Mark 12:16

16 They gave Jesus a coin, and he asked, "Whose image and name are on the coin?" They answered, "Caesar's."

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 are an honest man. You are not afraid of what other people think about you, because you pay no attention to who they are. And you teach the truth about God's way. Tell us: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?
15 Should we pay them, or not?" But knowing what these men were really trying to do, Jesus said to them, "Why are you trying to trap me? Bring me a coin to look at."
16 They gave Jesus a coin, and he asked, "Whose image and name are on the coin?" They answered, "Caesar's."
17 Then Jesus said to them, "Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and give to God the things that are God's." The men were amazed at what Jesus said.
18 Then some Sadducees came to Jesus and asked him a question. (Sadducees believed that people would not rise from the dead.)
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.