Luke 19:2

καὶ ἰδού. The style of this chapter shews that St Luke is using a document of Aramaic origin.

ὀνόματι καλούμενος. The more classic phrase would have been ὄνομα καλ.

Ζακχαῖος. Zakkai means ‘pure.’ Ezra 2:9; Nehemiah 3:14; Jos. Vit. 46. There is a Zakkai in the Talmud, father of the famous Rabbi Jochanan, and he also lived at Jericho. The name shews that he was a Jew, and not as some have fancied a Gentile. Nothing is known of him, though the Clementines make him bishop of Caesarea (Hom. III. 63, Recogn. III. 65, Meyer).

αὐτὸς ἦν�. He was by position a chief tax-gatherer. For this use of αὐτὸς comp. Luke 8:41. He may even have risen as some Jews did, from the subordinate rank of the portitores to that of publicanus (Jos. B. J. II. 14, § 9). Priests (see on Luke 10:31) and publicans—the latter employed to regulate the balsam-duties, and the exports and imports between the domains of the Romans and of Antipas—were the chief classes at Jericho (Jos. Antt. XIV. 4, § 1, XV. 4, § 2; Justin Hist. VI. 3).