Matthew 22:17 (DBY)

Passage

tell us therefore what thou thinkest: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?

Nearby Context

Matthew 22:15 Then went the Pharisees and held a council how they might ensnare him in speaking.

Matthew 22:16 And they send out to him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Teacher, we know that thou art true and teachest the way of God in truth, and carest not for any one, for thou regardest not men's person;

Matthew 22:17 tell us therefore what thou thinkest: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?

Matthew 22:18 But Jesus, knowing their wickedness, said, Why tempt ye me, hypocrites?

Matthew 22:19 Shew me the money of the tribute. And they presented to him a denarius.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "tell", "therefore", "thou", "thinkest", "lawful", "give", "tribute", and "caesar". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "tell" and "therefore", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "And they send out to him their..." into verse 18's "But Jesus knowing their wickedness said Why...", so "tell" and "therefore" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "tell" and "therefore" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.