8:8

8:8 Then ¹  he bent over again and wrote on the ground.

Yohanes 9:6

9:6 Having said this, ²  he spat on the ground and made some mud ³  with the saliva. He ⁴  smeared the mud on the blind man’s ⁵  eyes

Yohanes 4:3-4

4:3 he left Judea and set out once more for Galilee. ⁶ 

Conversation With a Samaritan Woman

4:4 But he had ⁷  to pass through Samaria. ⁸ 

Yohanes 8:6

8:6 (Now they were asking this in an attempt to trap him, so that they could bring charges against ⁹  him.) ¹⁰  Jesus bent down and wrote on the ground with his finger. ¹¹ 

Yohanes 7:1

The Feast of Tabernacles

7:1 After this ¹²  Jesus traveled throughout Galilee. ¹³  He ¹⁴  stayed out of Judea ¹⁵  because the Jewish leaders ¹⁶  wanted ¹⁷  to kill him.

Yohanes 12:24

12:24 I tell you the solemn truth, ¹⁸  unless a kernel of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains by itself alone. ¹⁹  But if it dies, it produces ²⁰  much grain. ²¹ 

Yohanes 4:5

4:5 Now he came to a Samaritan town ²²  called Sychar, ²³  near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. ²⁴ 

Yohanes 9:14

9:14 (Now the day on which Jesus made the mud ²⁵  and caused him to see ²⁶  was a Sabbath.) ²⁷ 

Yohanes 18:6

18:6 So when Jesus ²⁸  said to them, “I am he,” they retreated ²⁹  and fell to the ground. ³⁰ 

Yohanes 2:1

Turning Water into Wine

2:1 Now on the third day there was a wedding at Cana ³¹  in Galilee. ³²  Jesus’ mother ³³  was there,

Yohanes 4:54

4:54 Jesus did this as his second miraculous sign ³⁴  when he returned from Judea to Galilee.

Yohanes 3:22

Further Testimony About Jesus by John the Baptist

3:22 After this, ³⁵  Jesus and his disciples came into Judean territory, and there he spent time with them and was baptizing.

Yohanes 4:47

4:47 When he heard that Jesus had come back from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and begged him ³⁶  to come down and heal his son, who was about to die.

Yohanes 2:11

2:11 Jesus did this as the first of his miraculous signs, ³⁷  in Cana ³⁸  of Galilee. In this way he revealed ³⁹  his glory, and his disciples believed in him. ⁴⁰ 

Yohanes 12:21

12:21 So these approached Philip, ⁴¹  who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and requested, ⁴²  “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.”

Yohanes 9:11

9:11 He replied, ⁴³  “The man called Jesus made mud, ⁴⁴  smeared it ⁴⁵  on my eyes and told me, ⁴⁶  ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed, and was able to see.” ⁴⁷ 

Yohanes 4:46

Healing the Royal Official’s Son

4:46 Now he came again to Cana ⁴⁸  in Galilee where he had made the water wine. ⁴⁹  In ⁵⁰  Capernaum ⁵¹  there was a certain royal official ⁵²  whose son was sick.

Yohanes 11:7

11:7 Then after this, he said to his disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” ⁵³ 

Yohanes 9:15

9:15 So the Pharisees asked him again how he had gained his sight. ⁵⁴  He replied, ⁵⁵  “He put mud ⁵⁶  on my eyes and I washed, and now ⁵⁷  I am able to see.”

Yohanes 7:3

7:3 So Jesus’ brothers ⁵⁸  advised him, “Leave here and go to Judea so your disciples may see your miracles that you are performing. ⁵⁹ 

Yohanes 21:2

21:2 Simon Peter, Thomas ⁶⁰  (called Didymus), ⁶¹  Nathanael ⁶²  (who was from Cana ⁶³  in Galilee), the sons ⁶⁴  of Zebedee, ⁶⁵  and two other disciples ⁶⁶  of his were together.

Yohanes 11:54

11:54 Thus Jesus no longer went ⁶⁷  around publicly ⁶⁸  among the Judeans, ⁶⁹  but went away from there to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, ⁷⁰  and stayed there with his disciples.

Yohanes 4:45

4:45 So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him because they had seen all the things he had done in Jerusalem ⁷¹  at the feast ⁷²  (for they themselves had gone to the feast). ⁷³ 

Yohanes 6:49

6:49 Your ancestors ⁷⁴  ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.

Yohanes 1:23

1:23 John ⁷⁵  said, “I am the voice of one shouting in the wilderness, ‘Make straight ⁷⁶  the way for the Lord,’ ⁷⁷  as Isaiah the prophet said.”

