- Original: τελώνης - Transliteration: Telones - Phonetic: tel-o'-nace - Definition: 1. a renter or farmer of taxes a. among the Romans, usually a man of equestrian rank 2. a tax gatherer, collector of taxes or tolls, one employed by a publican or farmer general in the collection of taxes. The tax collectors were as a class, detested not only by the Jews, but by other nations also, both on account of their employment and of the harshness, greed, and deception, with which they did their job. - Origin: from G5056 and G5608 - TDNT entry: 09:28,1 - Part(s) of speech: Noun Masculine - Strong's: From G5056 and G5608 ; a tax farmer that is collector of public revenue: - publican. Total KJV Occurrences: 12 • publican, 2 Mat 10:3; Luke 5:27 • publicans, 10 Mat 9:10; Mat 9:11; Mar 2:15; Mar 2:16(2); Luke 3:12; Luke 5:29; Luke 5:30; Luke 7:29; Luke 15:1