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Luke 20:22 — Word Study

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N1904ἔξεστιν ἡμᾶς Καίσαρι φόρον δοῦναι οὔ;

BSAIs it lawfulexesti, exon [permissible] for usegō to CaesarKaisar [the Roman emperor, ruling power] tributephoros [tribute] to givedidōmi [give, render] orē [as an alternative] not?ou [no, by no means]

Word
Listen & take awayLuke 20
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 22 is in this chapter.
Greek ↓ Download MP3 Nestle 1904 — the very text on this page — read by Andy Martin in Erasmian pronunciation.
Say the word Each Greek word carries its transliteration (ou) — no per-word recordings of the Greek exist to link to.
Take it away
Luke 20:22quick helps
In a sentenceJesus is asked whether it is lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, presenting a dilemma for Him.
Who is speakingThe question comes from the religious leaders, seeking to trap Jesus.
Where we areThis exchange occurs during Jesus' final week in Jerusalem, as He faces increasing opposition.
The hard wordἔξεστι(ν)
Take awayThe question challenges the relationship between faith and civic duty.
5 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Ellicott, AdamClarke & more — read them › clause verbἔξεστι(ν) The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the New Testament

Every word here is used elsewhere in the New Testament.

Bars are logarithmic — , the commonest word in the Greek New Testament, stands 19,867 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.

Deep Study — Luke 20:22

Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.

Context — The Question About Paying Taxesgenerated

21“Teacher,” they inquired, “we know that You speak and teach correctly. You show no partiality, but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.
22Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
23But Jesus saw through their duplicity and said to them,
24“Show Me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?” “Caesar’s,” they answered.

Luke 20:22 records a question posed to Jesus by the religious leaders, who were trying to catch Him in a statement that could be used against Him. They asked if it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, which was a contentious issue among the Jewish people under Roman rule. The question reflects the tension between their obligations to the Roman authorities and their devotion to God. This moment is part of a series of challenges Jesus faced leading up to His crucifixion, as described in the surrounding verses.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Deuteronomy 17:15you are to appoint over yourselves the king whom the LORD your God shall choose. Appoint a king from among your brothers; you are not to set over yourselves a foreigner who is not one of your brothers.
2Ezra 4:13–19Let it now be known to the king that if that city is rebuilt and its walls are restored, they will not pay tribute, duty, or toll, and the royal treasury will suffer.
3Ezra 9:7From the days of our fathers to this day, our guilt has been great. Because of our iniquities, we and our kings and priests have been delivered into the hands of the kings of the earth and put to the sword and captivity, to pillage and humiliation, as we are this day.
4Nehemiah 5:4Still others were saying, “We have borrowed money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards.
5Nehemiah 9:37Its abundant harvest goes to the kings You have set over us because of our sins. And they rule over our bodies and our livestock as they please. We are in great distress.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 8 references, hung on the phrase they belong to


The Key Word ἔξεστι(ν), exesti, exongenerated

The word ἔξεστιν is a present active indicative verb meaning 'it is lawful' or 'it is permitted.' It indicates permission or legality, often used in contexts where actions or behaviors are being evaluated for their acceptability.

In this context, it raises a significant question about the intersection of civic duty and religious obligation, prompting deeper reflection on what it means to live under earthly authority while maintaining faith.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

The verse is rendered in the Berean Standard Bible as 'Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?' This is consistent across several translations, including the KJV and ASV, which use 'give tribute' and 'to give tribute' respectively.

However, the BSB and others like the WEB use 'pay taxes,' while the BBE opts for 'make payment of taxes.' This reflects a slight variation in how the act of taxation is described, but the essential question remains the same.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The main verb of the sentence is ἔξεστιν, it is lawful, which governs the entire clause. The structure includes a noun phrase for us as the subject, and a prepositional phrase to Caesar indicating to whom the taxes are to be paid.

The sentence also includes an infinitive phrase to give that complements the main verb, establishing the action being questioned, and concludes with a disjunctive particle or not to present the alternative.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

In Luke 20:22, the Greek word δοῦναι (didōmi), meaning 'to give,' corresponds to the Hebrew word נָתַן (natan), which also conveys the idea of giving or setting something down. This connection emphasizes the act of giving in the context of the question about paying taxes.

The conjunction (ē), meaning 'or,' is used in the LXX to translate both the Hebrew words אוֹ (’o) and אִם (’im), which introduce alternatives. This choice highlights the duality in the question posed about the lawfulness of paying taxes.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Luke 20:22 presents a question from the religious leaders to Jesus about the legality of paying taxes to Caesar. They are trying to trap Him with this question, as it could either alienate Him from the people or put Him at odds with Roman authority.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What is the significance of the question about paying taxes?

The question highlights the conflict between the Jewish people's loyalty to God and their obligations to the Roman government, illustrating the tension between faith and civic duty.

Why did the religious leaders ask Jesus this question?

They aimed to trap Jesus into making a statement that could be used against Him, either to turn the people against Him or to accuse Him of insurrection.

How did Jesus respond to this question?

While the response is not included in this verse, Jesus famously asked them to show Him a denarius and pointed out that they should give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.

What does this passage teach about authority?

It illustrates the need to balance earthly authority with divine authority, suggesting that both have their rightful place in a believer's life.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. How do I navigate my responsibilities as a citizen while remaining faithful to my beliefs?
  2. In what ways can I honor both my civic duties and my commitment to God?
  3. What are some examples in my life where I have felt conflicted between authority and faith?
  4. How can I respond to questions about my beliefs in a way that reflects my faith?

The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it

Augustine of Hippo comments on this passage, noting the hostile intentions behind the question posed to Jesus.

Augustine of HippoSERMON 308A.7 354–430
These same enemies saw the miracles of the Lord, and they said, "Tell us by what authority you are doing these things." They questioned him with hostile intentions, so that if he admitted what his authority was,

Augustine points out that the question was meant to challenge Jesus' authority and intentions, reflecting the animosity of the religious leaders.

Early Church Fathers on Luke 20 →

Commentators on this verse — 5 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Luke 20:22 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no?] The Syriac and Persic versions here, as in the other evangelists, render it, "head money".

Read John Gill on Luke 20 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor.

Read Robert Jamieson on Luke 20 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(20-26) And they watched him.—See Notes on Matthew 22:15-22 and Mark 12:13-17. And sent forth spies.—The noun is, again, one of St. Luke’s characteristic words not used by any other New Testament writer. It expresses rather the act of those who lie in ambush, than that of “spies” in the strict sense of the words. St. Luke is, on the one hand, less definite as to the parties to the conspiracy than the other Gospels, and on the other hand more explicit as to its aim. They wanted materials for an accusation before Pilate, as well as for one before the Sanhedrin. On the omission of the name of the Herodians, see Note on Luke 6:11. Power and authority.—We have again the characteristic…

Read Charles John Ellicott on Luke 20 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 22. Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar] See this insidious but important question considered at large on Matthew 22:16-22.

Read AdamClarke on Luke 20 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

22. is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Cesar, or no?] The question was devised with so superlative a craft that it seemed impossible for our Lord to escape. If He said ‘It is lawful,’ the Pharisees hoped at once to undermine His popularity with the multitude. If He said ‘It is not lawful’ (Deuteronomy 17:15), the Herodians could at once hand Him over, as a traitor, to the secular power. For ‘tribute’ each Evangelist uses a different word—epikephalaion, ‘poll-tax’ (Mark in D); the Latin kenson ‘census’ (Matt.); and the classical phoron here and Luke 23:2. It was a capitation-tax, the legality of which was indignantly disputed by scrupulous legalists.craftiness] panourgian, a classical…

Read Cambridge on Luke 20 →

The verse in English, compared — 16 translations, and where they part company

Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.

Modern formal

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

WEBWorld English Bible2000

Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

NETBNew English Translation2006

Is it right for us to pay the tribute tax to Caesar or not?”

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Cæsar, or no?

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Cæsar, or not?

RVARevised Version, American1894

Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?

NWBWebster's Bible1833

Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Cesar, or not?

GNVGeneva Bible1599

Is it lawfull for vs to giue Cesar tribute or no?

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

Is it lawful to us to give tribute to Caesar or not?'

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

Is it lawful to us to give tribute to Caesar or not?”

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or no?

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

So should we pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

BBEBible in Basic English1949

Is it right for us to make payment of taxes to Caesar or not?

Word by word, the decisions they made

ΚαίσαριKaisar to Caesar G2541 2 different renderings
to caesarBBE BSB DBY DRA FBV LSV MSB NETB ULB WEB YLT
caesarRVA
φόρονphoros tribute G5411 2 different renderings
tributeASV DBY DRA GNV KJV LSV NETB NWB RVA YLT
taxesBBE BSB FBV MSB ULB WEB

Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.


The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the Nestle 1904 treebank

This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.

clauseκαὶAndclauseverbἐπηρώτησανthey questionedobjectαὐτὸνHimclause · adverbialclauseverbλέγοντεςsayingclauseΔιδάσκαλεTeacherclauseverbοἴδαμενwe knowclauseὅτιthatclauseclauseadverbialὀρθῶςrightlyverb phrase · verbλέγειςYou speakκαὶandδιδάσκειςteachκαὶandclauseοὐnotclauseverbλαμβάνειςreceiveobjectπρόσωπον[any] personἀλλ’butclauseprepositional phrase · adverbialἐπ’on the basis ofἀληθείαςtruthnoun phrase · objectτὴνthenoun phraseὁδὸνwaynoun phraseτοῦ-Θεοῦof GodverbδιδάσκειςteachclauseclauseverbἔξεστινIs it lawfulnoun phrase · subjectclausesubjectἡμᾶςfor usindirect objectΚαίσαριto Caesarobjectφόρονtributeverbδοῦναιto giveorclauseadverbialοὔnot

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The earliest translations — Latin and Syriac

Every translation is an argument about meaning made by someone who had to commit to one. These two were made while the Greek was still a living language, and they are the oldest opinions we have about what this verse says.

Latin VulgateAD 382–405

Licet nobis tributum dare Cæsari, an non ?

Jerome revised the Old Latin against the Greek from AD 382; the Latin west read this text for a thousand years.

