Peter saith unto him
The Vulgate Latin reads, "and he said": and so the Ethiopic, and
Munster's Hebrew Gospel; but without doubt Peter is meant, and
rightly expressed; whose answer to Christ's question is,
of strangers:
meaning not foreigners, or such who formerly belonged to other
nations, but were now taken captive, and brought into subjection;
but their own native subjects, so called, in distinction from
their domestics, their children, and those of their own family:
Jesus saith unto him, then are the children
free;
from paying custom, tribute, and taxes, and leaves Peter to make
the application; and which he suggested might be made, either
thus: supposing it was a civil tax, that since he was the son of
David, king of Israel, was of his house and family, and heir
apparent to his throne and kingdom; according to this rule, he
must be exempt from such tribute: or, thus; taking it to have
respect to the half shekel, paid on a religious account, for the
service of the temple worship; that since he was the Son of the
King of kings, for the support of whose worship and service that
money was collected; and was also the Lord and proprietor of the
temple, and greater than that, he might well be excused the
payment of it.
