Matthew 22:19

King James Version

Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Show me the coin used for the tax.”

King James Version (1611)
Shew me the tribute money. And they brought vnto him a peny.

English Standard Version
Show me the coin for the tax." And they brought him a denarius.

New American Standard Bible
"Show Me the coin used for the poll-tax." And they brought Him a denarius.

New Century Version
Show me a coin used for paying the tax." So the men showed him a coin.

Amplified Bible
"Show me the coin used for the poll-tax." And they brought Him a denarius [a day's wage].

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Show Me the coin used for the poll-tax." And they brought Him a denarius.

Legacy Standard Bible
Show Me the coin used for the tax." And they brought Him a denarius.

Berean Standard Bible
Show Me the coin used for the tax." And they brought Him a denarius.

Contemporary English Version
Let me see one of the coins used for paying taxes." They brought him a silver coin,

Complete Jewish Bible
Show me the coin used to pay the tax!" They brought him a denarius;

Darby Translation
Shew me the money of the tribute. And they presented to him a denarius.

Easy-to-Read Version
Show me a coin used for paying the tax." They showed Jesus a silver coin.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Shewe me the tribute money. And they brought him a peny.

George Lamsa Translation
Show me the head-tax penny. And they brought to him a penny.

Good News Translation
Show me the coin for paying the tax!" They brought him the coin,

Lexham English Bible
Show me the coin for the tax!" So they brought him a denarius.

Literal Translation
Show Me the tribute coin. And they brought a denarius to Him.

American Standard Version
Show me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a denarius.

Bible in Basic English
Let me see the tax money. And they gave him a penny.

Hebrew Names Version
Show me the tax money." They brought to him a denarius.

International Standard Version
Show me the coin used for the tax." They brought him a denarius.[fn]

Etheridge Translation
Show me the denarius of the head-silver. And they presented to him a denarius.

Murdock Translation
Show me a denarius of the capitation money. And they brought to him a denarius.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Shewe me the tribute money. And they brought vnto hym a peny.

English Revised Version
Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny.

World English Bible
Show me the tax money." They brought to him a denarius.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Shew me the tribute-mony. And they brought to him a penny.

Weymouth's New Testament
Show me the tribute coin." And they brought Him a shilling.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Schewe ye to me the prynte of the money. And thei brouyten to hym a peny.

Update Bible Version
Show me the tribute money. And they brought to him a denarius.

Webster's Bible Translation
Show me the tribute-money. And they brought to him a penny.

New English Translation
Show me the coin used for the tax." So they brought him a denarius.

New King James Version
Show Me the tax money." So they brought Him a denarius.

New Living Translation
Here, show me the coin used for the tax." When they handed him a Roman coin,

New Life Bible
Show Me a piece of money." They brought Him a piece.

New Revised Standard
Show me the coin used for the tax." And they brought him a denarius.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Shew me the coin appointed for the tax. And, they, brought unto him a denary.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Shew me the coin of the tribute. And they offered him a penny.

Revised Standard Version
Show me the money for the tax." And they brought him a coin.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Let me se ye tribute money. And they toke hym a peny.

Young's Literal Translation
show me the tribute-coin?' and they brought to him a denary;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Shewe me ye tribute money. And they toke hi a peny.

Mace New Testament (1729)
shew me the tribute money. and they brought him a penny.

Simplified Cowboy Version
Show me a dollar that you would pay your taxes with." They showed him a silver dollar,

Contextual Overview

¹⁵ Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk. ¹⁶ And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men. ¹⁷ Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not? ¹⁸ But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? ¹⁹ Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. ²⁰ And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? ²¹ They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's. ²² When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

a penny: "In value sevenpence halfpenny." Matthew 18:28, Matthew 20:2, Revelation 6:6

Reciprocal: Mark 12:16 - image

Cross-References

Genesis 21:31
Wherefore he called that place Beersheba; because there they sware both of them.

Joshua 15:28
And Hazarshual, and Beersheba, and Bizjothjah,

Judges 20:1
Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was gathered together as one man, from Dan even to Beersheba, with the land of Gilead, unto the Lord in Mizpeh.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Shew me the tribute money,.... Not any money, or any sort of coin that was current among them; but that in which the tribute was usually paid, which was Roman money: and they brought unto him a penny; not as, being what was the usual sum that was paid for tribute at one time, but as a sample of what sort of money it was paid in, in Roman pence; one of which was seven pence halfpenny of our money.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The Pharisees and Herodians endeavor to entangle Jesus - This narrative is also found in Mark 12:12-17; Luke 20:20-26.

Matthew 22:15

Then went the Pharisees - See the notes at Matthew 3:7.

How they might entangle him - To entangle means to “ensnare,” as birds are taken by a net. This is done secretly, by leading them within the compass of the net and then suddenly springing it over them. So to entangle is artfully to lay a plan for enticing; to beguile by proposing a question, and by leading, if possible, to an incautious answer. This was what the Pharisees and Herodians endeavored to do in regard to Jesus.

