7 Give to all what is their right: taxes to him whose they are, payment to him whose right it is, fear to whom fear, honour to whom honour is to be given.
He says, Yes. And when he came into the house, Jesus said to him, What is your opinion, Simon? from whom do the kings of the earth get payment or tax? from their sons or from other people?
And he said, Then give to Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and to God the things which are God's.
They say to him, Caesar's. Then he said to them, Give to Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and to God the things which are God's.
Servants, do what is ordered by those who are your natural masters, having respect and fear for them, with all your heart, as to Christ;
Have respect for all, loving the brothers, fearing God, honouring the king. Servants, take orders from your masters with all respect; not only if they are good and gentle, but even if they are bad-humoured.
Let all who are servants under the yoke give all honour to their masters, so that no evil may be said against the name of God and his teaching.
Give honour to your father and to your mother, so that your life may be long in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
Give honour to your father and mother (which is the first rule having a reward), So that all may be well for you, and your life may be long on the earth.
And they made statements against him, saying, This man has to our knowledge been teaching our nation to do wrong, and not to make payment of taxes to Caesar, even saying that he himself is Christ, a king.
And Jesus said to them, Give to Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and to God the things which are God's. And they were full of wonder at him.
So Samuel made prayer to the Lord; and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people were in fear of the Lord and of Samuel.
Get up from your seats before the white-haired, and give honour to the old, and let the fear of your God be before you: I am the Lord.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Romans 13
Commentary on Romans 13 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 13
There are three good lessons taught us in this chapter, where the apostle enlarges more upon his precepts than he had done in the foregoing chapter, finding them more needful to be fully pressed.
Rom 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 (Ps. 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 recompense evil for evil; but, lest it should seem as if this did cancel the ordinance of a civil magistracy among Christians, he takes occasion to assert the necessity of it, and of the due infliction of punishment upon evil doers, however it may look like recompensing evil for evil. Observe,
Rom 13:7-10
We are here taught a lesson of justice and charity.
Rom 13:11-14
We are here taught a lesson of sobriety and godliness in ourselves. Our main care must be to look to ourselves. Four things we are here taught, as a Christian's directory for his day's work: when to awake, how to dress ourselves, how to walk, and what provision to make.