Matthew 9:9

Receipt of custom [τ ε λ ω ν ι ο ν]. Rev., place of toll. Wyc., tollbooth, toll - booth, or toll - cabin, which is an excellent word, though obsolete. Sitting at, is, literally sitting on : the elevated platform or bench which was the principal feature of the toll - office, as in modern custom - bazaars, being put for the whole establishment. This customs - office was a Capernaum, the landing - place for the many ships which traversed the lake or coasted from town to town; and this not only for those who had business in Capernaum, but for those who would there strike the great road of eastern commerce from Damascus to the harbors of the West. Cicero, in his oration on the Consular Provinces, accuses Gabinius, the pro - consul of Syria, of relieving the Syrians and Jews of some of their legitimate taxes, and of ordering the small building to be taken down, which the publicans had erected at the approaches to bridges, or at the termination of roads, or in the harbors, for the convenience of their slaves and collectors.