Matthew 22:20

20 and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”

Matthew 22:20 in Other Translations

KJV
20 And he saith unto them,Whose is this image and superscription?
ESV
20 And Jesus said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?"
NLT
20 he asked, “Whose picture and title are stamped on it?”
MSG
20 "This engraving - who does it look like? And whose name is on it?"
CSB
20 "Whose image and inscription is this?" He asked them.

Matthew 22:20 Meaning and Commentary

Matthew 22:20

And he saith unto them
Having the penny in one hand, and pointing to it with the other,

whose is this image and superscription? or inscription?
for the penny that was, brought him had an image upon it, the form of a man's head struck on it, and round about it an inscription, or writing, showing who it was the image of, and whose money it was, and when it was coined: this is enough to show, that this penny was not a Jewish, but a Roman one; for the Jews, though they put inscriptions, yet no images on their coin; and much less would they put Caesar's thereon, as was on this: it is asked F18,

``What is the coin of Jerusalem? The answer is, David and Solomon on one side, and Jerusalem the holy city off the other side, i.e. as the gloss observes, David and Solomon were "written" on one side, and on the other side were written Jerusalem the holy city.''

It follows,

``and what was the coin of Abraham our father? an old man and an old woman, (Abraham and Sarah,) on one side, and a young man and a young woman, (Isaac and Rebekah,) on the other side.''

The gloss on it is,

``not that there was on it the form of an old man and an old woman on one side, and of a young man and a young woman on the other, for it is forbidden to make the form of a man; but so it was written on one side, an old man and an old woman, and on the other side, a young man and a young woman.''


FOOTNOTES:

F18 T. Bab. Bava Kama, fol. 97. 2. Vid. Bereshit Rabbas sect. 39. fol. 34. 4. & Midrash Kohelet, fol 95. 4.

Matthew 22:20 In-Context

18 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me?
19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius,
20 and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”
21 “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
22 When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.
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