Mark 2 · Verse 14

Mark 2:14

And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alpheus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.
Mark 2:14, King James Version

Mark 2:14 in other translations

BSBAs He was walking along, He saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth. “Follow Me,” He told him, and Levi got up and followed Him.
WEBAs 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.
ASVAnd as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphæus sitting at the place of toll, and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.
YLTand passing by, he saw Levi of Alpheus sitting at the tax-office, and saith to him, ‘Be following me,' and he, having risen, did follow him.
DARBYAnd passing by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax-office, and says to him, Follow me. And he rose up and followed him.
BBEAnd when he went by, he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, seated at the place where taxes were taken, and he said to him, Come with me. And he got up, and went with him.
WebsterAnd as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alpheus, sitting at the receipt of custom, and said to him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.

What does Mark 2:14 mean?

Barnes' Notes
Verse 14. Levi the son of Alpheus. The same, undoubtedly, as Matthew the writer of the Gospel. It was not uncommon among the Jews to have two names.

The receipt of custom. Mt 9:9.

(l) "And as" Mt 9:9 (1) "sitting at" or, "at the place where the custom was received"

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 14 Levi - The same as Matthew; he appears to have been a Jew, though employed in the odious office of a tax-gatherer. For an account of his call, see his Gospel, Mat 9:9, etc.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Mark 2:13-17

Matthew was not a good character, or else, being a Jew, he would never have been a publican, that is, a tax-gatherer for the Romans. However, Christ called this publican to follow him. With God, through Christ, there is mercy to pardon the greatest sins, and grace to change the greatest sinners, and make them holy. A faithful, fair-dealing publican was rare. And because the Jews had a particular hatred to an office…

Read the full comment on Mark 2:13-17 →

Mark 2:14 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

ΚαὶKaiAndG2532
παράγωνparagōnpassing onG3855
εἶδενeidenHe sawG1492
ΛευὶνLeuinLeviG3017
τὸνtonthe [son]G3588
τοῦtou<the>G3588
ἉλφαίουHalphaiouof AlphaeusG256
καθήμενονkathēmenonsittingG2521
ἐπὶepiatG1909
τὸtotheG3588
τελώνιονtelōniontax boothG5058
καὶkaiandG2532
λέγειlegeiHe saysG3004
αὐτῷ·autōto him;G846
ἀκολούθειakoloutheido followG190
μοι.moiMe.G3165
καὶkaiAndG2532
ἀναστὰςanastashaving arisenG450
ἠκολούθησενēkolouthēsenhe followedG190
αὐτῷ.¶autōHim.G846

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Mark 2:14

  • Luke 5:27-32

    And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me. And he left all, rose up, and followed him. And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them. But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners? …

  • Mark 1:17-20

    And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him. And when he had gone a little further thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets. And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.

  • Luke 6:15

    Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alpheus, and Simon called Zelotes,

  • Matthew 9:9-13

    And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him. And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. …

  • Mark 3:18

    And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alpheus, and Thaddeus, and Simon the Canaanite,

  • Matthew 4:19-22

    And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.

  • Acts 1:13

    And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alpheus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
he saw.
3:18; Mt 9:9; Lu 5:27
Alphaeus.
3:18; Lu 6:15; Ac 1:13
receipt of custom. or, place where the custom was received.
Follow me.
1:17-20; Mt 4:19-22

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Mark 2:13

    And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them.

  • Mark 2:14

    And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alpheus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.

  • Mark 2:15

    And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him.

Read all of Mark 2

Mark 2:14 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y pasando, vió á Leví, hijo de Alfeo, sentado al banco de los públicos tributos, y le dice: Sígueme. Y levantándose le siguió.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et en passant, il vit Lévi le fils d’Alphée assis au bureau de recette, et il lui dit: Suis-moi. Et se levant, il le suivit.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Und als er vorüberging, sah er Levi, den Sohn des Alphäus, am Zollhause sitzen, und er spricht zu ihm: Folge mir nach; und er stand auf und folgte ihm nach.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Et cum præteriret, vidit Levi Alphæi sedentem ad telonium, et ait illi: Sequere me. Et surgens secutus est eum.