In his talk - The word “his” is supplied by the translators, perhaps improperly. It means “in conversations,” or by “talking” with him; not alluding to anything that he had before said.

Matthew 22:16

The Herodians - It is not certainly known who these were.

It is probable that they took their name from Herod the Great. Perhaps they were first a political party, and were then distinguished for holding some of the special opinions of Herod. Dr. Prideaux thinks that those opinions referred to two things. The first respected subjection to a foreign power. The law of Moses was, that a “stranger should not be set over the Jews as a king,” Deuteronomy 17:15. Herod, who had received the kingdom of Judea by appointment of the Romans, maintained that the law of Moses referred only to a voluntary choice of a king, and did not refer to a necessary submission where they had been overpowered by force. His followers supposed, therefore, that it was lawful in such cases to pay tribute to a foreign prince. This opinion was, however, extensively unpopular among the Jews, and particularly the Pharisees, who looked upon it as a violation of their law, and regarded all the acts growing out of it as oppressive. Hence, the difficulty of the question proposed by them. Whatever way he decided, they supposed he would be involved in difficulty. If he should say it was not lawful, the Herodians were ready to accuse him as being an enemy of Caesar; if he said it was lawful, the Pharisees were ready to accuse him to the people of holding an opinion extremely unpopular among them, and as being an enemy of their rights. The other opinion of Herod, which they seem to have followed, was, that when a people were subjugated by a foreign force, it was right to adopt the rites and customs of their religion. This was what was meant by the “leaven of Herod,” Mark 8:15. The Herodians and Sadducees seem on most questions to have been united. Compare Matthew 16:6; Mark 8:15.

We know that thou art true - A hypocritical compliment, not believed by them, but artfully said, as compliments often are, to conceal their true design. “Neither carest thou for any man.” That is, thou art an independent teacher, delivering your sentiments without regard to the fear or favor of man. This was true, and probably they believed this. Whatever else they might believe about him, they had no reason to doubt that he delivered his sentiments openly and freely.

For thou regardest not the person of men - Thou art not partial. Thou wilt decide according to truth, and not from any bias toward either party. To regard the person, or to respect the person, is in the Bible uniformly used to denote partiality, or being influenced in a decision, not by truth, but by previous attachment to a “person,” or to one of the parties by friendship, or bias, or prejudice, Leviticus 19:15; Jude 1:16; Deuteronomy 16:19; 2 Samuel 14:14; Acts 10:34; James 2:1, James 2:3,James 2:9; 1 Peter 1:17.

Matthew 22:17

Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar? - Tribute was the tax paid to the Roman government.

Caesar - The Roman emperor.

The name Caesar, after the time of Julius Caesar, became common to all the emperors, as Pharaoh was the common name of all the kings of Egypt. The “Caesar” who reigned at this time was Tiberius - a man distinguished for the grossest vices and most disgusting and debasing sensuality.

Matthew 22:18

Jesus perceived their wickedness - This must have been done by his power of searching the heart, and proves that he was omniscient.

No more man has the power of discerning the motives of others.

Tempt ye me - Try me, or endeavor to lead me into difficulty by an insidious question.

Hypocrites - Dissemblers. Professing to be candid inquirers, when their only object was to lead into difficulty. See the notes at Matthew 6:2.

Matthew 22:19

The tribute-money - The money in which the tribute was paid.

This was a Roman coin. The tribute for the temple service was paid in the Jewish shekel; that for the Roman government in foreign coin. Their having that coin about them, and using it, was proof that they themselves held it lawful to pay the tribute; and their pretensions, therefore, were mere hypocrisy.

A penny - A Roman denarius, worth about 14 cents =7d (circa 1880’s).

Matthew 22:20

This image - The likeness of the reigning prance was usually struck on the coins.

Superscription - The name and titles of the emperor.

Matthew 22:21

Render, therefore, to Caesar ... - Caesar’s image and name on the coin proved that it was his.

It was proper, therefore, to give it back to him when he called for it. But while this was done, Jesus took occasion to charge them, also, to give to God what he claimed. This may mean either,

1. The annual tribute due to the temple service, implying that paying tribute to Caesar did not free them from the obligation to do that; or,
2. That they should give their hearts, lives, property, and influence all to God, as his due.

Matthew 22:22

They marveled - They had been foiled in their attempt.

Though he had apparently decided in favor of the Herodians, yet his answer confounded both parties, and wholly prevented the use which they intended to make of it. It was so wise; it so clearly detected their wickedness and foiled their aim, that they were confounded, and retired covered with shame.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Matthew 22:19. They brought unto him a penny. — A denarius: probably the ordinary capitation tax, though the poll tax in the law, Exodus 30:13-14, was half a shekel, about twice as much as the denarius. The Roman denarius had the emperor's image with a proper legend stamped on one side of it. It was not therefore the sacred shekel which was to be paid for the repairs of the temple which was now demanded, but the regular tribute required by the Roman government.