• Mark 2:14
    The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures

    • 14 Καὶ And παράγων passing by εἶδεν he saw Λευεὶν Levi τὸν the [son] τοῦ of the Ἁλφαίου Alphaeus καθήμενον sitting ἐπὶ upon τὸ the τελώνιον, tax office, καὶ and λέγει he is saying αὐτῷ to him ᾿Ακολούθει Be following μοι. me. καὶ And ἀναστὰς having stood up ἠκολούθησεν he followed αὐτῷ. him.

  • Mark 2:14
    King James Version

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

  • Mark Study Notes—Chapter 2
    New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Study Edition)

    • 2:14

      Levi: In the parallel account at Mt 9:9, this disciple is called Matthew. When referring to him as a former tax collector, Mark and Luke use the name Levi (Lu 5:27, 29), but they use the name Matthew when mentioning him as one of the apostles (Mr 3:18; Lu 6:15; Ac 1:13). The Scriptures do not reveal whether Levi already had the name Matthew before becoming a disciple of Jesus. Mark is the only Gospel writer to mention that Matthew Levi was the son of Alphaeus.​—See study note on Mr 3:18.

      Alphaeus: Evidently not the same person as the Alphaeus mentioned at Mr 3:18 (see study note on Mr 3:18), who was the father of James, the 9th apostle of the 12 apostles listed.​—Mt 10:3; Lu 6:15.

      tax office: Or “tax collection booth.” This could be a small building or a booth where the tax collector sat and gathered taxes on exports, imports, and goods taken through a country by merchants. Levi, also known as Matthew, worked at a tax office located in or near Capernaum.

      Be my follower: The Greek verb used in this exhortation has the basic sense of “to go along behind, come after,” but here it means “to follow someone as a disciple.”