Original Word: הֲלָךְ
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: halak
Pronunciation: hah-lak
Phonetic Spelling: (hal-awk')
KJV: custom
NASB: toll
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) from H198 (אוּלָם - Ulam)1]

1. (properly) a journey
2. (by implication) toll on goods at a road

custom

(Aramaic) from halak; properly, a journey, i.e. (by implication) toll on goods at a road -- custom.

see HEBREW halak

Word Origin
(Aramaic) from halak
Definition
a toll
NASB Translation
toll (3).

הֲלָךְ (K^{§ 57 a})) noun [masculine] toll; — Ezra 4:13,20; Ezra 7:24.

Occurrence in Scripture

Strong’s Hebrew 1983 הֲלָךְ appears only three times, all in the Aramaic portions of Ezra (Ezra 4:13; 4:20; 7:24). In every case it is listed alongside מִנְדָּה (tribute) and בְּלוֹ (tax) as a third category of government revenue.

Historical Background

The word surfaces in correspondence between regional officials and Persian kings during the fifth‐century BCE rebuilding era. The hostile letter of Rehum and Shimshai (Ezra 4) warns Artaxerxes that if Jerusalem is restored the citizens “will not pay tribute, custom, or duty,” threatening royal coffers. Decades later Artaxerxes himself, in a decree carried by Ezra, reverses the earlier tactic and shields temple personnel from those very levies (Ezra 7:24). Thus the term both illustrates imperial control over Judah and highlights a moment when the king’s policy, under God’s providence, favors covenant worship.

Administrative Context and Fiscal Categories

Ancient Near Eastern administrations commonly divided revenue into multiple streams. In Ezra the list appears fixed, suggesting an official formula:
• מִנְדָּה – a capitation or land tax.
• בְּלוֹ – an impost payable in kind or silver.
• הֲלָךְ – a tariff, toll, or customs duty on commerce and travel.

Grouping הֲלָךְ with two broader taxes underlines its role in regulating trade routes that passed through Judah to the Mediterranean. The temple‐city of Jerusalem therefore lay at an intersection of faith and economics; submission to Yahweh and submission to the king were expected to coexist (compare Matthew 22:21).

Theological and Ministry Implications

1. Divine sovereignty over civil authority. The same fiscal term is wielded by opponents in Ezra 4 and by a supportive monarch in Ezra 7. Scripture thereby teaches that kings’ hearts remain in the Lord’s hand (Proverbs 21:1).
2. Protection and provision for ministry. By exempting priests and Levites from הֲלָךְ, Artaxerxes affirms that uninterrupted worship benefits the empire (Ezra 7:23). The principle anticipates Paul’s argument that “the Lord has ordained that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:14).
3. Witness through integrity. The Persian expectation that Judah would faithfully deliver tribute, tax, and duty confronted the returned exiles with the ethical demand to honor secular obligations while remaining distinct in covenant loyalty, a pattern echoed in Romans 13:7.

Intertextual Echoes in the New Testament

Although the specific Aramaic term does not appear in the Greek Scriptures, its concept reemerges in New Testament discussions of τελῶναι (tax collectors) and the lawful payment of customs (Romans 13:6–7; 1 Peter 2:13–17). Ezra’s experience foreshadows the call for believers to engage society responsibly without compromising worship.

Practical Application for the Church

• Faith communities should pay required civic fees, trusting God to supply ministry needs even within secular systems.
• Christians serving in government finance or taxation can view their vocation as an arena for righteousness, knowing that Scripture addresses these economic structures.
• Leaders may advocate for legal accommodations that facilitate gospel work, as Ezra did, while resting in God’s ultimate governance.

וַהֲלָ֔ךְ וַהֲלָ֖ךְ וַהֲלָךְ֙ והלך vahaLach vahaloCh wa·hă·lāḵ wahălāḵInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts