τελώνιον
telṓnion
G5058 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A place where customs or tolls are collected; specifically, a tax station or toll booth used by tax-farmers (τελῶναι) in collecting levies on goods or travelers. In some contexts, it can denote a public office or booth maintained by customs officials.
Semantic Range
customs station, place of tax collection, tax office, toll booth, site where customs duties are levied or collected, public tax-farmer's establishment
Root / Etymology
Derived from τελώνης (telōnēs, 'tax collector' or 'customs official'); formed with the suffix -ιον (-ion), indicating a place associated with an activity (here, the place where a τελώνης works).
Historical & Contextual Notes
τελώνιον appears in Greek literature and inscriptions from the Hellenistic and Roman periods to designate a location used for exacting customs duties or tolls, often situated along trade routes, at city gates, or at harbors. In the New Testament (e.g., Matthew 9:9), the word refers to the station or booth where a τελώνης (such as Matthew/Levi) worked, not to the tax collector himself. In Septuagint usage, the term is rare or absent; it is primarily a term of the Hellenistic and Roman administrative context. English translations frequently render τελώνιον as 'tax booth,' 'tax office,' or 'toll booth,' but these may understate the potentially public and regulated character of the establishment in the 1st-century Eastern Mediterranean context. The presence of τελώνια along roads and at ports reflects the economic infrastructure of the Roman Empire, in which private contractors (τελῶναι) collected state-imposed duties. Related terms include τελώνης (tax collector) and τέλος ('tax,' 'customs duty,' or more broadly 'end,' 'goal').
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
neuter of a presumed derivative of τελώνης; a tax-gatherer's place of business:--receipt of custom.
Root Family
τελώνιον (telōnion) — custom, tax, duty; place of tax collection
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G5058-01 |
τελώνιον | telonion | N ACC N SG |
tax booth | customs station | customs station | 3 |
Occurrences in Scripture
3 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G5058-01 |
Matthew 9:9 | τελώνιον | telonion | N ACC N SG |
tax booth | customs station | customs station |
G5058-01 |
Mark 2:14 | τελώνιον | telonion | N ACC N SG |
tax booth | customs station | customs station |
G5058-01 |
Luke 5:27 | τελώνιον | telonion | N ACC N SG |
tax booth | customs station | tax booth |