κολλυβιστής

a money-changer

Definition

A κολλυβιστής was a money-changer, specifically one who exchanged various currencies for the Tyrian shekel, the only coinage accepted for the annual Temple tax (Matthew 17:24-27) and for purchasing sacrificial animals. Their tables were set up in the outer court of the Temple (the Court of the Gentiles) to facilitate worship by pilgrims from across the Roman Empire. In the Gospels, Jesus overturns their tables (Matthew 21:12, Mark 11:15, John 2:15), an act symbolizing judgment on the commercialization of worship and the corruption of the Temple's primary purpose as a 'house of prayer.'

Biblical Usage

This word is used exclusively in the three Synoptic accounts of Jesus cleansing the Temple. It appears alongside references to those selling pigeons and other animals (Matthew 21:12, Mark 11:15). In John's Gospel, the term is used in a parallel account (John 2:15), where Jesus drives out both the animals and the money-changers. The usage is consistently negative, depicting an activity that Jesus associates with turning His Father's house into a 'den of robbers.'

Etymology

Derived from κόλλυβος (kollybos), a small coin or a rate of exchange, hence a 'handler of small change.' The term directly denotes a banker or exchanger of currency, a necessary profession in a multicultural empire with diverse coinage, especially in a religious center requiring specific currency for offerings.

Semantic Range

The money-changers represent the institutionalization and corruption of worship. Jesus's action against them is a prophetic sign of judgment on the Temple system (Jeremiah 7:11) and a claim of divine authority over it. It highlights Christ's zeal for pure, uncommercialized worship and foreshadows the replacement of the physical Temple with His own body (John 2:19-21). Understanding this term enriches the reading of these passages by clarifying that Jesus was not attacking commerce in general, but a specific, exploitative system within the sacred space itself.

In the 1st-century Jewish world, Roman and Greek coins, which often bore idolatrous images, were considered unfit for the Temple treasury. Pilgrims were required to exchange their foreign currency for Tyrian shekels, which were of high silver purity and bore no human portrait. The money-changers provided a necessary service but were often accused of exorbitant exchange rates and profiteering within the Temple precincts, turning a religious duty into a lucrative and oppressive business.

τρᾰπεζίτης (trapezitēs, G5133) — A more general term for a banker or money-lender, not specific to the Temple context.

Word Details

Scripture References