Yohanes 3:14

3:14 Just as ⁷⁸  Moses lifted up the serpent ⁷⁹  in the wilderness, ⁸⁰  so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ⁸¹ 

Yohanes 6:31

6:31 Our ancestors ⁸²  ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” ⁸³ 

Yohanes 20:5-6

20:5 He bent down ⁸⁴  and saw the strips of linen cloth lying there, ⁸⁵  but he did not go in. 20:6 Then Simon Peter, who had been following him, arrived and went right into the tomb. He saw ⁸⁶  the strips of linen cloth lying there,

Yohanes 9:13

The Pharisees’ Reaction to the Healing

9:13 They brought the man who used to be blind ⁸⁷  to the Pharisees. ⁸⁸ 

Yohanes 12:23

12:23 Jesus replied, ⁸⁹  “The time ⁹⁰  has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ⁹¹ 

Yohanes 2:15

2:15 So he made a whip of cords ⁹²  and drove them all out of the temple courts, ⁹³  with the sheep and the oxen. He scattered the coins of the money changers ⁹⁴  and overturned their tables.

[8:8]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative. Greek style often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” but English style generally does not.

[9:6]  ² tn Grk “said these things.”

[9:6]  ³ tn Or “clay” (moistened earth of a clay-like consistency). The textual variant preserved in the Syriac text of Ephraem’s commentary on the Diatessaron (“he made eyes from his clay”) probably arose from the interpretation given by Irenaeus in Against Heresies: “that which the Artificer, the Word, had omitted to form in the womb, he then supplied in public.” This involves taking the clay as an allusion to Gen 2:7, which is very unlikely.

[9:6]  ⁴ tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) was replaced by a third person pronoun and a new sentence started here in the translation.

[9:6]  ⁵ tn Grk “on his.”

[4:3]  ⁶ sn The author doesn’t tell why Jesus chose to set out once more for Galilee. Some have suggested that the Pharisees turned their attention to Jesus because John the Baptist had now been thrown into prison. But the text gives no hint of this. In any case, perhaps Jesus simply did not want to provoke a confrontation at this time (knowing that his “hour” had not yet come).

[4:4]  ⁷ sn Travel through Samaria was not geographically necessary; the normal route for Jews ran up the east side of the Jordan River (Transjordan). Although some take the impersonal verb had to (δεῖ, dei) here to indicate logical necessity only, normally in John’s Gospel its use involves God’s will or plan (3:7, 3:14, 3:30, 4:4, 4:20, 4:24, 9:4, 10:16, 12:34, 20:9).

[4:4]  ⁸ sn Samaria. The Samaritans were descendants of 2 groups: (1) The remnant of native Israelites who were not deported after the fall of the Northern Kingdom in 722 b.c.; (2) Foreign colonists brought in from Babylonia and Media by the Assyrian conquerors to settle the land with inhabitants who would be loyal to Assyria. There was theological opposition between the Samaritans and the Jews because the former refused to worship in Jerusalem. After the exile the Samaritans put obstacles in the way of the Jewish restoration of Jerusalem, and in the 2nd century b.c. the Samaritans helped the Syrians in their wars against the Jews. In 128 b.c. the Jewish high priest retaliated and burned the Samaritan temple on Mount Gerizim.

[8:6]  ⁹ tn Grk “so that they could accuse.”

[8:6]  ¹⁰ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author of 7:53–8:11.

[8:6]  ¹¹ tn Or possibly “Jesus bent down and wrote an accusation on the ground with his finger.” The Greek verb καταγράφω (katagrafw) may indicate only the action of writing on the ground by Jesus, but in the overall context (Jesus’ response to the accusation against the woman) it can also be interpreted as implying that what Jesus wrote was a counteraccusation against the accusers (although there is no clue as to the actual content of what he wrote, some scribes added “the sins of each one of them” either here or at the end of v. 8 [U 264 700 al]).

[7:1]  ¹² sn Again, the transition is indicated by the imprecise temporal indicator After this. Clearly, though, the author has left out much of the events of Jesus’ ministry, because chap. 6 took place near the Passover (6:4). This would have been the Passover between winter/spring of a.d. 32, just one year before Jesus’ crucifixion (assuming a date of a.d. 33 for the crucifixion), or the Passover of winter/spring a.d. 29, assuming a date of a.d. 30 for the crucifixion.

[7:1]  ¹³ tn Grk “Jesus was traveling around in Galilee.”

[7:1]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “For he.” Here γάρ (gar, “for”) has not been translated.

[7:1]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “he did not want to travel around in Judea.”

[7:1]  ¹⁶ tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” In NT usage the term ᾿Ιουδαῖοι (Ioudaioi) may refer to the entire Jewish people, the residents of Jerusalem and surrounding territory, the authorities in Jerusalem, or merely those who were hostile to Jesus. (For further information see R. G. Bratcher, “‘The Jews’ in the Gospel of John,” BT 26 [1975]: 401-9.) Here the phrase should be restricted to the Jewish authorities or leaders who were Jesus’ primary opponents.

[7:1]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “were seeking.”

[12:24]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”

[12:24]  ¹⁹ tn Or “it remains only a single kernel.”

[12:24]  ²⁰ tn Or “bears.”

[12:24]  ²¹ tn Grk “much fruit.”

[4:5]  ²² tn Grk “town of Samaria.” The noun Σαμαρείας (Samareias) has been translated as an attributive genitive.

[4:5]  ²³ sn Sychar was somewhere in the vicinity of Shechem, possibly the village of Askar, 1.5 km northeast of Jacob’s well.

[4:5]  ²⁴ sn Perhaps referred to in Gen 48:22.

[9:14]  ²⁵ tn Or “clay” (moistened earth of a clay-like consistency).

[9:14]  ²⁶ tn Grk “and opened his eyes” (an idiom referring to restoration of sight).

[9:14]  ²⁷ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[18:6]  ²⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:6]  ²⁹ tn Grk “moved back” (but here a fairly rapid movement is implied).

[18:6]  ³⁰ sn When Jesus said to those who came to arrest him “I am,” they retreated and fell to the ground. L. Morris says that “it is possible that those in front recoiled from Jesus’ unexpected advance, so that they bumped those behind them, causing them to stumble and fall” (John [NICNT], 743-44). Perhaps this is what in fact happened on the scene; but the theological significance given to this event by the author implies that more is involved. The reaction on the part of those who came to arrest Jesus comes in response to his affirmation that he is indeed the one they are seeking, Jesus the Nazarene. But Jesus makes this affirmation of his identity using a formula which the reader has encountered before in the Fourth Gospel, e.g., 8:24, 28, 58. Jesus has applied to himself the divine Name of Exod 3:14, “I AM.” Therefore this amounts to something of a theophany which causes even his enemies to recoil and prostrate themselves, so that Jesus has to ask a second time, “Who are you looking for?” This is a vivid reminder to the reader of the Gospel that even in this dark hour, Jesus holds ultimate power over his enemies and the powers of darkness, because he is the one who bears the divine Name.

[2:1]  ³¹ map For location see Map1 C3; Map2 D2; Map3 C5.

[2:1]  ³² sn Cana in Galilee was not a very well-known place. It is mentioned only here, in 4:46, and 21:2, and nowhere else in the NT. Josephus (Life 16 [86]) says he once had his quarters there. The probable location is present day Khirbet Cana, 8 mi (14 km) north of Nazareth, or Khirbet Kenna, 4 mi (7 km) northeast of Nazareth.

[2:1]  ³³ tn Grk “in Galilee, and Jesus’ mother.”

[4:54]  ³⁴ tn This sentence in Greek involves an object-complement construction. The force can be either “Jesus did this as,” or possibly “Jesus made this to be.” The latter translation accents not only Jesus’ power but his sovereignty too. Cf. 2:11 where the same construction occurs.

[3:22]  ³⁵ tn This section is related loosely to the preceding by μετὰ ταῦτα (meta tauta). This constitutes an indefinite temporal reference; the intervening time is not specified.

[4:47]  ³⁶ tn The direct object of ἠρώτα (hrwta) is supplied from context. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[2:11]  ³⁷ tn This sentence in Greek involves an object-complement construction. The force can be either “Jesus did this as,” or possibly “Jesus made this to be.” The latter translation accents not only Jesus’ power but his sovereignty too. Cf. also 4:54 where the same construction occurs.

[2:11]  ³⁸ map For location see Map1 C3; Map2 D2; Map3 C5.

[2:11]  ³⁹ tn Grk “in Cana of Galilee, and he revealed.”

[2:11]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “his disciples trusted in him,” or “his disciples put their faith in him.”

[12:21]  ⁴¹ sn These Greeks approached Philip, although it is not clear why they did so. Perhaps they identified with his Greek name (although a number of Jews from border areas had Hellenistic names at this period). By see it is clear they meant “speak with,” since anyone could “see” Jesus moving through the crowd. The author does not mention what they wanted to speak with Jesus about.

[12:21]  ⁴² tn Grk “and were asking him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated here.

[9:11]  ⁴³ tn Grk “That one answered.”

[9:11]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “clay” (moistened earth of a clay-like consistency).

[9:11]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “and smeared.” Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when obvious from the context.

