Custom

A tax or tribute (q.v.) of half a shekel was annually paid by every adult Jew for the temple. It had to be paid in Jewish coin (Matthew 22:17-19; Mark 12:14,15 ). Money-changers (q.v.) were necessary, to enable the Jews who came up to Jerusalem at the feasts to exchange their foreign coin for Jewish money; but as it was forbidden by the law to carry on such a traffic for emolument (Deuteronomy 23:19,20 ), our Lord drove them from the temple (Matthew 21:12 : Mark 11:15 ).