Matthew 17:24-27 · Bible study
Matthew 17:24-27 Commentary: Jesus Pays the Temple Tax
Greek · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Learn why Jesus, the Son of God, pays the temple tax in Matthew 17:24-27, his claim of sonship, his freedom, and the miracle of the coin in the fish.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Jesus, as the Son of God, is not obligated to pay the temple tax, but he willingly pays to avoid causing offense, demonstrating both his divine identity and his humble love.
- Key words: δίδραχμα (didrachma, temple tax of two drachmas), προέφθασεν (proephthasen, anticipated, spoke first), στατήρ (statēr, silver coin worth four drachmas, equal to one shekel), υἱοί (huioi, sons, used of the royal children).
- Main debate: Whether “the children” (v.26) refers only to Jesus as the unique Son, or also includes all believers as those set free from religious obligation. Interpreters differ on how far the principle of exemption extends.
- Theological theme: Divine freedom expressed through voluntary submission. Jesus is sovereign over creation (the fish obeys) yet sets aside his rights for the sake of peace and witness.
- Best use: Teaching on the identity of Jesus as the Son of God, the relationship between Christian freedom and love, and the principle of not insisting on rights when it might harm the mission.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
24After they had arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax came to Peter and asked, “Does your Teacher pay the two drachmas?”
25“Yes,” he answered. When Peter entered the house, Jesus preempted him. “What do you think, Simon?” He asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs and taxes: from their own sons, or from others?”
26“From others,” Peter answered. “Then the sons are exempt,” Jesus declared.
27“But so that we may not offend them, go to the sea, cast a hook, and take the first fish you catch. When you open its mouth, you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for My tax and yours.”
WEB World English Bible 2000
24When they had come to Capernaum, those who collected the didrachma coins came to Peter, and said, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the didrachma?”
25He said, “Yes.” When he came into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth receive toll or tribute? From their children, or from strangers?”
26Peter said to him, “From strangers.” Jesus said to him, “Therefore the children are exempt.
27But, lest we cause them to stumble, go to the sea, cast a hook, and take up the first fish that comes up. When you have opened its mouth, you will find a stater coin. Take that, and give it to them for me and you.”
KJV King James Version 1769
24And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute?
25He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers?
26Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free.
27Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
24And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received the half-shekel came to Peter, and said, Doth not your teacher pay the half-shekel?
25He saith, Yea. And when he came into the house, Jesus spake first to him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? the kings of the earth, from whom do they receive toll or tribute? from their sons, or from strangers?
26And when he said, From strangers, Jesus said unto him, Therefore the sons are free.
27But, lest we cause them to stumble, go thou to the sea, and cast a hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a shekel: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
24And they having come to Capernaum, those receiving the didrachms came near to Peter, and said, `Your teacher--doth he not pay the didrachms?' He saith, `Yes.'
25And when he came into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, `What thinkest thou, Simon? the kings of the earth--from whom do they receive custom or poll-tax? from their sons or from the strangers?'
26Peter saith to him, `From the strangers.' Jesus said to him, `Then are the sons free;
27but, that we may not cause them to stumble, having gone to the sea, cast a hook, and the fish that hath come up first take thou up, and having opened its mouth, thou shalt find a stater, that having taken, give to them for me and thee.'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
24And when they came to Capernaum, those who received the didrachmas came to Peter and said, Does your teacher not pay the didrachmas?
25He says, Yes. And when he came into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, What dost thou think, Simon? the kings of the earth, from whom do they receive custom or tribute? from their own sons or from strangers?
26Peter says to him, From strangers. Jesus said to him, Then are the sons free.
27But that we may not be an offence to them, go to the sea and cast a hook, and take the first fish that comes up, and when thou hast opened its mouth thou wilt find a stater; take that and give it to them for me and thee.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · Matthew 17:24
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree on the core meaning of this passage. The tax in question is the didrachma, the annual half-shekel for the temple service (Exodus 30:13), not a Roman civil tax. Barnes and Calvin both underline that Jesus, as God’s Son, is not bound to pay it. Jesus draws a parable: earthly kings do not tax their own children, only strangers. Peter follows the logic, then the children are free. But Jesus chooses to pay, not from obligation but to avoid giving offense. The miracle in verse 27, a stater coin found in a fish’s mouth, supplies the exact amount for two persons. Gill notes that this voluntary submission was to keep the temple authorities from stumbling over Jesus’ apparent disregard for the sanctuary. Across the commentaries, the unanimous point is that Jesus acted out of divine freedom, not necessity, and that his payment was an act of love that preemptively removed a potential barrier to his ministry.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Jesus as the unique Son: The parable’s logic (kings tax strangers, not their children) applies primarily to Jesus himself, as the Son of God in a unique sense, who is therefore free from the temple tax.
- Believers as children of God: Some interpreters extend the term 'children' to include all who belong to God’s family, seeing here a principle of Christian freedom from religious impositions.
- Model for voluntary submission: Jesus sets aside his right to exemption to avoid offense, establishing a pattern for Christians to yield personal rights for the sake of others and for the advance of the gospel.
What is clear: Jesus is the Son of God, not obligated to pay the temple tax, yet he willingly pays by a miracle to avoid causing others to stumble.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Nature of the tax | All major commentators agree this is the temple tax (didrachma, half-shekel) for the Jerusalem sanctuary, not the Roman civil tax. | A minor historical question: after the destruction of the temple in AD 70, the tax was diverted to the Roman treasury, but at the time of Jesus it remained a religious levy. Some early interpreters confused it with the Roman tribute discussed in Matthew 22. |
| Identity of 'the children' (οἱ υἱοί) | Commentators recognize that Jesus primarily refers to himself as the Son of God, arguing from analogy that earthly kings exempt their own children from taxes. | Some extend the reference to all believers who are children of God through faith, seeing here a principle of Christian freedom from religious obligations. Others (e.g., JFB) insist Jesus keeps his relation to God distinct from that of the disciples. |
| Reason for paying the tax | Jesus pays to avoid causing offense (σκανδαλίζω, to cause to stumble). This is an act of love and considerateness, not of legal obligation. | Some see this as a model for all Christians to yield minor rights for the sake of peace. Others emphasize it as a unique moment in Jesus’ ministry, tied to his impending passion and his refusal to provoke opposition before the appointed time. |
| The miracle in the fish's mouth | The event is accepted as a literal miracle in which Jesus supernaturally provides a coin of the exact value needed. | Some argue the coin was providentially placed in the fish before Peter cast the hook; others see the coin as created at that moment. Both views affirm Jesus’ divine power over creation. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The temple tax, or didrachma, has its roots in Exodus 30:13-16. Every male Israelite over twenty years of age was required to give half a shekel for the service of the tent of meeting. By the first century, this annual levy funded the daily sacrifices, the bread of the Presence, incense, and other costs of the Jerusalem temple. The collection was handled locally by Jewish officials, not Roman publicans, a key distinction Jesus uses in his argument.
Jesus and the disciples have just returned to Capernaum, a Galilean town on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. Peter had a house there (Matthew 8:14), and the collectors approach him, not Jesus directly. Peter’s quick “Yes” suggests Jesus had paid the tax in previous years. But the scene unfolds in private: Jesus, knowing what Peter discussed outside, speaks first when Peter enters. The Greek verb προέφθασεν (proephthasen) means “anticipated” or “came before”, Jesus preempts the question, showing his divine awareness.
The coin Jesus sends Peter to find is a στατήρ (statēr), equal to four drachmas or one shekel, exactly the amount needed for two persons. This was no small sum: a laborer might earn one drachma for a day’s work. The miracle confirms Jesus’ authority over creation and his knowledge of what lies hidden. He not only asserts his freedom but provides for Peter as well, paying both their shares.
This event sits immediately after the second prediction of Jesus’ suffering and death (Matthew 17:22-23) and the transfiguration (17:1-8). The context of impending sacrifice reinforces the paradox: the Son of God, who owns all, willingly submits, even to a tax for his Father’s house.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Matthew 17:24-27. The Greek text is stable across the major manuscripts. The only minor point is that a few manuscripts add verse 21 (concerning prayer and fasting) in some traditions, but it does not affect this passage, and most modern editions omit it as a later insertion.
Reception History
Early church writers such as Origen and Chrysostom saw in this passage a demonstration of Christ’s divinity and his voluntary humility. The miracle of the fish was often allegorized: the fish became a symbol for believers caught by the hook of the gospel, and the coin represented the ransom Christ pays for humanity. In the Middle Ages, exegetes used the passage to discuss the relationship between temporal authority and the Church. Reformation commentators, Luther, Calvin, and later the Geneva and Puritan writers, emphasized the principle of Christian freedom and the duty to avoid unnecessary offense, even when exercising that freedom. Modern scholarship has focused on the historical context of the temple tax and the light it sheds on first-century Jewish practice.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The Question of Obligation (v.24). The temple-tax collectors raise a legitimate question about Jesus’ practice. Peter answers on impulse, but the question lingers, does the Son of God owe anything to his Father’s house?
- The Principle of Freedom (v.25-26). Jesus uses a rapid, logical argument: kings’ children are exempt. As the unique Son, he is free from the tax. His identity as Son is the foundation of his freedom.
- The Practice of Love (v.27). Freedom does not mean insisting on rights. Jesus pays to avoid stumbling the collectors. The miracle supplies the exact coin, a sign that he gives freely, out of his own resources, and that he includes Peter in his provision.
Five-point outline
- The collectors come, a routine inquiry about a religious tax.
- Peter’s confident “Yes”, he knows Jesus’ custom, but does he understand the issue?
- Jesus anticipates, he speaks before Peter can explain, showing divine foreknowledge.
- The parable of kings and sons, a short, irrefutable argument for Jesus’ exemption as Son of God.
- The miracle of the fish, a providential supply that provides for both Jesus and Peter, and removes any cause for offense.
Illustration hooks
- The mayor’s child. A child whose parent is the mayor still has to follow parking rules like everyone else, even if technically the mayor could waive them. Jesus chooses to pay, even when he could rightly claim exemption.
- The last seat on the bus. You have a right to a seat you paid for, but you give it to an elderly person. You don’t have to, but you do to keep peace and show kindness.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does this mean Christians should always pay all taxes, even unfair ones?
- What does “offend them” mean here, is Jesus worried about hurting feelings or about causing someone to reject the gospel?
- If Jesus is the Son of God, why didn’t he simply refuse to pay? What does this tell us about using our rights as believers?
Leading a Discussion
This passage shows Jesus both claiming his unique identity as the Son of God and voluntarily setting aside his rights for the sake of others. It raises deep questions about freedom, obligation, and love. As you discuss, notice how Jesus’ actions point to his divine sonship and his willingness to humble himself.
Discussion questions
- What does the fact that the tax is for the temple (not Rome) add to your understanding of this story?
- Why do you think Peter answered “Yes” so quickly? What might he have assumed about Jesus?
- Jesus “anticipated” Peter, how does that detail reinforce what Matthew is showing us about Jesus’ identity?
- What is the main point of Jesus’ argument about kings and their children? How does it apply to him?
- Jesus was free from paying the tax, but he paid anyway. What does this teach about using our freedom in Christ?
- “Lest we offend them”, when should we give up a right to avoid causing someone else to stumble? Are there limits to this principle?
- The miracle in the fish’s mouth provides exactly enough for two people. How does this act of provision speak to you personally?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Exodus 30:13 | They shall give this, everyone who passes over to those who are counted, half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs); half a shekel for an offering to Yahweh. |
| Exodus 38:26 | a beka a head, that is, half a shekel, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, for everyone who passed over to those who were counted, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred three thousand five hundred fifty men. |
| Mark 9:33 | He came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing among yourselves on the way?” |
| I Samuel 17:25 | The men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? He has surely come up to defy Israel. The king will give great riches to the man who kills him, and will give him his daughter, and will make his father’s house tax-free in Israel.” |
| Matthew 3:15 | But Jesus, answering, said to him, “Allow it now, for this is the fitting way for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed him. |
| Matthew 22:17 | Tell us therefore, what do you think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” |
| Matthew 22:19 | Show me the tax money.” They brought to him a denarius. |
| Matthew 22:21 | They said to him, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke carefully explains the temple tax as a Jewish religious requirement, not a Roman one, then highlights different possibilities for the miracle. Whether the coin was already in the fish or created on the spot, he marvels at Christ's wisdom or power. He also notes the haddock could not have been native to the Sea of Galilee.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes notes that the temple tax was a religious offering, not a civil tax, so Jesus argues that as the Son of God He is exempt from paying for His Father's service. Yet He pays to avoid offense. The coin in the fish confirms His divine attributes, whether through omniscient knowledge or creative power.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin stresses that Christ paid the temple tribute not because he was required to, but as a free and voluntary submission, showing his servant role. The miracle with the fish proved his greater dominion over creation, demonstrating that he could have claimed exemption. The payment took nothing from his reign.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator clarifies that this tax was not a Roman or civil levy but the annual half-shekel for the Temple treasury, rooted in Exodus. He then highlights the logic: if earthly kings exempt their own sons, then Jesus, the Son of God, should be free from tribute to His Father's house.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill clarifies that the money collectors asked about the annual half-shekel temple tax, not Roman tribute. Jesus argues that as the Son of the King of kings, he is exempt, yet he pays the tax through a miracle to avoid giving offense, demonstrating both his divine authority and his humble condescension.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB stresses that the temple tax was ecclesiastical, not civil, and Jesus as God's own Son was inherently free from it. Yet He paid rather than cause misunderstanding. JFB carefully notes that "the children" refers only to Jesus Himself, keeping His unique divine Sonship distinct from the disciples' relationship to the Father.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry clarifies the tribute was not a Roman tax but the temple half-shekel, a church due. Jesus, as God's Son, stood exempt from it, yet he chose to pay it anyway to avoid giving unnecessary offense.
Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887
Vincent highlights the massive profit money-changers made from the temple tax, estimating it at nearly forty-five thousand dollars annually while a day's labor earned less than twenty cents. Jesus, he notes, attacked this powerful financial interest when he overturned their tables. Vincent also clarifies that "prevented" means Jesus anticipated Peter's question before he could speak.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley highlights that Jesus, as the Son of God, is free from the temple tax but chooses to pay it to avoid offending even unjust claimants. He also notes that Jesus demonstrates divine knowledge and power by directing a fish to provide the exact coin, encouraging trust in Providence.