κολλυβιστής
kollybistḗs
G2855 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A person who exchanges currency, especially one who deals in small coins; a money-changer. The primary meaning is one who exchanges coinage and may also provide the ancillary services of currency conversion and supplying coinage for commerce or temple activity. The word specifically denotes someone engaged in the business of changing money, often in settings requiring coin exchange for payments, such as the Jerusalem Temple or market environments.
Semantic Range
money-changer, coin-dealer, changer of currency, broker in small coin, one who exchanges coins; one who supplies change or performs currency conversion in commercial or temple settings
Root / Etymology
From κολλύβιον (kollybion, 'small coin'), which itself is a diminutive of κόλλυβος (kollybos, 'small coin,' possibly originally 'lump' or 'piece'). Thus, κολλυβιστής is an agent noun meaning 'dealer in small coins' or 'one who exchanges coinage.' Root: κολλυβ-.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In Hellenistic and Roman-period Greek, κολλυβιστής specifically refers to coin-dealers and money-changers, particularly those who operated in marketplaces or, in the context of the Jerusalem Temple, facilitated the exchange of non-local or non-sanctioned currency for acceptable coins for offerings or temple taxes. The term is attested from the Hellenistic period, with a technical and somewhat occupational connotation. In the New Testament (e.g., Matthew 21:12; John 2:15), κολλυβισταί are those engaged in currency exchange within the Temple precincts, a practice necessitated by religious and socio-economic requirements. Early English Bible versions translated the term as 'money-changer,' which captures the basic function, but in the ancient context, the word specifically refers to professionals exchanging coins, often for profit (through commission or exchange rates), and sometimes associated with providing small change in temple or mercantile transactions. There is no inherent negative or positive connotation in the term itself. It is distinct from other Greek terms for bankers or financiers (e.g., τραπεζίτης). The semantic scope is not limited solely to activity within the Temple but covers any professional exchange of coinage in the ancient economy.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from a presumed derivative of (a small coin; probably akin to κολλούριον); a coin-dealer:--(money-)changer.
Root Family
κολλυβιστής (kollybistēs) — coin-exchanger, dealer in small coins, currency changer
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G2855-01 |
κολλυβιστῶν | kollubiston | N GEN M PL |
money changers | of coin-dealers | coin-dealers | 3 |
Occurrences in Scripture
3 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G2855-01 |
Matthew 21:12 | κολλυβιστῶν | kollubiston | N GEN M PL |
money changers | of coin-dealers | coin-dealers |
G2855-01 |
Mark 11:15 | κολλυβιστῶν | kollubiston | N GEN M PL |
moneychangers | of coin-dealers | coin-dealers |
G2855-01 |
John 2:15 | κολλυβιστῶν | kollubiston | N GEN M PL |
money changers | of coin-dealers | money changers |