Syriac Peshittaby AD 400

ܫܠܝܛ ܠܢ ܕܢܬܠ ܟܣܦ ܪܫܐ ܠܩܣܪ ܐܘ ܠܐ

The Bible of the Syriac-speaking church, in the language nearest to the Aramaic Jesus spoke.

Shown verse by verse rather than word by word: aligning a Greek word to its Latin or Syriac counterpart automatically would be guesswork, and a wrong alignment is worse than none.


The Greek editions compared — what the manuscripts actually say

Eight printed editions of the Greek New Testament, side by side. Where they agree the wording is settled; where a word is missing from an edition it is marked, so you can see the difference rather than take it on trust.

Nestle-Aland 28th edition2012 · Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft

ἔξεστιν ἡμᾶς Καίσαρι φόρον δοῦναι οὔ;

The standard critical text of the New Testament.

Nestle-Aland 27th edition1993 · Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft

ἔξεστιν ἡμᾶς Καίσαρι φόρον δοῦναι οὔ;

The previous edition, still widely cited.

SBL Greek New Testament2010 · Michael Holmes

ἔξεστιν ἡμᾶς Καίσαρι φόρον δοῦναι οὔ;

The Society of Biblical Literature edition, freely licensed.

Westcott–Hort1881 · Westcott and Hort

ἔξεστιν ἡμᾶς Καίσαρι φόρον δοῦναι οὔ;

The edition that turned scholarship toward the earliest manuscripts.

Tregelles1857–1879 · Samuel Prideaux Tregelles

ἔξεστιν ἡμᾶς Καίσαρι φόρον δοῦναι οὔ;

An independent critical text built from the oldest witnesses then known.

Tyndale House Greek NT2017 · Tyndale House, Cambridge

ἔξεστιν ἡμᾶς Καίσαρι φόρον δοῦναι οὔ;

A recent critical edition following documentary evidence closely.

Byzantine majority text2018 · Robinson–Pierpont

ἔξεστιν Καίσαρι φόρον δοῦναι οὔ;

The reading of the majority of surviving manuscripts.

Textus Receptus1550/1894 lineage

ἔξεστιν Καίσαρι φόρον δοῦναι οὔ;

The printed tradition behind the King James Version.

Every witness on this verse they differ
Critical editions
Nestle-Aland 28th edition2012Nestle-Aland 27th edition1993SBL Greek New Testament2010Westcott–Hort1881Tregelles1857–1879Tyndale House Greek NT2017
Byzantine / Majority
Byzantine majority text2018
Received Text
Textus Receptus1550/1894

A witness that read differently would show its variant word here, marked.

Word by word, across the editions

WordEditions carrying itMissing from
ἡμᾶς for usNA28, NA27, Tyn, SBL, WH, TregTR, Byz

Apparatus — SBL Greek New Testament, CC BY 4.0


The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with

This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Greek New Testament — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.

Luke 20:22ἔξεστι(ν)Is it lawfuIs it lawfulἔξεστι(ν)ημινfor usfor usημινΚαῖσαρto Caesarto CaesarΚαῖσαρφόροςtributetributeφόροςδίδωμιto giveto giveδίδωμιororοὐnot?not?οὐφέρωv. I carryv. I carry, beaφέρωἐκPrep. fromPrep. from out,ἐκεἰμίv. I am, ev. I am, existεἰμίἤδηAdv now, aAdv now, alreadἤδηἤπερDisj.prt. Disj.prt. thanἤπερμήNeg.prt. nNeg.prt. not, lμήΚαῖσαρn.m. Caesan.m. CaesarΚαῖσαρσάββατονn.n. the Sn.n. the Sabbatσάββατονκῆνσοςn.m. a poln.m. a poll-taxκῆνσοςκλάωv. I breakv. I breakκλάωπτωχόςAdj poor, Adj poor, destiπτωχόςἀδελφήn.f. a sisn.f. a sisterἀδελφήἔξεστι(ν)v. it is pv. it is permitἔξεστι(ν)μόνοςAdv alone,Adv alone, but,μόνος
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in Luke 20:22

One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Greek lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.

Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. Imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, the full Liddell-Scott-Jones, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate LSJ, Robinson and Packard on the Greek, Webster and Cawdrey on the English the translators were using. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.

Is it lawful for us to Caesar tribute to give or not?
ἔξεστινexesti, exon Is it lawful G1832 Verb · present · active · indicative · third person · singular
31× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
about as common in Luke as anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
To be permitted or lawful, as in Mark 2:24 and Acts 8:37, where certain actions are allowed. It can also mean to be right or just, as in Matthew 12:2 and 1 Corinthians 10:23.
Amplified meaning
permissible
Tyndale gloss
be permitted
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word ἔξεστι(ν) is an impersonal verb meaning 'it is permitted' or 'it is lawful.' It is used in various contexts, often followed by an infinitive or a dative. The New Testament references include Mark 2:24 and Matthew 12:2, among others. The lexicons do not show significant disagreement regarding its meaning or usage.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

ἔξ-εστι

(< εἰμί),

impers. verb.,

it is permitted, lawful: Mk 2:24, Ac 8:37 (R, mg.), I Co 10:23; c. inf., Mt 12:2, 10, 12 14:4 15:26 19:3 22:17 27:6, Mk 3:4 12:14, Lk 6:2, 9 14:3, Jo 5:10; seq. acc., Mk 2:26, Lk 6:4 20:22; c. dat. pers. et inf., Mt 20:15, Mk 6:18 10:2, Jo 18:31,

Ac 16:21 21:37 22:25 (inf. understood), I Co 6:12; ἐξόν (sc. ἐστί), Ac 2:29,

Read the full entry →
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

ἔξεστι, impers. verb, (fr. the unused ἔξειμι), it is lawful; a. foll. by the pres. inf.: Mt. xii. 2, 10 [Tdf. inf. aor.], 12; xiv.4; Lk. vi. 2 [Β α ΤΊ; xiv.3 [LT Tr WH inf. aor.]; with the aor. inf.: Mt. [xv. 26 1, ΤΊ; xxii. 17; xxvii. 6; Mk. iii. 4; xii.14; Lk. vi. 9; Acts ii. 29 (ἐξὸν εἰπεῖν scil. ἔστω, allow me, [ἃ]. supply ἐστί, B. 318 (273); W.§ 64, I. 2a., cf. § 2,1 4.7); with the inf. omitted because readily suggested by the context, Mk. ii. 24 and Ree. in Acts viii. 37. Ὁ. foll. by dat. of pers. and a pres. inf.: Mk. vi. 18; Acts xvi. 21; xxii. 25; and an aor. inf. : Mt. xix.3 [LT WH om. dat.]; xx. 15; Mk. ii. 26[RG L Tr txt.]; x. 2; Lk. xx. 22 RGL; Jn. v.10; xviii. 31; Acts xxi. 37; ἐξὸν ἦν, Mt. xii. 4; ἃ οὐκ ἐξόν, se. ἐστί, 2 Co. xii. 4; with the inf. omitted, as being evident from the context: πάντα (μοι) ἔξεστιν, 50. ποιεῖν, 1 Co. vi. 125 x. 23. c. foll. by the ace. and…

Read the full entry →
Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

ἔξεστι. BGU IV. τ12η (8.6. 18) μὴν ἐξῖναι rae’ A. λέγιν, PSI III. 2037 (A.D. 87) μὴ ἐξέστω δὲ τῇ Φιλωτέρᾳ προσρείπτειν τῷ ΠΠαποντῶτι τὸ σωμάίτιον ἐντὸς τοῦ xpdvov(?), 75. 218? (A.D. 250) οὐκ ἐξόντος οὐδενὶ τῶν ὁμολογούντων παραβαίνειν τὰ προκείμενα. With the inf. omitted, as in 1 Cor 10%, cf, P Ryl Il. 774% (a.p. 192) τοῦτο δὲ οὐκ ἐξῆν, “this was not permissible,” and 2d. 6215 (translation of an unknown Latin work—iii/A.D.) πάντα τὰ ἄλλα ἔξεστί μοι, a passage which recalls 1 Cor 615: see also Epict. ii. i. 23 νῦν ἄλλο τί ἐστιν ἐλευθερία ἢ τὸ ἐξεῖναι ds βουλόμεθα διεξάγειν ; In PSI III. 2185 wt s. and P Oxy II. 275% (a.p. 66) (= Selections, p- 56) οὐκ ἐξόντος τῷ Τρύφωνι ἀποσπᾶν τὸν παῖδα, the gen. abs. stands for the older acc. abs., which has not kept its place in the Kow# except in τυχόν, ““ perhaps ἢ (1 Cor 168): cf. Blass Gr. p. 252, Proleg. p.…

Read the full entry →
Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

ἔξεστι, ἐξόν (exesti, exon) — be permitted.

ἔξεστι,

imperative ἐξέστω, subjunctive ἐξῇ, infinitive ἐξεῖναι, participle ἐξόν: imperfect ἐξῆν: future ἐξέσται, optative ἐξέσοιτο [Refs 5th c.BC+]participle ἐξεσόμενον (see. below): impersonal (see. ἔξειμι B):—it is allowed, is possible, with infinitive, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: with dative person et infinitive,[Refs 5th c.BC+]'licet esse beatis', [Refs 4th c.BC+]: with accusative instead of second dative, ἔ. ὑμῖν φίλους γενέσθαι [Refs 5th c.BC+]: with accusative person et infinitive, [Refs 5th c.BC+]participle absolutely, ἐξεόν τοι.. ἕτερα ποιέειν since it was possible for thee to.., [Refs 5th c.BC+]

Strong's Greek Dictionary

ἔξεστι ἔξεστιν ἔξειμι

exesti

third person singular present indicative of a compound of 1537 and

1510; so also

exon ex-on'

neuter present participle of the same (with or without some form of

1510 expressed); impersonally, it is right (through the figurative

idea of being out in public):--be lawful, let,

X may(-est).

see GREEK for 1537

see GREEK for 1510

see GREEK for 1510

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

ἔξεστιν

v.

it is permitted, lawful, possible

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ἔξεστιν exestin 31x

3rd person sing of the unused ἔχειμι (#1997) used impersonally, it is possible; it is permitted, it is lawful, Mt. 12:2, 4; Mk. 3:4; Lk. 6:9; Acts 22:25; 1 Cor. 6:12

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

ἔξεστι imperat. ἐξέστω subj. ἔξῃ opt. ἐξείη inf. ἐξεῖναι part. ἐξόν imperf. ἐξῆν fut. ἐξέσται opt. ἐξέσοιτο impers., the only forms in use of ἔξ-ειμι it is allowed, it is in one's power, is possible, c. inf., Hdt.: c. dat. pers. et inf., id. Hdt., attic; ἔξ. σοι ἀνδρὶ γενέσθαι Xen.:— c. acc. pers. et inf., Ar.:—part. neut. absol., ἐξόν since it was possible, Hdt., Aesch., etc.

