Matthew 22:21 (DBY)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

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

Matthew 22:20 And he says to them, Whose [is] this image and superscription?

Matthew 22:21 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.

Matthew 22:22 And when they heard [him], they wondered, and left him, and went away.

Matthew 22:23 On that day came to him Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection; and they demanded of him,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "caesar's", "says", and "god's". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "caesar's" and "says", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "And he says to them Whose is..." into verse 22's "And when they heard him they wondered...", so "caesar's" and "says" 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 "caesar's" and "says" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.