Luke 20:22

20:22 Is it right ¹  for us to pay the tribute tax ²  to Caesar ³  or not?”

Luke 20:25

20:25 So ⁴  he said to them, “Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” ⁵ 

Luke 23:2

23:2 They ⁶  began to accuse ⁷  him, saying, “We found this man subverting ⁸  our nation, forbidding ⁹  us to pay the tribute tax ¹⁰  to Caesar ¹¹  and claiming that he himself is Christ, ¹²  a king.”

[20:22]  ¹ tn Or “lawful,” that is, in accordance with God’s divine law. On the syntax of ἔξεστιν (exestin) with an infinitive and accusative, see BDF §409.3.

[20:22]  ² tn This was a “poll tax.” L&N 57.182 states this was “a payment made by the people of one nation to another, with the implication that this is a symbol of submission and dependence – ‘tribute tax.’”

[20:22]  ³ tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[20:25]  ⁴ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate that Jesus’ pronouncement results from the opponents’ answer to his question.

[20:25]  ⁵ sn Jesus’ answer to give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s was a both/and, not the questioners’ either/or. So he slipped out of their trap.

[23:2]  ⁷ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[23:2]  ⁸ sn They began to accuse him. There were three charges: (1) disturbing Jewish peace; (2) fomenting rebellion through advocating not paying taxes (a lie – 20:20-26); and (3) claiming to be a political threat to Rome, by claiming to be a king, an allusion to Jesus’ messianic claims. The second and third charges were a direct challenge to Roman authority. Pilate would be forced to do something about them.

[23:2]  ⁹ tn On the use of the term διαστρέφω (diastrefw) here, see L&N 31.71 and 88.264.

[23:2]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “and forbidding.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated to suggest to the English reader that this and the following charge are specifics, while the previous charge was a summary one. See the note on the word “misleading” earlier in this verse.

[23:2]  ¹¹ tn This was a “poll tax.” L&N 57.182 states this was “a payment made by the people of one nation to another, with the implication that this is a symbol of submission and dependence – ‘tribute tax.’”

[23:2]  ¹² tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[23:2]  ¹³ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”