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Verb-PAI-3S — Verb · present · active · indicative · third person · singular
present active indicative — an action in progress.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

V-PAI-3S Part of Speech: Verb Tense: Present Voice: Active Mood: Indicative Person: third Number: Singular

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

lo'-fool (usually mishpaT, "relating to judgment," or "a pronounced judgment" tsaddiq, "relating to that which is righteous" or "just"; exesti, eunomos, "that which is authorized according to law," or "a privilege according to legitimate custom" (compare Eze 18:5,19, 21,27; Isa 49:24; Mt 12:10; Ac 16:21; 19:39)): Used of persons: of God, as being righteous both in the punishment of the wicked and the rewarding of the righteous (Ps 145:17 Hebrew); of man, as being just and equitable in all his dealings with his fellow-man (Eze 33:19). It is used of things when the…

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
50%it is lawful
it is lawful50% · 16×it lawful19% · 6×lawful16% · 5×it is permitted6% · 2×it permitted3% · 1×being permitted3% · 1×lawful?3% · 1×other renderings0% · 0×

32 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 7 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
verb97%predicate3%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 31 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
οὐNeg
ὅςαὐτόςλέγωI say, speak
εἰCond
λέγωI say, speakαὐτόςσύ
ἐγώ
πᾶςall, the whole,
πᾶςall, the whole, ever
συμφέρωI collect, am pr
ὥστεso that, therefore
πρόβατονa sheep
ἔξεστι(ν)Is it lawful31×
what comes after →
Article the
σάββατονthe Sabbath, a w
σύ
ἔχωI have, hold, poαἴρωI raise, lift upμαστίζωI flog, scourge
ἐγώ
ὅςΚαῖσαρCaesarπαραδέχομαιI receive, accep
ἀλλάbut, except
οὐNeg
δίδωμιI offer, give
κῆνσοςa poll-tax

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordanceἔξεστι(ν) · 31× in the New Testament
Matthew Mark Luke 1 Corinthians Acts John 2 Corinthians
Across the New Testament7 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Josephus Philo of Alexandria Ignatius of Antioch
Philo of AlexandriaOn Noah's Work as a Planter 64c. AD 40

τίνι γὰρ ἔξεστιν εἰπεῖν „αὐτός μοι μόνος ἐστὶν ὁ θεός“ ἢ τῷ μηδὲν τῶν μετ’ αὐτὸν ἀσπαζομένῳ;

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 2.154c. AD 75–95

οὐδὲ γὰρ ἡμῖν βιώσιμα τούτου κολασθέντος, οἷς γε πρὸς τὸν πατέρα μὴ ἔξεστιν ἀνασωθῆναι μόνοις, ἀλλʼ ἐνθάδε δεῖ κοινωνῆσαι τούτῳ τῆς αὐτῆς καταστροφῆς τοῦ βίου.

Ignatius of AntiochThe Letters of Ignatius 6.8.2c. AD 110

οὐκ ἐξόν ἐστιν χωρὶς τοῦ ἐπισκόπου οὔτε βαπτίζειν οὔτε ἀγάπην ποιεῖν: ἀλλ̓ ὃ ἂν ἐκεῖνος δοκιμάσῃ, τοῦτο καὶ τῷ θεῷ εὐάρεστον, ἵνα ἀσφαλὲς ᾖ καὶ βέβαιον πᾶν ὃ πράσσετε.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 3rd c. AD 4th c. AD 6th c. AD 3rd c. BC
P.Rain.Cent. 57Soknopaiu Nesos (Arsinoites)AD 49

γιστη ἐν ταῖς κώμαις, … τῶν ἱερέων, οἷς ἔξεστιν καὶ δύναται κατὰ τὸ τῆς συνηθείας εὐσεβὲς ἐπιτελεῖν τὰ μυστήρια, ὥστε μηδὲν περισσότερον ἀπαιτεῖσθαι

P.Mich. 3 174ArsinoitesAD 144–AD 147

ἐπικεφαλαίου καὶ πάσης λειτουργίας ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἐκ τοῦ δημοσίου σιτοῦνται καθʼ ὃ οὐκ ἐξὸν αὐτοῖς καθόλου ἑτέρᾳ τινὶ πραγματείᾳ παρενχειρεῖν. τούτων εἷς τις Ἰσίδωρος Μαρεῖ ἀνὴρ πάνυ τολμήεις

C.Clergé 4 174Soknopaiu Nesos (Arsinoites)AD 138–AD 161

χρῆσθαι καὶ ἀσκοῖς δερματίνοις· εἰς οὓς ἔλαιον βάλλοντας ἐμπορεύεσθαι διʼ ὧν ἔχουσι καμψῶν οὐκ ἐξόν. προσθέντα ὑφορᾶσθαι, μὴ καὶ ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ ἀποκειμένα τοῦ θεοῦ ἅπαντα ἐχειραπτήθη ὑπʼ αὐτῶν·

Is it lawful for us to Caesar tribute to give or not?
ἡμᾶςegō for us G3165 Personal pronoun · first person · dative · plural
1,872× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
In plain English
Tyndale gloss
I/we
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

ἐγώ, gen, etc., ἐμοῦ, ἐμοί, ἐμέ (enclitic μου, μοι, με), pl. ἡμεῖς, -ῶν, -ῖν, -ᾶς,

pers. pron.

I.

The nom. is usually emphatic, when expressed as subjc, as in Mt 3:11, Mk 1:8, Lk 3:16, al. But often there is no apparent emphasis, as Mt 10:16, Jo 10:17; ἰδοὺ ἐ. (= Heb. הִנֵּנִי, cf. I Ki 3:8), Ac 9:10; ἐ. (like Heb. אֲנִי), I am, Jo 1:23 (LXX), Ac 7:32 (LXX).

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Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

ἐγώ, gen. ἐμοῦ, enclitic pod; dat. ἐμοί, enclitic μοί; acc. ἐμέ, enclitic μέ; plur. ἡμεῖς, ete.; personal pronoun, J. 1. The nominatives ἐγώ and ἡμεῖς, when joined to a verb, generally have force and emphasis, or indicate antithesis, as Mt. iii. 11; Mk.i. 8; Lk. iii. 16 (ἐγὼ pev... ὁ δέ); Mt. iii. 14 (ἐγὼ... ἔχω, καὶ σύν ; V. 22, 28, 39, and often; ἡμεῖς, contrasted with God, Mt. vi. 12; ἡμεῖς x. of Φαρισαῖοι, Mt. ix. 14; cf. W. § 22,6. But sometimes they are used where there is no emphasis or antithesis in them, as Mt. x. 16; Jn. x. 17; and in many edd. in Mk. i. 2; Lk. vii. 27; οἵ. B. §129, 12. ἰδοὺ ἐγώ, 1397, behold me, hereamT: Acts ix.10 (1S. iii. 8). ἐγώ, like 38, Jam: Jn. i. 23; Acts vii. 32, [ef. W.585 (544); B. 125 (109)]. 2. The enclitic (and monosyllabic) gen., dat., and ace. are connected with nouns, verbs, adverbs, but not with prepositions: ἔμπροσθέν pov, Jn. i. 15; ὀπίσω…

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Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

ἐγώ. Deissmann (ZAZ p. 134 ff.) has drawn attention to the parallels to the solemn use of the first personal pronoun in the Fourth Gospel that may be adduced from inscriptions and magical texts. Thus in an inscr. in honour of Isis from Ios, written in ii/iii A.p., the contents of which are preChristian, we find —Elows ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ τ[ύρανν]ος πάσης χόρας.. ἐγὼ νόμους ἀνθρώποις ἐθέμην . . ἐγώ εἰμι Kpdvov θυγάτηρ πρεσβυτάτη α΄. And similarly in the magical papyrus P Lond 4645 (iv/a.p.) (=I. p. 69) ἐγώ εἰμι ὃ ἀκέφαλος δαίμων . . ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἀλήθεια ὁ μεισῶν ἀδικήματα γείνεσθαι ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ α΄. With the construction of the phrase τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοί ; in Jn 24 we may compare BGU IV. 1141°8 (n.c. 14) ἐδίδουν αὐτῷ διαστολὰς μηδὲν αὐτῶι καὶ ἐκείνωι εἶναι : for its meaning see Ε΄. C. Burkitt in 77:5 xiii. p- 594f., where it is rendered, ‘‘ What have I and thou to do with that ?” On the difficult…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

μέ (me) — me.

ἐγώ,

I: pronoun of the first person:—Epic dialect mostly ἐγών before vowels (so in Doric dialect, before consonants, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; Boeotian dialect ἱών [Refs 2nd c.AD+]:— strengthened ἔγωγε, I at least, for my part, indeed, for myself (more frequently in Attic dialect than in [Refs 8th c.BC+]: Doric dialect ἐγώνγα [Refs 7th c.BC+]: Boeotian dialect ἱώνγα [Refs 6th c.BC+]; ἱώνει [Refs]; ἰώγα [Refs 5th c.BC+]: Laconian dialect and Tarentum dialect ἐγώνη, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]

II. oblique cases from a different root, genitive ἐμοῦ, enclitic μο; Ionic dialect and Epic dialect ἐμέο, ἐμεῦ, μευ, also ἐμέθεν [Refs 8th c.BC+]; Aeolic dialect ἔμεθεν [Refs 7th c.BC+]; Doric dialect ἐμέος, ἐμεῦς, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; Boeotian dialect ἐμοῦς [Refs 6th c.BC+] — _dative_ ἐμοί, enclitic μοι (which may be compared with Sanskrit…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

ἐγώ

me

a shorter (and probably originally) from of 1691; me:--I, me, my.

see GREEK for 1691

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ἐγώ egō 2x

I, gen., ἐμοῦ [μου], dat., ἐμοί [μοι], acc., ἐμέ [με]

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Pron-1DP — Personal pronoun · first person · dative · plural
dative — to, for, with — the one it is done to or by.
Agrees with anything else marked plural.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

P-1DP Part of Speech: Personal pronoun Person: first Case: Dative Number: Plural

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

US, pronoun objective case of we.

