τελώνιον (telōnion)
telōnion
tax booth
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 3 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The noun telōnion refers to a tax booth or toll house, the physical station where taxes were collected in the ancient world. It appears only three times in the New Testament, specifically in the accounts of Matthew 9:9, Mark 2:14, and Luke 5:27. In each instance, it identifies the workplace of Levi (also called Matthew), who was sitting at his post when Jesus called him to follow.
Etymologically, the word derives from telōnēs, meaning tax collector. This connection highlights that the booth was not merely a building but the operational center of a profession often viewed with suspicion by the public. The sources note its usage in later Greek as a customs house or place of toll, confirming its function as a designated point for gathering revenue.
Translators typically render telōnion as "tax booth" or "toll house," emphasizing the tangible nature of Levi’s former life. By placing Jesus’ call within this specific setting, the Gospels ground the narrative in a real, everyday location rather than an abstract spiritual concept. The word serves as a concrete marker of the social and economic reality from which the disciple was called.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word telōnion points to a physical tax booth, the small station where Levi sat when Jesus called him. This detail grounds the Gospel story in a real place, not an abstract idea. It reminds us that God meets people exactly where they are, even in places associated with work or social distance.
Levi’s booth was more than furniture; it marked his role in a system many distrusted. Jesus’ invitation to follow him there shows that grace reaches into the ordinary routines of life. Your own daily tasks and workplaces can become spaces where divine love interrupts and transforms.
When you feel stuck in a routine or judged by your past, remember Levi at his booth. The call to follow is personal and immediate. God does not wait for perfect conditions but meets us in the middle of our lives.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 3 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- tax booth2×
- tax booth,1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- τελώνιον2×
- τελώνιον,1×
Key Verses
-
Matthew 9:9
As Jesus passed by from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax collection office. He said to him, “Follow me.” He got up and followed him.
This verse uses telōnion to locate Matthew at his workplace, showing Jesus initiating a personal call within the context of daily labor.
-
Mark 2:14
As he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office. He said to him, “Follow me.” And he arose and followed him.
Here the term identifies Levi’s tax office, emphasizing that Jesus’ invitation comes directly into the sphere of his professional identity.
-
Luke 5:27
After these things he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax office, and said to him, “Follow me!”
Luke places Levi at the tax office to highlight the immediacy of the call, contrasting his former position with the new path of discipleship.