Matius 22:20-21

22:20 Jesus ¹  said to them, “Whose image ²  is this, and whose inscription?” 22:21 They replied, ³  “Caesar’s.” He said to them, ⁴  “Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” ⁵ 

[22:20]  ¹ tn Grk “And he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[22:20]  ² tn Or “whose likeness.”

[22:20]  sn In this passage Jesus points to the image (Grk εἰκών, eikwn) of Caesar on the coin. This same Greek word is used in Gen 1:26 (LXX) to state that humanity is made in the “image” of God. Jesus is making a subtle yet powerful contrast: Caesar’s image is on the denarius, so he can lay claim to money through taxation, but God’s image is on humanity, so he can lay claim to each individual life.

[22:21]  ³ tn Grk “they said to him.”

[22:21]  ⁴ tn Grk “then he said to them.” τότε (tote) has not been translated to avoid redundancy.

[22:21]  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.