Give us this day our daily bread.

Us , pron. [OE. us, AS. s; akin to OFries. & OS. s, D. ons, G. uns, Icel. & Sw. oss, Dan. os, Goth. uns, L. nos we, us, Gr. we, Skr. nas us. . Cf. Nostrum, Our.] The persons speaking, regarded as an object; ourselves; — the objective case of we. See We. “Tell us a tale.” Chaucer.

Give us this day our daily bread. Matt. vi. 11.

Us, pron. oblique case of we

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
35%us
us35% · 717×me32% · 644×mine20% · 402×we ourselves6% · 124×my2% · 45×other renderings5% · 97×

2,029 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 27 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

Is it lawful for us to Caesar tribute to give or not?
ΚαίσαριKaisar to Caesar G2541 Noun · dative · singular · masculine
29× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in Luke than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
Caesar was a title for the Roman emperor, used in the Bible to refer to the ruling power. It appears in Matthew 22:17, Luke 2:1, and Acts 25:8, showing the intersection of faith and politics.
Amplified meaning
the Roman emperor, ruling power
Tyndale gloss
Caesar
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word Καῖσαρ (Kaisar) means 'Caesar' and is a title for the Roman emperor. It appears in several New Testament passages, including Matthew 22:17 and Luke 2:1. The entries indicate that it originally referred to Julius Caesar but later became a general title for Roman emperors. Moulton & Milligan note its use in various contexts, including references to officials and freedmen associated with the emperor.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

Καῖσαρ, -αρος, ὁ,

Cæsar: Mt 22:17, Lk 2:1, Jo 19:12, Ac 25:8 ff., al.

Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

Καῖσαρ, -apos [Bttm. 16 (15) ], 6, Cesar (prop. the surname of JuliusCaesar, which being adopted by Octavianus Augustus and his successors afterwards became an appellative, and was appropriated by the Roman emperors as a part of their title [ef. Dict. of Biogr. and Mythol. s. v. Caesar]): Mt. xxii. 17, 21; Mk. xii. 14, 16 sq.; Lk. ii. 1; iii. 1; xx. 22; xxiii. 2; Jn. xix.12; Acts xi. 28 [Rec.]; xvii. 7, etc.; Phil. iv. 22.

Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

Καῖσαρ. Lightfoot (2:13 p. 169 ff.) has shown that by the phrase οἱ ἐκ τῆς Καίσαρος οἰκίας in Phil 42% we are probably to | | understand slaves and freedmen attached to the palace, and has appealed to inscriptional evidence to prove that the designation embraced a large number of persons both in Rome and elsewhere (e.g. Ephesus), filling every description of more or less domestic office: see further SH p. 418 ff. In BGU I. 1563 (A.p. 201) χρηματίσατε Σατουρνείνῳ Καισάρων οἰκονόμῳ, Wilcken (Oséy. i. p. 499 n.4) holds that Καισάρων stands for Καισάρων δούλῳ : similarly in P Lond 256 recto (A.D. 11-15) (=I. p. 96) Φαῦστος Πρίσκου Καίσαρος -- &. II. Καίσαρος δούλου (0. p. 662) ; cf. the simple gen. Χριστοῦ, ‘‘ belonging to Christ” (Gal 355 αὦ : On the other hand Καισάρειοι ““Tmperial freedmen,”’ e.g. in P Oxy 111. 477° (A.D. 1323), though their exact position is far from clear: see Chrest.…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

Καῖσαρ (Kaisar) — Caesar.

Καῖσαρ, -αρος, ὁ

Cæsar: Mat.22:17, Luk.2:1, Jhn.19:12, Act.25:8 ff., al

(From Abbott-Smith. LSJ has no entry)

Καῖσαρ (Kaisar) — Caesar.

Καῖσαρ, -αρος, ὁ

Cæsar: Mat.22:17, Luk.2:1, Jhn.19:12, Act.25:8 ff., al

(From Abbott-Smith. LSJ has no entry)

Καῖσαρ (Kaisar) — Caesar.

Καῖσαρ, -αρος, ὁ

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

Καῖσαρ

Kaisar

of Latin origin; Caesar, a title of the Roman emperor:--Caesar.

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

Καῖσαρ, αρος, ὁ

n.m.

Caesar

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

Καῖσαρ Kaisar 29x

Caesar, pr. name

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Noun-DSM — Noun · dative · singular · masculine
dative — to, for, with — the one it is done to or by.
Agrees with anything else marked singular masculine.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

N-DSM Part of Speech: Noun Case: Dative Number: Singular Gender: Masculine

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

se'-zar (Kaisar): Originally the surname of the Julian gens (thus, Caius Julius Caesar); afterward a name borne by the Roman emperors. In the New Testament the name is definitely applied to Augustus (Lu 2:1, "Caesar Augustus"), to whom it belonged by adoption, and to Tiberius (Lu 3:1, "Tiberius Caesar"; compare Mt 22:17,21). The "Caesar" to whom Paul appealed (Ac 25:11,12,21) was Nero. The form is perpetuated in "Kaiser" and "Czar."

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Caesar

The title assumed by the Roman emperors after Julius Caesar. In the New Testament this title is given to various emperors as sovereigns of Judaea without their accompanying distinctive proper names (John 19:15; Acts 17:7). The Jews paid tribute to Caesar (Matt. 22:17), and all Roman citizens had the right of appeal to him (Acts 25:11). The Caesars referred to in the New Testament are Augustus (Luke 2:1), Tiberius (3:1; 20:22), Claudius (Acts 11:28), and Nero (Acts 25:8;

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

Originally the surname of the Julian family at Rome. After being dignified in the person of Julias Caesar, it became the usual appellation of those of his family who ascended the throne. The last of these was Nero, but the name was still retained by his successors as a sort of title belonging to the imperial dignity. The emperors alluded to by this title in the New Testament, are Augustus, Lu 2:1; Tiberius, Lu 3:1 20:22; Claudius, Ac 11:28; and Nero, Ac 25:8 Php 4:22. Caligula, who succeeded Tiberius, is not mentioned.

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
87%caesar
caesar87% · 27×caesar’s6% · 2×caesar's3% · 1×before caesar3% · 1×

31 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 4 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
object31%indirect object28%adverbial28%predicate10%subject3%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 29 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
Article the
οὖνtherefore, thenαὐτόςἀποδίδωμιI give back, ret
κῆνσοςa poll-tax
δίδωμιI offer, give
λέγωI say, speak
δέbut, on the othe
ΚαῖσαρCaesar
Article the
ἐπικαλέωI call by an additio
μήNegἀναγκάζωI force, compel
Καῖσαρto Caesar29×
what comes after →
καίand, even, also, nam
Article the
Disj
οὐNeg
ΚαῖσαρCaesar
καίand, even, also,
ἐπικαλέωI call by an additio
ἐπί
τότεthen
λέγωI say, speak

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

ConcordanceΚαῖσαρ · 29× in the New Testament
Acts Luke Matthew Mark John Philippians
Across the New Testament6 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Josephus Philo of Alexandria
Philo of AlexandriaEvery Good Man is Free 118c. AD 40

ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἷς τῶν ἐπιθεμένων Ἰουλίῳ Καίσαρι, Βροῦτος, ἐπιὼν ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς ἐστράτευσε, δεδιότες οὐ πόρθησιν ἀλλὰ δουλείαν τὴν ὑπ’ ἀνδροφόνου κτείναντος ἡγεμόνα καὶ εὐεργέτην — ἀμφότερα γὰρ ἦν αὐτῷ Καῖσαρ — ἀπεμάχοντο μὲν ἐφ’ ὅσον οἷοί τε ἦσαν δυνατῶς…

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 14.argc. AD 75–95

ὅτι Καῖσαρ λύσας Ἀριστόβουλον οἷός τε ἦν πέμψαι μετὰ δύο ταγμάτων εἰς Ἰουδαίαν, ἔφθη δ' ὑπὸ τῶν τὰ Πομπηίου φρονούντων διαφθαρεὶς Ἀριστόβουλος φαρμάκῳ.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 1st c. AD 3rd c. AD 1st c. BC 4th c. AD
P.Alex. 10Karanis (Arsinoites)AD 69–AD 79

ἀντίγραφον διαγραφῆς διὰ τῆς Φανίου τραπέζης ἐν Καρανίδι ἔτους … Αὐτοκράτορος Καίσαρος Οὐεσπασιανοῦ Σεβαστοῦ Τῦβι θ. Σουχάριον τοῦ δεῖνος μετὰ κυρίου τοῦ συνγενοῦς … ωνος τοῦ

P.Aberd. 63ArsinoitesAD 101–AD 102

ἀποβεβηκέναι τῆς μισθώσεως ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐνεστῶτος ἔτους. Ἀπολλώνιος ἀπέχω καὶ … ἔτους πέμπτου Αὐτοκράτορος Καίσαρος Νέρουα Τραιανοῦ Σεβαστοῦ Γερμανικοῦ Δακικοῦ … εἰκάδι.

