The Meaning of Matthew 22:21 Explained

Matthew 22:21

KJV: 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.

YLT: they say to him, 'Caesar's;' then saith he to them, 'Render therefore the things of Caesar to Caesar, and the things of God to God;'

Darby: They say to him, Caesar's. Then he says to them, Pay then what is Caesar's to Caesar, and what is God's to God.

ASV: They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Matthew 22:21 Mean?

Context Summary

Matthew 22:15-22 - Duties To God And Society
This reading begins a marvelous cycle of interviews between our Lord and His questioners. First the Herodians, then the Sadducees, and finally the Pharisees were answered and silenced. What inimitable wisdom there was in His replies! How masterfully He turned the battle from the gate and slew them with their own swords!
Theoretically God was King in Israel. Were, then, the Jews justified in paying tribute to Caesar? If our Lord had said so, His enemies would have accused Him of treachery to the theocracy. If He had forbidden it, they would have accused Him of treachery to their Roman conquerors. Our Lord answered with marvelous wisdom. He tore aside the veil and revealed their hypocrisy. That coin indicated that the Romans were responsible for maintaining law and order. It was surely right that Caesar's dues should be paid. But it was equally right to give to God the souls that He had redeemed. Are we as careful in rendering to God our hearts and lives as we are in paying our taxes and serving the state? [source]

Chapter Summary: Matthew 22

1  The parable of the marriage of the king's son
9  The vocation of the Gentiles
12  The punishment of him who lacked a wedding garment
15  Tribute ought to be paid to Caesar
23  Jesus confutes the Sadducees for the resurrection;
34  answers which is the first and great commandment;
41  and puzzles the Pharisees by a question about the Messiah

Greek Commentary for Matthew 22:21

Render [αποδοτε]
“Give back” to Caesar what is already Caesar‘s. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Matthew 22:21

1 Peter 2:13 Every ordinance of man [πασηι αντρωπινηι κτισει]
Dative case of old and common word κτισις — ktisis (from κτιζω — ktizō to create, to found), act of creation (Romans 1:20), a creature or creation (Romans 1:25), all creation (Colossians 1:15), an institution as here (in Pindar so). For αντρωπινος — anthrōpinos (human) see James 3:7. Peter here approves no special kind of government, but he supports law and order as Paul does (Romans 13:1-8) unless it steps in between God and man (Acts 4:20).For the Lord‘s sake (δια τον κυριον — dia ton kurion). For Jesus‘ sake. That is reason enough for the Christian not to be an anarchist (Matthew 22:21). The heathen were keen to charge the Christians with any crime after Nero set the fashion. “It should not be forgotten that, in spite of the fine language of the philosophers, the really popular religions in Greece and Rome were forms of devil-worship, intimately blended with magic in all its grades” (Bigg).As supreme Dative singular of present active participle of υπερεχω — huperechō old verb (intransitive), to stand out above (to have it over), as in Romans 13:1. It is not the divine right of kings, but the fact of the king as the outstanding ruler. [source]
1 Peter 2:13 For the Lord‘s sake [δια τον κυριον]
For Jesus‘ sake. That is reason enough for the Christian not to be an anarchist (Matthew 22:21). The heathen were keen to charge the Christians with any crime after Nero set the fashion. “It should not be forgotten that, in spite of the fine language of the philosophers, the really popular religions in Greece and Rome were forms of devil-worship, intimately blended with magic in all its grades” (Bigg). [source]

What do the individual words in Matthew 22:21 mean?

They say to Him Caesar’s Then He says to them Give back therefore the things of Caesar to Caesar and - of God - to God
Λέγουσιν ‹αὐτῷ› Καίσαρος Τότε λέγει αὐτοῖς Ἀπόδοτε οὖν τὰ Καίσαρος Καίσαρι καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῷ Θεῷ

Λέγουσιν  They  say 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: λέγω 
Sense: to say, to speak.
‹αὐτῷ›  to  Him 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
Καίσαρος  Caesar’s 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: Καῖσαρ  
Sense: the surname of Julius Caesar, which adopted by Octavius Augustus and his successors afterwards became a title, and was appropriated by the Roman emperors as part of their title.
λέγει  He  says 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λέγω 
Sense: to say, to speak.
αὐτοῖς  to  them 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
Ἀπόδοτε  Give  back 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Imperative Active, 2nd Person Plural
Root: ἀποδίδωμι  
Sense: to deliver, to give away for one’s own profit what is one’s own, to sell.
τὰ  the  things 
Parse: Article, Accusative Neuter Plural
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Καίσαρος  of  Caesar 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: Καῖσαρ  
Sense: the surname of Julius Caesar, which adopted by Octavius Augustus and his successors afterwards became a title, and was appropriated by the Roman emperors as part of their title.
Καίσαρι  to  Caesar 
Parse: Noun, Dative Masculine Singular
Root: Καῖσαρ  
Sense: the surname of Julius Caesar, which adopted by Octavius Augustus and his successors afterwards became a title, and was appropriated by the Roman emperors as part of their title.
τοῦ  - 
Parse: Article, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Θεοῦ  of  God 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: θεός  
Sense: a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities.
τῷ  - 
Parse: Article, Dative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Θεῷ  to  God 
Parse: Noun, Dative Masculine Singular
Root: θεός  
Sense: a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities.