Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.
Parallel translations
- WEB There was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.
- KJV And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.
- BSB And there was a man named Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector, who was very wealthy.
- NASB And there was a man called by the name of Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector and he was rich.
- NLT There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Luke introduces Zacchaeus, a wealthy chief tax collector. He is the kind of sinner most despised by the people.
Overview
Zacchaeus headed a network of tax collectors and grew rich, making him a notorious figure widely viewed as a traitor and extortioner. His wealth recalls the rich ruler, but his story will end differently. Luke sets him up as an unlikely candidate for grace, demonstrating that Jesus seeks even the most despised.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- Luke 18:24–27Jesus, seeing that he became very sad, said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter into God’s Kingdom!
- 2 Chr 17:5–6Therefore Yahweh established the kingdom in his hand. All Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had riches and honor in abundance.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 19:2 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.