[9:11]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “said to me.”

[9:11]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “and I gained my sight.”

[4:46]  ⁴⁸ map For location see Map1 C3; Map2 D2; Map3 C5.

[4:46]  ⁴⁹ sn See John 2:1-11.

[4:46]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “And in.”

[4:46]  ⁵¹ sn Capernaum was a town on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, 680 ft (204 m) below sea level. It was a major trade and economic center in the North Galilean region.

[4:46]  map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 C3; Map3 B2.

[4:46]  ⁵² tn Although βασιλικός (basiliko") has often been translated “nobleman” it is almost certainly refers here to a servant of Herod, tetrarch of Galilee (who in the NT is called a king, Matt 14:9, Mark 6:14-29). Capernaum was a border town, so doubtless there were many administrative officials in residence there.

[11:7]  ⁵³ sn The village of Bethany, where Lazarus was, lies in Judea, less than 2 mi (3 km) from Jerusalem (see 11:18).

[9:15]  ⁵⁴ tn Or “how he had become able to see.”

[9:15]  sn So the Pharisees asked him. Note the subtlety here: On the surface, the man is being judged. But through him, Jesus is being judged. Yet in reality (as the discerning reader will realize) it is ironically the Pharisees themselves who are being judged by their response to Jesus who is the light of the world (cf. 3:17-21).

[9:15]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “And he said to them.”

[9:15]  ⁵⁶ tn Or “clay” (moistened earth of a clay-like consistency).

[9:15]  ⁵⁷ tn The word “now” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied to indicate the contrast between the man’s former state (blind) and his present state (able to see).

[7:3]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “his brothers.”

[7:3]  sn Jesus’ brothers. Jesus’ brothers (really his half-brothers) were mentioned previously by John in 2:12 (see the note on brothers there). They are also mentioned elsewhere in Matt 13:55 and Mark 6:3.

[7:3]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “your deeds that you are doing.”

[7:3]  sn Should the advice by Jesus’ brothers, Leave here and go to Judea so your disciples may see your miracles that you are performing, be understood as a suggestion that he should attempt to win back the disciples who had deserted him earlier (6:66)? Perhaps. But it is also possible to take the words as indicating that if Jesus is going to put forward messianic claims (i.e., through miraculous signs) then he should do so in Jerusalem, not in the remote parts of Galilee. Such an understanding seems to fit better with the following verse. It would also indicate misunderstanding on the part of Jesus’ brothers of the true nature of his mission – he did not come as the royal Messiah of Jewish apocalyptic expectation, to be enthroned as king at this time.

[21:2]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “and Thomas.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements of a series.

[21:2]  ⁶¹ sn Didymus means “the twin” in Greek.

[21:2]  ⁶² tn Grk “and Nathanael.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements of a series.

[21:2]  ⁶³ map For location see Map1 C3; Map2 D2; Map3 C5.

[21:2]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “and the sons.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements of a series.

[21:2]  ⁶⁵ sn The sons of Zebedee were James and John.

[21:2]  ⁶⁶ sn The two other disciples who are not named may have been Andrew and Philip, who are mentioned together in John 6:7-8 and 12:22.

[11:54]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “walked.”

[11:54]  ⁶⁸ tn Or “openly.”

[11:54]  ⁶⁹ tn Grk “among the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the residents of Judea in general, who would be likely to report Jesus to the religious authorities. The vicinity around Jerusalem was no longer safe for Jesus and his disciples. On the translation “Judeans” cf. BDAG 479 s.v. ᾿Ιουδαῖος 2.e. See also the references in vv. 8, 19, 31, 33, 36, and 45.

[11:54]  ⁷⁰ tn There is no certain identification of the location to which Jesus withdrew in response to the decision of the Jewish authorities. Many have suggested the present town of Et-Taiyibeh, identified with ancient Ophrah (Josh 18:23) or Ephron (Josh 15:9). If so, this would be 12-15 mi (19-24 km) northeast of Jerusalem.

[4:45]  ⁷¹ sn All the things he had done in Jerusalem probably refers to the signs mentioned in John 2:23.

[4:45]  map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[4:45]  ⁷² sn See John 2:23-25.