P.Alex. 11ArsinoitesAD 102–AD 114

τῶν δύο . βουλόμεθα μισθώσασθαι παρʼ ὑμῶν τὰ φόρετρα τοῦ ἐνεστῶτος … ἔτους Αὐτοκράτορος Καίσαρος … Γερμανικοῦ Δακικοῦ καὶ ἅς μεμισθώμεθα παρʼ ὑμῶν καὶ τῶν συνγεωργῶν … τῆς ἐν

Is it lawful for us to Caesar tribute to give or not?
φόρονphoros tribute G5411 Noun · accusative · singular · masculine
5× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in Luke than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
A tax or tribute paid by a subject nation, like the one mentioned in Luke 20:22 and Romans 13:7. This word refers to a payment made to a ruling authority. It is used to describe the tax system.
Amplified meaning
tribute
Tyndale gloss
tax
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word φόρος (phoros) refers to a tribute or tax, typically imposed on subject peoples. It is derived from the verb φέρω meaning 'to bring' or 'to carry.' The term appears in the New Testament in contexts related to taxes owed to authorities, specifically in Luke 20:22 and Romans 13:6-7. Various lexicons note its broader applications, including payments or rents in different contexts.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

φόρος, -ου, ὁ

(< φέρω),

[in LXX chiefly for מַס, also for מִדָּה, etc. ;]

tribute paid by a subject nation (cf. I Mac 10:33): φ. δοῦναι (I Mac 8:4, 7), Lk 20:22 23:2; ἀποδοῦναι, Ro 13:7; τελεῖν, Ro 13:6 (Hdt., al.).†

SYN.: κῆνσος, τέλος (q.v.)

Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

φόρος, -ov, ὁ, (fr. φέρω, hence prop. ὃ φέρεται; cf. φόβος), fr. Hdt. down, Sept. for Ὁ and (2 Esdr. iv. 20; vi. 8; Neh. v. 4) for 79, tribute, esp. the annual tax levied upon houses, lands, and persons [cf. Thom. Mag. ed. Ritschl p. 387, 13; Grotius as quoted in Trench § evil. 7; see τέλος, 2]: φόρον, φόρους διδόναι Καίσαρι, Lk, xx. 22; xxiii. 2, (1 Mace. viii. 4, 7); ἀποδιδόναι, Ro. xiii. 7; τελεῖν, Ro. xiii. 6.

Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

φόρος in the wide sense of ‘‘ payment,” “‘rent,” may be illustrated by such passages as P Giss I. 954 (A.D. 95) φ[ό]ρου οὗ ἐμίσθωσά σοι] ἐλαιουργίου, ““ rent of the vineyard which I let to you,” P Oxy X. 1279'® (A.D. 139) φόρου τῶν opa@y Kar’ ἔτος σὺν παντὶ δραχμῶν τεσσάρων, ‘at the annual rent for the pastures of four drachmae in all” (Edd. ), 7b. XVII. 2141" (A.D. 208?) ἐξοδίασον εἰς φόρους ἐδαφῶν - +. Gpyuplo[v] Spaxpals] τριακοσίας, ‘‘ pay for rent of lands three hundred diachmae of silver,” and P Tebt IL. 377 27 (A.D. 210), which illustrates the common distinction between ἐκφόριον (‘trent in kind”) and φόρος (‘rent in money ”’) in leases of the Roman period ; for exceptions see the editor's note, and 724. 4245 (late iii/A.p.) ἴσθε δὲ ὅτι ὀφίλις φόρους Kal ἀποφορὰς ἑπτὰ ἐτῶν, ὡς ἐὰςν» μὴ ἀποκαταστασίας [δ]ηὴ πέμψῃς [ο]ῖδάς σου τὸ[ν] κίνδυνον, “Jet me tell you that you owe seven…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

φόρος (phoros) — tax.

φόρος, ὁ,

(φέρω) that which is brought in by way of payment, tribute, φόρου ἀπαγωγή [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ξυμμάχους φόρου ὑποτελεῖς subject to pay tribute, [Refs]; φόρον ὑποτελέειν to pay tribute, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; φ. τάξασθαι to agree to pay it [Refs 5th c.BC+]; φόρον ταῖς πόλεσι τάξαι to fix their quotas of tribute, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; φ. δέχεσθαι to receive it, [Refs 5th c.BC+]

2. generally, any payment, φόρον ἀπέφερον τῷ δήμῳ [Refs 5th c.BC+]; κατὰ φόρους by instalments, Senatus consultum cited in [Refs 2nd c.BC+]; ἐπιβαλλειν φ. impose a forced levy, [Refs 1st c.AD+]

Strong's Greek Dictionary

φόρος

phoros

from 5342; a load (as borne), i.e. (figuratively) a tax (properly, an

individual assessment on persons or property; whereas 5056 is usually

a general toll on goods or travel):--tribute.

see GREEK for 5342

see GREEK for 5056

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

φόρος, ου, ὁ

n.m.

a tax, tribute

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

φόρος phoros 5x

tribute, tax, strictly such as is laid on dependent and subject people, Lk. 20:22; 23:2; Rom. 13:6, 7*

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

φόρος φόρος, ὁ, φέρω that which is brought in, tribute, such as is paid by subjects to a ruling state, as by the Asiatic Greeks to Athens, Thuc.; φόρου ὑποτελεῖς subject to pay tribute, id. Thuc.; φόρον ὑποτελέειν to pay tribute, Hdt.; ἀπάγειν, φέρειν Ar.; φ. τάξασθαι toagree to pay it, Hdt.; τάξαι to impose it, Dem.

any payment, Xen., Plut.

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Noun-ASM — Noun · accusative · singular · masculine
accusative — the one it is done to — the object.
Agrees with anything else marked singular masculine.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

N-ASM Part of Speech: Noun Case: Accusative Number: Singular Gender: Masculine

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

trib'-ut (mac, "tribute," really meaning "forced laborers," "labor gang" (1Ki 4:6; 9:15,21); also "forced service," "serfdom"; possibly "forced payment" is meant in Es 10:1; the idea contained in the modern word is better given by middah (Ezr 6:8; Ne 5:4)): Words used only of the duty levied for Yahweh on acquired spoils are mekhec, "assessment" (Nu 31:28,37,38,39,40,41), belo, "excise" (Ezr 4:13,10; Ne 7:24), massa', "burden" (2Ch 17:11), and `onesh, "fine" or…

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Tribute

A tax imposed by a king on his subjects (2 Sam. 20:24; 1 Kings 4:6; Rom. 13:6). In Matt. 17:24-27 the word denotes the temple rate (the “didrachma,” the “half-shekel,” as rendered by the R.V.) which was required to be paid for the support of the temple by every Jew above twenty years of age (Ex. 30:12; 2 Kings 12:4; 2 Chr. 24:6, 9). It was not a civil but a religious tax.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

The chief biblical facts connected with the payment of tribute have been already given under TAXES. The tribute (money) mentioned in (Matthew 17:24,25) was the half shekel (worth from 25 to 27 cents) applied to defray the general expenses of the temple. After the destruction of the temple this was sequestrated by Vespasian and his successors and transferred to the temple of the Capitoline Jupiter. This "tribute" of (Matthew 17:24) must not be confounded with the tribute paid to the Roman emperor. (Matthew 22:17) The temple rate, though resting on an ancient precedent-- (Exodus 30:13) --was as above a fixed annual tribute of comparatively late origin.

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

Every Jew throughout the world was required to pay an annual tribute or capitation-tax of half a shekel, about twenty-five cents, in acknowledgment of God’s sovereignty and for the maintenance of the temple service, Ex 30:12-15. It was with reference to this that Christ says, in effect, Mt 17:25,26, "If this tribute be levied in the name of The Father, then I, The Son, am free."

In other New Testament passages, tribute means the tax levied by the Romans. On the question of paying tribute to foreigners and idolaters, Mt 22:16-22, Christ gave a reply which neither party could stigmatize as rebellious, or as unpatriotic and irreligious. By themselves using Caesar’s currency, both parties acknowledged the fact of his supremacy.…

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
40%tax
tax40% · 2×tribute40% · 2×taxes20% · 1×

5 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 3 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
object80%indirect object20%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 5 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
Article the
Article theφόροςa tax, tribute
ΚαῖσαρCaesar
ἐγώ
κωλύωI prevent, hinder
καίand, even, also,
καίand, even, also, nam
γάρfor
φόροςtribute
what comes after →
Article the
φόροςa tax, tributeArticle the
δίδωμιI offer, give
Disj
ΚαῖσαρCaesar
δίδωμιI offer, give
τελέωI end, accomplish, p
λειτουργόςa minister, serv

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordanceφόρος · 5× in the New Testament
Romans Luke
Across the New Testament2 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Josephus Philo of Alexandria
Philo of AlexandriaOn Husbandry 8c. AD 40

Πρῶτον μὲν τοίνυν σπείρειν ἢ φυτεύειν ἄγονον οὐδὲν ἐπιτηδεύει, πάντα δ’ ἥμερα καὶ καρποτόκα φόρους ἐτησίους οἴσοντα τῷ ἡγεμόνι ἀνθρώπῳ·

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.172c. AD 75–95

γενομένης δὲ μάχης νικήσαντες οἱ Ἀσσύριοι φόρον ἐπιτάσσουσι τοῖς Σοδομιτῶν βασιλεῦσι.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 6th c. AD 3rd c. AD 4th c. AD 3rd c. BC
P.Edg. $1Philadelphia (Arsinoites)248 BC

Ζήνωνα Δημητρίωι καὶ Λιμναίωι … αἶγας τελείας ἑκατὸν τεσσαράκοντα τέσσαρας εἰς ἔτη δύο … φόρον καθʼ ἕκαστον ἔτος ἐρίφων ἑξαμηνιαίων διακοσίων δεκάεξ. … τοῦ φόρου τὸ ἐπιβάλλον καθʼ ἑξάμηνον

P.Edg. $1Philadelphia (Arsinoites)244 BC

χαίρειν. ἀπέχομεν παρὰ σοῦ, κατὰ τὸν διαλογισμὸν ὃν ἐποιησάμεθα πρὸς σέ, τὸν ἐπιβάλλοντά σοι φόρον τῶν ἱερείων ὧν ἐμισθώσω μετὰ Πυθέου παρʼ Ἐφαρμόστου κατὰ συγγραφὴν τὴν παρʼ Ἀρχαγάθωι, ἀργυρίου

P.Cair. Zen. 3 59368Memphis (?)242 BC

Σιμαρίστου Ὧρος καὶ υἱοί, ὧν τινα μὲν ἐν τῶι Ἡρακλεοπολίτηι ἦν, ἃ τοὺς φόρους εὐτάκτηκεν ἕως τοῦ ϛ ἔτους τινὰ δὲ ἐν τῶι Μεμφίτηι, ἃ εἶχεν Παμῆς καὶ

