And it came to pass.. Hebraism: frequent in O.. See note on Genesis 1:2.
sat at meat. was reclining
the house. his house:
he. Matthew's house. Compare Luke 5:29. so in Matthew 9:28.
publicans. tax-gatherers.
sinners. Especially in. religious sense. This usage is common in the Inscriptions in Asia Minor (Deiss-mann).