Romans 13:6

For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
For	γὰρ gar	G1063	properly · conjunction
for	διὰ dia	G1223	through (in very wide applications · preposition
cause	τοῦτο toûto	G5124	that thing
ye	τελεῖτε· teleite	G5055	to end · verb — present active indicative, 2nd person plural
tribute	φόρους phorous	G5411	a load (as borne) · noun — accusative plural masculine
also	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
for	γὰρ gar	G1063	properly · conjunction
are	εἰσί eisí	G1526	they are
God’s	θεοῦ theou	G2316	figuratively · noun — genitive singular masculine, a title
ministers	λειτουργοὶ leitourgoi	G3011	a public servant · noun — nominative plural masculine
continually	προσκαρτεροῦντες.¶ proskarterountes	G4342	to be earnest towards · verb — present active participle, nominative plural masculine
upon	εἰς eis	G1519	to or into (indicating the point reached or entered) · preposition
this	τοῦτο toûto	G5124	that thing
thing	αὐτὸ auto	G846	the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — accusative singular neuter

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Matthew 22:17-21 Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?
Luke 20:21-26 And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest th…
Luke 23:2 And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Cæsar, saying that he hi…
Matthew 17:24-27 And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute?
Mark 12:14-17 And when they were come, they say unto him, Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of…
1 Chronicles 18:14 So David reigned over all Israel, and executed judgment and justice among all his people.
Exodus 18:13-27 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening.
Deuteronomy 1:9-17 And I spake unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone:

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Romans 13:1-6

We are here taught how to conduct ourselves towards magistrates, and those that are in authority over us, called here the higher powers, intimating their authority (they are powers), and their dignity (they are higher powers), including not only the king as supreme, but all inferior magistrates under him: and yet it is expressed, not by the persons that are in that power, but the place of power itself, in which they are. However the persons themselves may be wicked, and of those vile persons whom the citizen of Zion contemneth (Psa 15:4), yet the just power which they have must be submitted to and obeyed. The apostle had taught us, in the foregoing chapter, not to avenge ourselves, nor to re…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Romans 13:6

For, for this cause pay ye--rather, "ye pay" tribute also--that is, "This is the reason why ye pay the contributions requisite for maintaining the civil government." for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing--"to this very thing."

Adam Clarke on Romans 13:6

For this cause pay ye tribute also - Because civil government is an order of God, and the ministers of state must be at considerable expense in providing for the safety and defense of the community, it is necessary that those in whose behalf these expenses are incurred should defray that expense; and hence nothing can be more reasonable than an impartial and moderate taxation, by which the expenses of the state may be defrayed, and the various officers, whether civil or military, who are employed for the service of the public, be adequately remunerated. All this is just and right, but there is no insinuation in the apostle's words in behalf of an extravagant and oppressive taxation, for the…

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John Gill on Romans 13:6

For, for this cause pay you tribute also,.... To show that we are subject to the higher powers, and as a proof and evidence of our subjection to them, we do and ought to pay tribute to them, to support them in their office and dignity; and this is done not for fear of trouble, of distress on goods and estate, or imprisonment of person, but for conscience sake: payment of taxes is not a mere matter of prudence, and done to avoid dangerous consequence, but is and ought to be a case of conscience; whatever is anyone's due, and of right belongs to him, conscience dictates it ought to be paid him; as therefore it tells a man, that whatever is God's should be rendered to him, so whatever is Caesar…

The Church Fathers

Then he goes on also to show how he wishes you to be subject to the powers, bidding you pay "tribute to whom tribute is due, custom to whom custom," that is, the things which are Caesar's to Caesar, and the things which are God's to God; but man is the property of God alone.
— Tertullian, Scorpiace

Taxes can also mean taxes for the priests, which were set up for them by God. Or this may mean that you pay taxes to rulers because, in possessing the world, you subjected yourselves to them willingly. Paul calls them "God's servants," so that people might render to them what they owe, lest it seem that Christ taught his followers pride.
— Pelagius, PELAGIUS'S COMMENTARY ON ROMANS

Now, that he spake these words, not in regard to angelical powers, nor of invisible rulers-as some venture to expound the passage-but of those of actual human authorities, [he shows when] he says, "For this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, doing service for this very thing." This also the Lord confirmed, when He did not do what He was tempted to by the devil; but He gave directions that tribute should be paid to the tax-gatherers for Himself and Peter; because "they are the ministers of God, serving for this very thing."
— Irenaeus, Against Heresies Book V

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Minister — One who serves, as distinguished from the master. (1.) Heb. meshereth, applied to an attendant on one of superior rank, as to Joshua, the servant of Moses (Ex. 33:11), and to the servant of Elisha (2…
Taxes — First mentioned in the command (Ex. 30:11-16) that every Jew from twenty years and upward should pay an annual tax of “half a shekel for an offering to the Lord.” This enactment was faithfully…
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…
Citizens · DUTIES OF — DUTIES OF
Conduct, Christian · Submitting to Authorities — Submitting to Authorities
Kings · Pay tribute to — Pay tribute to
Magistrates · Are ministers of God — Are ministers of God
Rulers · CHARACTER AND QUALIFI — CHARACTER AND QUALIFI

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Romans 13:6

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Romans 13:1-6

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Romans 13:6

Adam Clarke on Romans 13:6

John Gill on Romans 13:6

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Romans 13:6

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Romans 13:1-6

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Romans 13:6

Adam Clarke on Romans 13:6

John Gill on Romans 13:6

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Romans 13:5-7

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Romans 13:6