Is it lawful for us to Caesar tribute to give or not?
δοῦναιdidōmi to give G1325 Verb · second aorist · active · infinitive
414× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
about as common in Luke as anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
To give, as seen in Matthew 4:9 and John 1:12, means to bestow or grant something to someone, often with a sense of generosity or sacrifice, like God giving his only son in John 3:16
Amplified meaning
give, render
Tyndale gloss
to give
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

δίδωμι, transliterated as didōmi, means 'to give' and is used in a wide range of contexts, including bestowing, granting, and delivering. It appears frequently in the New Testament, such as in Matthew 4:9 and John 3:16. The word is built from a primary verb and has various forms and constructions, indicating its flexibility in usage.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

δίδωμι,

[in LXX chiefly for נתן (53 words in all) ;]

to give—in various senses, acc. to context—bestow, grant, supply, deliver, commit, yield: absol., Ac 20:35; c. acc. rei et dat. pers., Mt 4:9 5:31, Jo 1:12, al. mult.; c. dat. pers., seq. ἐκ, Mt 25:8; id. c. gen. part.. Re 2:17; c. acc. pers., Jo 3:16, Re 20:13, al.; δεξιάς, Ga 2:9; φίλημα, Lk 7:45; γνῶσιν, Lk 1:77; κρίσιν, Jo 5:22; of seed yielding fruit, Read the full entry →

Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

δίδωμι (διδῶ, Rev. iii. 9 LT WH; [δίδω Tr, yet see WH. App. p. 167]), 3 pers. plur. διδόασι (Rev. xvii. 13 [not Rec.]), impv. δίδου (Mt. v. 42 RG); impf. 3 pers. sing. ἐδίδου, 3 pers. plur. ἐδίδουν (ἐδίδοσαν, Jn. xix. 3 LT Tr WH [see ἔχω); fut. δώσω; 1 aor. ἔδωκα [2 pers. sing. -xes, Jn. xvii. 7 Trmrg., 8 Trmrg.; cf. reff. s. v. κοπιάω)], subjunc. δώσῃ [and δώσωμεν] fr. an imaginary indic. form ἔδωσα, [ Mk. vi. 37 T Trmrg.]; Jn. xvii. 2 (Tr mrg. WH δώσει) ; Rev. viii. 3 (LT Tr WH δώσει; cf. Lob. ad Phryn. p. 720 sq.; B. 36 (31); W. 79 (76); [Veitch s. v. 618. fin., also Soph. Lex. s. v. and esp. Intr. p. 40; WH. App. p. 172]); pf. δέδωκα [on the interchange between the forms of the pf. and of the aor. in this verb ef. B. 199 (172)]; plpf. ἐδεδώκειν and without augm. [W. § 12, 9; B. 33 (29)] dedaxew, Mk. xiv. 44; and L txt. T Tr WH in Lk. xix. 15; 3 pers. plur. δεδώκεισαν, Jn. xi. 57; 2…

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Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

δίδωμι structed by Kenyon, P Lond I. p. 2ff. For a specimen of their petitions see P Par 26 (B.C. 163-2), reproduced in Selections, p. 12 ff. It opens—Baordret Πτολεμαίῳ καὶ Βασιλίσσῃ Κλεοπάτρᾳ τῇ ἀδελφῇ, θεοῖς Φιλομήτορσι, χαίρειν. Θανὴς καὶ Taods δίδυμαι, αἱ λειτουργοῦσαι ἐν τῷ πρὸς Μέμφει μεγάλῳ Σαραπιείῳ κτὰ. From 20.15 Kal ἐκ τούτων καὶ τῶν προτοῦ γενηθεισῶν δ[ι]δύμων κομισαμένων τὰ ἑαυτῶν καθ᾽ ἡμέραν δέοντα, we learn that the Twins were there ex officio as twins, in connexion with some Dioscuric cultus: see Rendel Harris Soanerges, p. 272. From later documents it will be enough to quote P Oxy IIT. 533%® (ii/ili A.p.) εὔπατε Kal τοῖς διδύμοις ὅτι προνοήσζα]τε τοῦ κερματίου, “Ὑ16}1 the twins also to be careful about the small change” (Edd.). The frequency of Didymus as a proper name we compare the Latin Geminus and Gemellus (cf. for the latter the farmer whose correspondence at end…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

δίδωμι (didōmi) — to give.

δίδωμι,

[Refs 8th c.BC+] (late δίδω [Refs 3rd c.AD+]; late forms, 1st pers. plural διδόαμεν see reading in [Refs 1st c.AD+]; but thematic forms are frequently used, especially in Epic dialect and Ionic dialect, διδοῖς, διδοῖσθα, [Refs 8th c.BC+], διδοῖ [Refs 8th c.BC+], uncertain in Attic dialect, [Refs 6th c.BC+], Epic dialect δίδωθι [Refs 8th c.BC+]; infinitive διδόναι, also διδοῦν [Refs 6th c.BC+], Epic dialect διδοῦναι [Refs 8th c.BC+], Aeolic dialect δίδων [Refs 3rd c.BC+]; participle διδούς, Aeolic dialect δίδοις [Refs 7th c.BC+]imperfect ἐδίδουν -ους -ου, [Refs 8th c.BC+] (Epic dialect δίδου [Refs 8th c.BC+]; 3rd.pers. plural ἐδίδοσαν [Refs 8th c.BC+] codices (ἀπ-), also ἔδιδον probably in [Refs]; Epic dialect iterative δόσκον [Refs 8th c.BC+]: future δώσω [Refs], Epic dialect διδώσω [Refs 8th c.BC+]; infinitive δωσέμεναι [Refs 8th…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

δίδωμι

didomi

a prolonged form of a primary verb (which is used as an alternative in

most of the tenses); to give (used in a very wide application,

properly, or by implication, literally or figuratively; greatly

modified by the connection):--adventure, bestow, bring forth, commit,

deliver (up), give, grant, hinder, make, minister, number, offer, have

power, put, receive, set, shew, smite (+ with the hand), strike (+

with the palm of the hand), suffer, take, utter, yield.

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

δίδωμι

v.

I offer, give

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

δίδωμι didōmi 415x

pluperfect, ἐδεδώκειν, to give, bestow, present, Mt. 4:9; 6:11; Jn. 3:16; 17:2, et al. freq.; to give, cast, throw, Mt. 7:6; to supply, suggest, Mt. 10:19; Mk. 13:11; to distribute alms, Mt. 19:21; Lk. 11:41; to pay tribute, etc., Mt. 22:17; Mk. 12:14; Lk. 20:22; to be the author or source of a thing, Read the full entry →

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

δίδωμι Redupl. from Root ΔΟ, Lat. do, dare. Orig. sense, to give, τί τινι Hom., etc.; in pres. and imperf. to be ready to give, to offer, id. Hom.

of the gods, to grant, κῦδος, νίκην, and of evils, δ. ἄλγεα, ἄτας, κήδεα id. Hom.; later, εὖ διδόναι τινί to provide well for . . , Soph., Eur.

to offer to the gods, Hom., etc.

with an inf. added, δῶκε τεύχεα θεράποντι φορῆναι gave him the arms to carry, Il.; διδοῖ πιεῖν gives to drink, Hdt., etc.

Prose phrases, δ. ὅρκον, opp. to λαμβάνειν, to tender an oath; δ. χάριν, ῀ χαρίζεσθαι, as ὀργῆι χάριν δούς having indulged his anger, Soph.;— λόγον τινὶ δ. to give one leave to speak, Xen.; but, δ. λόγον ἑαυτῶι to deliberate, Hdt.

c. acc. pers. to give over, deliver up, Hom., etc.

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Verb-2AAN — Verb · second aorist · active · infinitive
second aorist active infinitive — a completed action, viewed as a whole.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

V-2AAN Part of Speech: Verb Tense: second Aorist Voice: Active Mood: iNfinitive TVM equivalent: G5629

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

(nathan, yahabh, sum; didomi): "Give" is a very common word in the Old Testament. It is most frequently the translation of nathan, "to give" (Ge 1:29; 3:6; Ex 2:9; De 18,20, etc., over 800 instances); nathan is also translated "to give up" (De 23:14; Isa 43:6; Ho 11:8); of yahabh, "to give" (Ge 30:1; 1Ch 16:28 the King James Version). In Ps 55:22 we have the perfect with suffix, "Cast thy burden upon Yahweh," margin "what he hath given thee"; elsewhere it is…

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
9%give
give9% · 37×do give7% · 31×given7% · 30×gave6% · 25×he gave6% · 23×has given5% · 22×will give4% · 18×i will give4% · 16×other renderings51% · 212×

414 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 86 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
verb100%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 414 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
καίand, even, also, nam
αὐτόςκλάωI breakαἰτέωI ask, request,
Article the
θεόςGod, a godχάριςgrace, favor, kiαὐτός
ὅς
πᾶςall, the whole, ἐγώσύ
αὐτός
λέγωI say, speakδίδωμιI offer, giveκαίand, even, also,
οὐNeg
σημεῖονa sign, miracle,καίand, even, also,σελήνηthe moon
δίδωμιto give414×
what comes after →
αὐτός
Article theἐξουσίαpower, authorityκαίand, even, also,
Article the
μαθητήςa learner, disciἐξουσίαpower, authorityπνεῦμαwind, breath, sp
ἐγώ
Article theπᾶςall, the whole, ἵναin order that, s
σύ
Article theἐνἵναin order that, s
καίand, even, also, nam
Article theπερισσεύωI exceed, am lefζητέωI seek, search f

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordanceδίδωμι · 414× in the New Testament
John Luke Revelation Matthew Mark Acts 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Ephesians Romans 1 John 2 Timothy

Every reference is on the Strong's page.

Across the New Testament22 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 985 Old Testament verses where this Greek word stands: which Hebrew word keeps standing there too. A correspondence of verses rather than a word-by-word alignment, so read the percentage as strength of evidence, not as a claim about any single verse.

Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Josephus Philo of Alexandria Clement of Rome The Shepherd of Hermas The Epistle of Barnabas
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 45c. AD 40

Τῇ δὲ τετάρτῃ ἡμέρᾳ μετὰ τὴν γῆν τὸν οὐρανὸν ἐποίκιλλε διακοσμῶν, οὐκ ἐπειδὴ τοῦτον ἐν ὑστέρῳ γῆς ἔταττε, τῇ μὲν ἐλάττονι φύσει προνομίαν διδούς, τὴν δὲ κρείττονα καὶ θειοτέραν δευτερείων ἀξιῶν, ἀλλ’ εἰς ἔνδειξιν ἐναργεστάτην κράτους ἀρχῆς.

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.20c. AD 75–95

οὔτε γὰρ αὐτῷ ποτʼ ἂν γενέσθαι νοῦν ἀγαθὸν τῷ νομοθέτῃ ταύτης ἀπολειπομένῳ τῆς θέας, οὔτε τῶν γραφησομένων εἰς ἀρετῆς λόγον οὐδὲν ἀποβήσεσθαι τοῖς λαβοῦσιν, εἰ μὴ πρὸ παντὸς ἄλλου διδαχθεῖεν, ὅτι πάντων πατήρ τε καὶ δεσπότης ὁ θεὸς ὢν καὶ πάντα…

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 1.7c. AD 100

ἐγνώρισεν γὰρ ἡμῖν ὁ δεσπότης διὰ τῶν προφητῶν τὰ παρεληλυθότα καὶ τὰ ἐνεστῶτα, καὶ τῶν μελλόντων δοὺς ἀπαρχὰς ἡμῖν γεύσεως, ὧν τὰ καθ̓ ἕκαστα βλέποντες ἐνεργούμενα, καθὼς ἐλάλησεν, ὀφείλομεν πλουσιώτερον καὶ ὑψηλότερον προσάγειν τῷ φόβῳ αὐτοῦ.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
4th c. AD 2nd c. AD 3rd c. AD 3rd c. BC 6th c. AD
P. Grenf. 1 21Pathyris127 BC

μέμ μοι ὑγιαίνοντι τῶν ἐμαυτοῦ κύριον εἶναι· ἐὰν δέ τι ἀνθρώπινον πάθω, καταλείπω καὶ δίδωμι τὰ ὑπάρχοντά μοι ἔγγαιά τε καὶ ἔπιπλα καὶ κτήνη καὶ ὅσα ἂν προσεπικτήσωμαι, τὸν

P.Grenf. 1 44Pathyris127 BC

μέμ μοι ὑγιαίνοντι τῶν ἐμαυτοῦ κύριον εἶναι. ἐὰν δέ τι ἀνθρώπινον πάθω, καταλείπω καὶ δίδωμι τὰ ὑπάρχοντά μοι ἔγγαιά τε καὶ ἔπιπλα καὶ κτήνη καὶ ὅσα ἂν προσεπικτήσωμαι, τὸν

μέν μοι ὑγιαίνοντι τῶν ἐμαυτοῦ κύριον εἶναι, ἐὰν δέ τι ἀνθρώπινον πάθω, καταλείπω καὶ δίδωμι τὰ ὑπάρχοντά μοι ἔγγαιά τε καὶ ἔπιπλα καὶ κτήνη καὶ ὅσα ἂν προσεπικτήσωμαι Ταθώτηι

Is it lawful for us to Caesar tribute to give or not?
ē or G2228 Particle
343× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
about as common in Luke as anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
Or is a word used to show a choice between two things, like in Matthew 5:17 where it's either obey God's law or not. It's also used to compare things, like in Romans 1:21 where it's one thing or another.
Amplified meaning
as an alternative
Tyndale gloss
or
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word (ē) is a particle used to indicate distinction, functioning as a disjunctive 'or' and a comparative 'than.' It appears frequently in the New Testament, often in phrases like 'either...or' and in disjunctive questions. Notably, it can also express comparisons after comparative terms, such as in Matthew 10:15. The entries do not show any significant disagreement.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

ἤ, disjunctive and comparative particle (Bl., §36, 12; 77, 11);

disjunctive, or;

between single words: Mt 5:17, Mk 6:56, Lk 2:24, Jo 6:19, Ro 1:21, al.;

before a sentence expressing a variation, denial or refutation of a previous statement, freq. in interrog. form: Mt 7:4, 9, Mk 12:14, Lk 13:4, Ro 3:29 6:3 9:21, I Co 6:9, 16 9:6, II Co 11:7; ἢ . . . ἤ…

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Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Χριστοῦ (NVWT ΒΗ Targ. Jonath. ad ᾿ς lili. 10), the kingdom of the Messiah, which will be founded by God through the Messiah and over which the Messiah will preside as God’s vicegerent; ἡ Bac. τῶν οὐρανῶν, only in Matthew, but very frequently [some 33 times], the kingdom of heaven, i. e. the kingdom which is of heavenly or divine origin and nature (in rabbin. writ. nown mao is the rule of God, the theocracy viewed universally, not the Messianic kingdom); sometimes simply ἡ βασιλεία : Mt. iv. 23, ete.; Jas. ii. 5; once ἡ Bac. τοῦ Δαυείδ, because it was supposed the Messiah would be one of David’s descendants and a king very like David, Mk. xi. 10; once also ἡ Bac. τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ θεοῦ, Eph. ν. 5. Relying principally on the prophecies of Daniel — who had declared it to be the purpose of God that, after four vast and mighty kingdoms had succeeded one another and the last of…

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Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

ἢ μή. The general distinction between οὐ and μή is that οὐ is objective, dealing only with facts, while μή is sudjectize, involving will and thought. But in late Greek μή has encroached very largely upon οὐ, with the result that in the NT οὐ is almost entirely confined to the indicative, while μή monopolizes the other moods (but see I. 5). A few exx. of some of the many uses of μή will make this clear. I. Μή negatives (1) the conjunctive (a) after ἐάν (4v)—P Oxy II. 294%? (A.D. 22) (= Selections, p. 36), where certain men are confined to prison, ἐὰν μή τι πίσωσι τὸν ἀρχιστάτορα δο[ῦν]αι etk(= ἱκ)ανόν, ‘* unless indeed they shall persuade the chief usher to give security,’’ BGU II. 5301” \i/a.D.) (= Selections, p. 61) alav (/. ἐὰν) μὴ ἔλθῃς, κινδυνεύω ἐκστῆvat od ἔχω [κλή]ρου, “if you do not come I run the risk of losing the lot (of land) which I possess ”—a father writes to Selections…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

ἤ (ē) — or.

ἤ,

Epic dialect also ἠέ (in signification [Refs 4th c.BC+], conjunction with two chief senses, Disj. (or) and comparative (than).

__A DISJUNCTIVE, or, ἐγὼ.. ἢ ἄλλος Ἀχαιῶν [Refs 8th c.BC+]; θεόσυτος ἢ βρότειος ἢ κεκραμένη [Refs 4th c.BC+]

__A.2 ἢ.. ἤ either.. or, ἢ νῦν δηθύνοντ᾽ ἢ ὕστερον αὖτις ἰόντα [Refs 8th c.BC+], etc.; so ἢ.. ἤτοι.. [Refs 5th c.BC+] is emphasized, later no distinction is implied, [NT+2nd c.BC+]; ἤ repeated any number of times, ἐγὼ δέ κεν αὐτὸς ἕλωμαι ἢ τεὸν ἢ Αἴαντος ἰὼν γέρας ἢ Ὀδυσῆος [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἤ is probably wrongly accented in codices of [Refs 8th c.BC+] adverb [Refs 4th c.BC+]

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

e

a primary particle of distinction between two connected terms;

disjunctive, or; comparative, than:--and, but (either), (n-)either,

except it be, (n-)or (else), rather, save, than, that, what, yea.

Often used in connection with other particles. Compare especially

2235, 2260, 2273.

see GREEK for 2235

see GREEK for 2260

see GREEK for 2273

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

Disj.prt.

or, than

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ἤ ē 343x

can function as a conj (298x), either, or, Mt. 6:24; after comparatives, and ἄλλος, ἕτερος, expressed or implied, than, Mt. 10:15; 18:8; Acts 17:21; 24:21; intensive after ἀλλά and πρίν, Lk. 12:51; Mt. 1:18; it also serves to point an interrogation, Rom. 3:29

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Particle — Particle
particle — a small word colouring the clause; it does not decline.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

PRT PaRTicle, disjunctive particle

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

or: The word is used once for either (1Sa 26:10), and is still in poetic use in this sense; as in, "Without or wave or wind" (Coleridge); "Or the bakke or some bone he breketh in his dzouthe" (Piers Plowman (B), VII, 93; compare Merchant of Venice, III, ii, 65). It is also used with "ever" for before (Ps 90:2; Ecclesiasticus 18:19), which the American Standard Revised Version substitutes in Ec 12:6 (compare 12:1,2); So 6:12; Da 6:24.

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
84%or
or84% · 304×than13% · 47×other renderings4% · 13×

364 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 9 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
adverbial20%object18%subject12%predicate7%verb4%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 343 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
σύ
πρόςχείρa handἁμαρτίαa sin
πατήρfather, Father, ance
Article theκακολογέωI speak evil of,Disj
εἰμίI am, exist
οὐρανόςthe sky, the heaἀνεκτόςendurable, tolerθεόςGod, a god
αὐτός
πατήρfather, Father, υἱόςa son, descendenβοῦςan ox
ἀδελφόςa brother
DisjArticle theἐάνCond
or343×
what comes after →
Article the
μήτηρa motherπόλιςa cityδύο
τίςIrg
πίνωI drink, imbibeεἰμίI am, existλαλέωI speak, say
οὐNeg
οἶδαI know, rememberἀναγινώσκωI readδίδωμιI offer, give
ἐν
φυλακήa watching, guarτίςIrgποῖοςIrg
καίand, even, also, nam
ἰχθύςa fishαἰτέωI ask, request, πρός

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordance · 343× in the New Testament
Matthew 1 Corinthians Luke Acts Mark Romans 2 Corinthians John 1 Peter Galatians James Ephesians

Every reference is on the Strong's page.

Across the New Testament24 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 457 Old Testament verses where this Greek word stands: which Hebrew word keeps standing there too. A correspondence of verses rather than a word-by-word alignment, so read the percentage as strength of evidence, not as a claim about any single verse.

