Open Bible Data Home About News OET Key
OET OET-RV OET-LV ULT UST BSB BLB AICNT OEB WEB WMB NET LSV FBV TCNT T4T LEB BBE MOF JPS ASV DRA YLT DBY RV WBS KJB BB GNV CB TNT WYC SR-GNT UHB Related Parallel Interlinear Dictionary Search
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W XY Z
TAX COLLECTOR
One who collected taxes for the government. In NT times the Romans collected a variety of taxes. Their own officers undertook some of this work but also delegated it to private individuals, Jews and others, who were required to return to the authorities an agreed-upon sum. Dishonest individuals collected far more than they were required to pay and became a hated group, especially the Jews who cheated fellow Jews. Zacchaeus, a Jew, was a “chief tax collector” who amassed considerable wealth in the Jericho area (Lk 19:2-10). Such men were regarded as sinners and were often linked in the phrase “tax collectors and sinners” (Mt 9:10-11; 11:19; Mk 2:15-16; Lk 5:30; 19:2-10).