Mark 12:16

16 And they brought one. He said to them, " Whose image and inscription is this?"

Mark 12:16 Meaning and Commentary

Mark 12:16

And they brought it
The penny, which was a Roman one, and worth seven pence halfpenny of our money:

and he saith unto them, whose is this image, and superscription;
for it had the head of an emperor upon it, very likely the image of the then reigning emperor Tiberius, and a superscription on it, expressing his name, and perhaps a motto along with it:

and they said unto him, Caesar's;
one of the Roman emperors, Augustus, or Tiberius; most probably the latter; (See Gill on Matthew 22:20), (See Gill on Matthew 22:21).

Mark 12:16 In-Context

14 They came to him and said, "Teacher, we know that you're genuine and you don't worry about what people think. You don't show favoritism but teach God's way as it really is. Does the Law allow people to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay taxes or not?"

15 Since Jesus recognized their deceit, he said to them, "Why are you testing me? Bring me a coin. Show it to me."

16 And they brought one. He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"

17 "Caesar's," they replied.Jesus said to them, "Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God." His reply left them overcome with wonder.

18 Sadducees, who deny that there is a resurrection, came to Jesus and asked,