Is it lawful for us to Caesar tribute to give or not?
οὔ;ou not? G3756 Particle · negative
1,622× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
about as common in Luke as anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
This is a strong 'no', used to deny something completely. It appears in the New Testament, such as in Matthew 13:29 and John 1:21. It is a negative answer to a question.
Amplified meaning
no, by no means
Tyndale gloss
no
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word οὐ (transliterated as ou) is a primary negative particle meaning 'not' or 'no.' It is used to negate verbs or statements, often appearing in various forms depending on the following sound. In the New Testament, it frequently serves to deny facts and is distinct from another negative particle, μή (transliterated as ), which is used for prohibitions or wishes.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

οὐ, before a vowel with smooth breathing οὐκ, before one with rough breathing οὐχ (but improperly οὐχ ἰδού, Ac 2:7, WH, mg.; cf. WH, Intr., § 409; M, Pr., 44, 244),

[in LXX for לֹא, אַיִן, אֵין;]

neg. particle,

not, no, used generally c. indic. and for a denial of fact (cf . μή);

absol. (accented), οὔ, no: Mt 13:29, Jo 1:21 21:5; οὒ οὔ, Mt 5:37, Ja 5:12.

Most freq. negativing a verb or other word, Mt 1:25 10:26, 38, Mk 3:25 9:37, Jo 8:29, Ac 7:5, Ro 1:16, Phl 3:3, al.; in…

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Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

οὐ before a consonant, οὐκ before a vowel with a smooth breathing, and ody before an aspirated vowel ; but sometimes in the best codd. οὐχ occurs even before a smooth breathing; accordingly LT WH mrg. have adopted οὐχ ἰδού, Acts ii. 7; LT οὐχ ᾿Ιουδαϊκῶς, Gal. ii. 14 (see WH. Introd. § 409); L οὐχ ὀλίγος, Acts xix. 23; οὐχ ἠγάπησαν, Rev. xii. 11; and contrariwise οὐκ before an aspirate, as οὐκ ἕστηκεν, Jn. viii. 44 T; [οὐκ ἕνεκεν, 2 Co. vii. 12 T]; (οὐκ εὗρον, Lk. xxiv. 3; [οὐκ ὑπάρχει, Acts iii. 6] in cod. x [alsoC*; ef. cod. Alex. in 1 ἔβαν. iv. 2,12; Job xix. 16; xxxviiil. 11, 26]); cf. W. $5, 14d. 14; Β. τ; [A. v. Schiitz, Hist. Alphab. Att., Berol. 1875, pp: 54-58 ; Sophocles, Hist. of Grk. Alphab., 1st ed. 1848, p- 64 sq. (on the breathing); Tdf Sept., ed. 4, Proleg. pp: Xxxiii. xxxiv.; Scrivener, Collation ete., 2d ed., p. lv. no. 9; id. cod. Bezae p. xlvii. no. 11 (ef. p. xlii.…

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Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

ου to make the voyage” (Edd.), and P Amh II. 78?! (a.p. 184) τοιαύτης ο[ὖ]ν αὐθαδίας ἐν αὐτῷ οὔσης οὐ δυνάμενος [ἐν]καρτερεῖν ἐπιδίδωμι, ‘“ his audacity having reached this pitch I can endure no longer and present this petition.” See further Proleg. p. 231 f. In support of the translation ‘‘ I determined not to know” in 1 Cor 2, we may cite P Par 2657 (B.c. 163) (= UPZi. Ρ-. 248) οὐκ ἐκρίναμεν καταχωρῆσαι, ‘we determined not to record,” P Tebt I. 124° (c. B.c. 118) οὐκ (ἐκδρίναμεν ἐξαρ[ιθ]μεῖ[σθαι, “we determined not to be counted,” and the classical formula in P Hamb I. 27° (B.c. 250 (249)) οὐκ ἔφη εἰδέναι, ‘he said that he did not know.” The origin of the double negative οὐ μή is fully discussed by Moulton Pro/eg. p. 187 ff. When we pass to its actual occurrences in the NT, we find that these for the most part are found in passages derived from the OT and in the Sayings of our Lord…

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Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

οὐ (ou) — no.

οὐ,

the negative of fact and statement, as μή of will and thought; οὐ denies, μή rejects; οὐ is absolute, μή relative; οὐ objective, μή subjective. —The same differences hold for all compounds of οὐ and μή, and some examples of οὐδέ and οὐδείς are included below.—As to the Form, see infr. G. USAG[Refs 5th c.BC+]

I. as the negative of single words,

II. as the negative of the sentence.

I. οὐ adhering to single words so as to form a quasi-compound with them:—with Verbs: οὐ δίδωμι withhold, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; οὐκ εἰῶ prevent, [Refs]; οὐκ ἐθέλω refuse, [Refs]; οὔ φημι deny, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; but sometimes οὐ is retained, εἰ δ᾽ ἂν.. οὐκ ἐθέλωσιν [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἐάντε.. οὐ (variant{μή}) φῆτε ἐάντε φῆτε [Refs 8th c.BC+] —On the use of οὐ in contrasts, see below [Refs 5th…

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Strong's Greek Dictionary

οὐ

ou

ouk ook, and (before an aspirate)

ouch ookh

a primary word; the absolute negative (compare 3361) adverb; no or

not:--+ long, nay, neither, never, no (X man), none, (can-)not, +

nothing, + special, un(-worthy), when, + without, + yet but. See also

3364, 3372.

see GREEK for 3361

see GREEK for 3364

see GREEK for 3372

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

οὐ

Neg.prt.

no, not

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

οὐ ou 1x

negative adverb, originally the gen. of ὅς, spelled οὐκ if followed by a word beginning with a vowel and a smooth breathing, οὐχ if followed by a vowel and rough breathing, not, no, Mt. 5:37; 12:43; 23:37; for the peculiarities of its usage (especially as distinct from μή) consult a grammar

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Particle-N — Particle · negative
particle — a small word colouring the clause; it does not decline.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

PRT-N PaRTicle, disjunctive particle Negative

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
82%not
not82% · 1383×certainly6% · 96×surely4% · 70×no longer3% · 50×no2% · 39×other renderings3% · 51×

1,689 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 17 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
adverbial82%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 1,622 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
καίand, even, also, nam
εἰμίI am, existἐγώαὐτός
ὅς
ἐγώθερίζωI reap, gatherδέbut, on the othe
ὅτιthat, since, because
σύαὐτόςἐγώ
αὐτός
λέγωI say, speakἐνἐπί
σύ
λέγωI say, speakγάρforὅς
οὐnot?1622×
what comes after →
εἰμίI am, exist
ἐκArticle theἐγώ
μήNeg
παρέρχομαιI pass byεἰσέρχομαιI go in, come inπίνωI drink, imbibe
οἶδαI know, remember
ὅτιthat, since, becArticle theτίςIrg
γάρfor
εἰμίI am, existθέλωI will, wish, deArticle the
δύναμαιI am powerful, am ab
ἔρχομαιI come, goσῴζωI save, healArticle the

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordanceοὐ · 1,622× in the New Testament
John Matthew Luke 1 Corinthians Romans Mark Acts 2 Corinthians Revelation Hebrews 1 John Galatians

8 inflected forms — one of the commonest words in the New Testament. Full distribution →

Across the New Testament26 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Philo of Alexandria Josephus The Shepherd of Hermas Clement of Rome Ignatius of Antioch
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 6c. AD 40

ὡς γὰρ τῶν κολοσσιαίων μεγεθῶν τὰς ἐμφάσεις καὶ ἡ βραχυτάτη σφραγὶς τυπωθεῖσα δέχεται, οὕτως τάχα που καὶ τὰ τῆς ἀναγραφείσης ἐν τοῖς νόμοις κοσμοποιίας ὑπερβάλλοντα κάλλη καὶ ταῖς μαρμαρυγαῖς τὰς τῶν ἐντυγχανόντων ψυχὰς ἐπισκιάζοντα βραχυτέροις…

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.11c. AD 75–95

ὁ δὲ τῶν παρʼ ἡμῖν ἀρχιερέων οὐδενὸς ἀρετῇ δεύτερος Ἐλεάζαρος τῷ προειρημένῳ βασιλεῖ ταύτης ἀπολαῦσαι τῆς ὠφελείας οὐκ ἐφθόνησε πάντως ἀντειπὼν ἄν, εἰ μὴ πάτριον ἦν ἡμῖν τὸ μηδὲν ἔχειν τῶν καλῶν ἀπόρρητον.

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 1.8c. AD 100

ἐγὼ δὲ οὐχ ὡς διδάσκαλος, ἀλλ̓ ὧς εἰς ἐξ ὑμῶν ὑποδείξω ὀλίγα, δἰ ὧν ἐν τοῖς παροῦσιν εὐφρανθήσεσθε.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 3rd c. AD 3rd c. BC 4th c. AD 6th c. AD

δὲ γενόμεναι κατὰ τὸ ἀναγκαῖον κληρονομήσασαι ταξάμεναι τὰ καθήκοντα τέλη θεᾶι Βερενίκηι κυριεύομεν. ὅθεν οὐκ ἀποδιδόντων τὰ ἡμέτερα ἐπεδώκαμεν ἐν τῶι λ ἔτει προσανγελίαν Ἡρακλείδει γενομένωι ἀρχιφυλακίτηι τοῦ Παθυρίτου

C.Erbstreit16Diospolis Magna (Theben)135 BC

ι ἀρουρῶν πρόκτησιν … ένου αὐτὸν ἐν συνεδρίωι καὶ συγχώρησιν … ειν, ἐν ἧι οὐκ εὐδοκεῖ ὁ πατήρ. ὅθεν καταβεβραβευμένοι … ήρου συνεριου ἀξιοῦμεν, ἐὰν φαίνηται, συντάξαι γράψαι, οἷς

P.Adl. 2Pathyris125 BC

ὠνῆς ἐν πίστει διὰ τῶν περὶ τὸν Πανεβχοῦνιν ἐκτελειωθεῖσαν τῶι … ἔτει ἀντὶ ὀφειλημάτων, οὐκ ἐπελευσομένους τὸν Πανερέα καὶ τὴν Σενενοῦπιν περὶ ὀφειλημάτων μηδὲ περὶ ἄλλου μηδενός. ταῦτα δὲ

Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

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