[4:45]  ⁷³ sn John 4:44-45. The last part of v. 45 is a parenthetical note by the author. The major problem in these verses concerns the contradiction between the proverb stated by Jesus in v. 44 and the reception of the Galileans in v. 45. Origen solved the problem by referring his own country to Judea (which Jesus had just left) and not Galilee. But this runs counter to the thrust of John’s Gospel, which takes pains to identify Jesus with Galilee (cf. 1:46) and does not even mention his Judean birth. R. E. Brown typifies the contemporary approach: He regards v. 44 as an addition by a later redactor who wanted to emphasize Jesus’ unsatisfactory reception in Galilee. Neither expedient is necessary, though, if honor is understood in its sense of attributing true worth to someone. The Galileans did welcome him, but their welcome was to prove a superficial response based on what they had seen him do at the feast. There is no indication that the signs they saw brought them to place their faith in Jesus any more than Nicodemus did on the basis of the signs. But a superficial welcome based on enthusiasm for miracles is no real honor at all.

[6:49]  ⁷⁴ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[1:23]  ⁷⁵ tn Grk “He”; the referent (John the Baptist) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:23]  ⁷⁶ sn This call to “make straight” is probably an allusion to preparation through repentance.

[1:23]  ⁷⁷ sn A quotation from Isa 40:3.

[3:14]  ⁷⁸ tn Grk “And just as.”

[3:14]  ⁷⁹ sn Or the snake, referring to the bronze serpent mentioned in Num 21:9.

[3:14]  ⁸⁰ sn An allusion to Num 21:5-9.

[3:14]  ⁸¹ sn So must the Son of Man be lifted up. This is ultimately a prediction of Jesus’ crucifixion. Nicodemus could not have understood this, but John’s readers, the audience to whom the Gospel is addressed, certainly could have (compare the wording of John 12:32). In John, being lifted up refers to one continuous action of ascent, beginning with the cross but ending at the right hand of the Father. Step 1 is Jesus’ death; step 2 is his resurrection; and step 3 is the ascension back to heaven. It is the upward swing of the “pendulum” which began with the incarnation, the descent of the Word become flesh from heaven to earth (cf. Paul in Phil 2:5-11). See also the note on the title Son of Man in 1:51.

[6:31]  ⁸² tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[6:31]  ⁸³ sn A quotation from Ps 78:24 (referring to the events of Exod 16:4-36).

[20:5]  ⁸⁴ sn In most instances the entrance to such tombs was less than 3 ft (1 m) high, so that an adult would have to bend down and practically crawl inside.

[20:5]  ⁸⁵ sn Presumably by the time the beloved disciple reached the tomb there was enough light to penetrate the low opening and illuminate the interior of the tomb sufficiently for him to see the strips of linen cloth lying there. The author does not state exactly where the linen wrappings were lying. Sometimes the phrase has been translated “lying on the ground,” but the implication is that the wrappings were lying where the body had been. The most probable configuration for a tomb of this sort would be to have a niche carved in the wall where the body would be laid lengthwise, or a low shelf like a bench running along one side of the tomb, across the back or around all three sides in a U-shape facing the entrance. Thus the graveclothes would have been lying on this shelf or in the niche where the body had been.

[20:6]  ⁸⁶ tn Grk “And he saw.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.

[9:13]  ⁸⁷ tn Grk “who was formerly blind.”

[9:13]  ⁸⁸ sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.

[12:23]  ⁸⁹ tn Grk “Jesus answered them, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated here.

[12:23]  ⁹⁰ tn Grk “the hour.”

[12:23]  ⁹¹ sn Jesus’ reply, the time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified, is a bit puzzling. As far as the author’s account is concerned, Jesus totally ignores these Greeks and makes no further reference to them whatsoever. It appears that his words are addressed to Andrew and Philip, but in fact they must have had a wider audience, including possibly the Greeks who had wished to see him in the first place. The words the time has come recall all the previous references to “the hour” throughout the Fourth Gospel (see the note on time in 2:4). There is no doubt, in light of the following verse, that Jesus refers to his death here. On his pathway to glorification lies the cross, and it is just ahead.

[2:15]  ⁹² tc Several witnesses, two of which are quite ancient (Ì^66,75 L N ˹ 33 565 892 1241 al lat), have ὡς (Jws, “like”) before φραγέλλιον (fragellion, “whip”). A decision based on external evidence would be difficult to make because the shorter reading also has excellent witnesses, as well as the majority, on its side (א A B Θ Ψ Ë¹³ Ï co). Internal evidence, though, leans toward the shorter reading. Scribes tended to add to the text, and the addition of ὡς here clearly softens the assertion of the evangelist: Instead of making a whip of cords, Jesus made “[something] like a whip of cords.”

[2:15]  ⁹³ tn Grk “the temple.”

[2:15]  ⁹⁴ sn Because of the imperial Roman portraits they carried, Roman denarii and Attic drachmas were not permitted to be used in paying the half-shekel temple-tax (the Jews considered the portraits idolatrous). The money changers exchanged these coins for legal Tyrian coinage at a small profit.