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Saturday, July 12th, 2025
the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
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Read the Bible

New American Standard Bible

Luke 20:22

"Is it permissible for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Caesar;   Citizens;   Craftiness;   Jesus, the Christ;   Law;   Thompson Chain Reference - Questions;   The Topic Concordance - Rendering;   Tribute;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Caesar;   Tiberius;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Caesar;   Rome;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Taxes;   Tiberius Caesar;   Tribute;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Luke, the Gospel According to;   Roman Empire;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Luke, Gospel of;   Rome and the Roman Empire;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Tribute, Toll, Taxing;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Boyhood of Jesus;   Common Life;   Debt, Debtor;   Rome, Romans;   Sadducees (2);   Tribute;   Tribute (2);   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Tribute;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Chief parables and miracles in the bible;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Money;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Publican;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Law in the New Testament;   Tax;   Tribute;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
King James Version (1611)
Is it lawfull for vs to giue tribute vnto Cesar, or no?
King James Version
Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no?
English Standard Version
Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?"
New Century Version
Tell us, is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"
Amplified Bible
"Is it lawful [according to Jewish law and tradition] for us to pay taxes (tribute money) to Caesar or not?"
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"
Legacy Standard Bible
Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"
Berean Standard Bible
Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"
Contemporary English Version
Tell us, should we pay taxes to the Emperor or not?"
Complete Jewish Bible
Does Torah permit us to pay taxes to the Roman Emperor or not?"
Darby Translation
Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?
Easy-to-Read Version
Tell us, is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"
Geneva Bible (1587)
Is it lawfull for vs to giue Cesar tribute or no?
George Lamsa Translation
Is it lawful for us to pay head-tax * to Caesar or not?
Good News Translation
Tell us, is it against our Law for us to pay taxes to the Roman Emperor, or not?"
Lexham English Bible
Is it permitted for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"
Literal Translation
Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?
American Standard Version
Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?
Bible in Basic English
Is it right for us to make payment of taxes to Caesar or not?
Hebrew Names Version
Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"
International Standard Version
Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"
Etheridge Translation
Is it lawful for us to give head-silver to Cesar or not ?
Murdock Translation
Is it lawful for us to pay head-money to Caesar, or not?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Is is lawfull for vs to geue tribute vnto Caesar, or no?
English Revised Version
Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?
World English Bible
Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Is it lawful for us, to give tribute to C?sar, or no?
Weymouth's New Testament
Is it allowable to pay a tax to Caesar, or not?"
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Is it leueful to vs to yyue tribute to the emperoure, or nay?
Update Bible Version
Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?
Webster's Bible Translation
Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Cesar, or not?
New English Translation
Is it right for us to pay the tribute tax to Caesar or not?"
New King James Version
Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"
New Living Translation
Now tell us—is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"
New Life Bible
Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"
New Revised Standard
Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?"
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Is it allowable for us to give, unto Caesar, tribute, or not?
Douay-Rheims Bible
Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or no?
Revised Standard Version
Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?"
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Ys it laufull for vs to geve Cesar tribute or no?
Young's Literal Translation
Is it lawful to us to give tribute to Caesar or not?'
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Is it laufull, that we geue tribute vnto the Emperoure, or not?
Mace New Testament (1729)
or no?
Simplified Cowboy Version
So tell us truthfully, should God's people pay taxes to Caesar or not?"

Contextual Overview

20 And so they watched Him closely, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, in order that they might catch Him in some statement, so that they could hand Him over to the jurisdiction and authority of the governor. 21 And the spies questioned Him, saying, "Teacher, we know that You speak and teach correctly, and You are not partial to anyone, but You teach the way of God on the basis of truth. 22 "Is it permissible for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?"23 But He saw through their trickery and said to them, 24 "Show Me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?" They said, "Caesar's." 25 And He said to them, "Then pay to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." 26 And they were unable to catch Him in a statement in the presence of the people; and they were amazed at His answer, and said nothing.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Deuteronomy 17:15, Ezra 4:13, Ezra 4:19-22, Ezra 9:7, Nehemiah 5:4, Nehemiah 9:37, Matthew 22:17-21, Mark 12:14-17, Acts 5:37

Reciprocal: Psalms 38:12 - speak Matthew 12:10 - Is it Luke 20:24 - Caesar's

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no?] The Syriac and Persic versions here, as in the other evangelists, render it, "head money". The phrase, "for us", is here added, and on it lies the emphasis, and stress of the question; for the doubt pretended, was not whether it was lawful for the Romans to pay tribute to Caesar, but whether it was lawful for them who were Jews, were Abraham's seed, and, as they boasted, were never in bondage, but were the Lord's free people, to pay tribute to an Heathen emperor, or no.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See this explained in the Matthew 22:15-33 notes, and Mark 12:13-27 notes.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Luke 20:22. Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar — See this insidious but important question considered at large on Matthew 22:16-22.


 
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