Focused Passage

Matthew 22:15-22

The Wedding Banquet, the King’s Invitation, and the Messiah Who Is David’s Lord

Matthew moves from parabolic judgment against those who refuse the King’s Son, to warning against presumptuous attendance without proper response, to political testing over Caesar, to theological testing over resurrection, to legal testing over the greatest commandment, and finally to Jesus’ own question revealing that the Messiah is not merely David’s son but David’s Lord.

Berean Standard Bible, Public Domain - Translation notes - Reference sources

15Then the Pharisees went out and conspired to trap Jesus in His words.

16They sent their disciples to Him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that You are honest and that You teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You seek favor from no one, because You pay no attention to external appearance.

17So tell us what You think: Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

18But Jesus knew their evil intent and said, “You hypocrites, why are you testing Me?

19Show Me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought Him a denarius.

20“Whose image is this,” He asked, “and whose inscription?”

21“Caesar’s,” they answered. So Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

22And when they heard this, they were amazed. So they left Him and went away.

Study Helps

References and Original Words

Verse 15

Original words

ThenΤότεG5119AdverbtheοἱG3588Article - Nominative Masculine PluralPhariseesΦαρισαῖοιG5330Noun - Nominative Masculine Pluralwent outπορευθέντεςG4198Verb - Aorist Participle Passive - Nominative Masculine Plural[and] conspiredἔλαβονG2983Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural. . .συμβούλιονG4824Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular. . .ὅπωςG3704Conjunctionto trapπαγιδεύσωσινG3802Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Plural[Jesus]αὐτὸνG846Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative Masculine 3rd Person SingularinἐνG1722PrepositionHis wordsλόγῳG3056Noun - Dative Masculine Singular
Verse 16

Original words

-καὶG2532ConjunctionThey sentἀποστέλλουσινG649Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person PluraltheirαὐτῶνG846Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Plural-τοὺςG3588Article - Accusative Masculine PluraldisciplesμαθητὰςG3101Noun - Accusative Masculine Pluralto HimαὐτῷG846Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Singularalong withμετὰG3326PrepositiontheτῶνG3588Article - Genitive Masculine PluralHerodiansἩρῳδιανῶνG2265Noun - Genitive Masculine PluralTeacherΔιδάσκαλεG1320Noun - Vocative Masculine Singularthey saidλέγοντες*G3004Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Pluralwe knowοἴδαμενG1492Verb - Perfect Indicative Active - 1st Person PluralthatὅτιG3754ConjunctionYou areεἶG1510Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person SingularhonestἀληθὴςG227Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singularand [that]καὶG2532ConjunctionYou teachδιδάσκειςG1321Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person SingulartheτὴνG3588Article - Accusative Feminine SingularwayὁδὸνG3598Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular-τοῦG3588Article - Genitive Masculine Singularof GodΘεοῦG2316Noun - Genitive Masculine Singularin accordance withἐνG1722Prepositionthe truthἀληθείᾳG225Noun - Dative Feminine Singular-καὶG2532ConjunctionYouσοιG4771Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative 2nd Person Singularseek favorμέλειG3199Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person SingularfromπερὶG4012PrepositionvvvοὐG3756Adverbno oneοὐδενόςG3762Adjective - Genitive Masculine SingularbecauseγὰρG1063ConjunctionvvvοὐG3756AdverbYou pay no attentionβλέπειςG991Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person SingulartoεἰςG1519Prepositionexternal appearanceπρόσωπονG4383Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular. . .ἀνθρώπωνG444Noun - Genitive Masculine Plural
Verse 17

Original words

SoοὖνG3767ConjunctiontellεἰπὸνG2036Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 2nd Person SingularusἡμῖνG1473Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative 1st Person PluralwhatτίG5101Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun - Nominative Neuter SingularYouσοιG4771Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative 2nd Person SingularthinkδοκεῖG1380Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person SingularIs it lawfulἔξεστινG1832Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singularto payδοῦναιG1325Verb - Aorist Infinitive ActivetaxesκῆνσονG2778Noun - Accusative Masculine Singularto CaesarΚαίσαριG2541Noun - Dative Masculine SingularorG2228ConjunctionnotοὔG3756Adverb
Verse 18

Original words

ButδὲG1161Conjunction-G3588Article - Nominative Masculine SingularJesusἸησοῦςG2424Noun - Nominative Masculine SingularknewΓνοὺςG1097Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine SingulartheirαὐτῶνG846Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Plural-τὴνG3588Article - Accusative Feminine Singularevil intentπονηρίανG4189Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular[and] saidεἶπενG2036Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person SingularYou hypocritesὑποκριταίG5273Noun - Vocative Masculine PluralwhyΤίG5101Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun - Accusative Neuter Singularare you testingπειράζετεG3985Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person PluralMeμεG1473Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative 1st Person Singular
Verse 19

Original words

ShowἐπιδείξατέG1925Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 2nd Person PluralMeμοιG1473Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative 1st Person SingulartheτὸG3588Article - Accusative Neuter SingularcoinνόμισμαG3546Noun - Accusative Neuter Singularused forτοῦG3588Article - Genitive Masculine Singularthe taxκήνσουG2778Noun - Genitive Masculine SingularAndδὲG1161Conjunction-ΟἱG3588Article - Nominative Masculine Pluralthey broughtπροσήνεγκανG4374Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person PluralHimαὐτῷG846Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Singulara denariusδηνάριονG1220Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular

BSB notes

  • A denarius was customarily a day’s wage for a laborer; see Matthew 20:2.
Verse 20

Original words

WhoseΤίνοςG5101Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun - Genitive Masculine Singular-G3588Article - Nominative Feminine SingularimageεἰκὼνG1504Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular[is] thisαὕτηG3778Demonstrative Pronoun - Nominative Feminine Singular-ΚαὶG2532ConjunctionHe askedλέγειG3004Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular. . .αὐτοῖςG846Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person PluralandκαὶG2532ConjunctionwhoseG3588Article - Nominative Feminine SingularinscriptionἐπιγραφήG1923Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Verse 21

Original words

Caesar’sΚαίσαροςG2541Noun - Genitive Masculine Singularthey answeredΛέγουσινG3004Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural. . .αὐτῷG846Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person SingularSoοὖνG3767Conjunction-ΤότεG5119Adverb[Jesus] toldλέγειG3004Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person SingularthemαὐτοῖςG846Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person PluralGiveἈπόδοτεG591Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 2nd Person Pluralto CaesarΚαίσαριG2541Noun - Dative Masculine Singularwhat [is]τὰG3588Article - Accusative Neuter PluralCaesar’sΚαίσαροςG2541Noun - Genitive Masculine SingularandκαὶG2532Conjunction-τῷG3588Article - Dative Masculine Singularto GodΘεῷG2316Noun - Dative Masculine Singularwhat [is]τὰG3588Article - Accusative Neuter Plural-τοῦG3588Article - Genitive Masculine SingularGod’sΘεοῦG2316Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Verse 22

Original words

AndΚαὶG2532Conjunctionwhen they heard [this]ἀκούσαντεςG191Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Pluralthey were amazedἐθαύμασανG2296Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person PluralSoκαὶG2532Conjunctionthey leftἀφέντεςG863Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine PluralHimαὐτὸνG846Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular[and] went awayἀπῆλθανG565Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural

Berean Standard Bible (BSB): CC0 Public Domain Scripture text. Focused passages are drawn from the same reader contract as the full chapter. Reference sources explains external study-link sources.