Romans 13:6

Bible in Basic English (1941)

For the same reason, make payment of taxes; because the authority is God's servant, to take care of such things at all times.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

Διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ φόρους τελεῖτε: λειτουργοὶ γὰρ Θεοῦ εἰσιν, εἰς αὐτὸ τοῦτο προσκαρτεροῦντες.

Transliteration

Through this gar also phorous teleite: leitourgoi gar Theou eisin, to this very thing proskarterountes.

Grammar Details

• *gar*: postpositive conjunction - for/because
• *phorous*: accusative, masculine, plural - taxes/tributes
• *teleite*: present active indicative, 2nd plural - you pay
• *leitourgoi*: nominative, masculine, plural - servants/ministers
• *Theou*: genitive, masculine, singular - of God
• *eisin*: present indicative, 3rd plural - they are
• *proskarterountes*: present active participle, nominative, masculine, plural - attending continually/persevering

Word Meanings

• *phorous*: taxes/tributes/payments
• *teleite*: you pay/complete/fulfill
• *leitourgoi*: servants/ministers/public officials
• *proskarterountes*: attending continually/persevering/devoting themselves

Referenced Verses

• Matt 17:24-27 : 24 And when they had come to Capernaum, those who took the Temple tax came to Peter and said, Does not your master make payment of the Temple tax? 25 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? 26 And when he said, From other people, Jesus said to him, Then are the sons free. 27 But, so that we may not be a cause of trouble to them, go to the sea, and let down a hook, and take the first fish which comes up; and in his mouth you will see a bit of money: take that, and give it to them for me and you.
• Matt 22:17-21 : 17 Give us, then, your opinion of this: Is it right to give tax to Caesar, or not? 18 But Jesus saw their trick and said, Oh false ones, why are you attempting to put me in the wrong? 19 Let me see the tax money. And they gave him a penny. 20 And he said to them, Whose is this image and name on it? 21 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.
• Mark 12:14-17 : 14 And when they had come, they said to him, Master, we are certain that you are true, and have no fear of anyone: you have no respect for a man's position, but you are teaching the true way of God: Is it right to give taxes to Caesar or not? 15 Are we to give or not to give? But he, conscious of their false hearts, said to them, Why do you put me to the test? give me a penny, so that I may see it. 16 And they gave him one. And he said to them, Whose is this image and name on it? And they said to him, Caesar's. 17 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.
• Luke 20:21-26 : 21 And they put a question to him, saying, Master, we are certain that your teaching and your words are right, and that you have no respect for a man's position, but you are teaching the true way of God: 22 Is it right for us to make payment of taxes to Caesar or not? 23 But he saw through their trick and said to them, 24 Let me see a penny. Whose image and name are on it? And they said, Caesar's. 25 And he said, Then give to Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and to God the things which are God's. 26 And they were not able to get anything from these words before the people: but they were full of wonder at his answer, and said nothing.
• Luke 23:2 : 2 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.
• Rom 12:8 : 8 He who has the power of comforting, let him do so; he who gives, let him give freely; he who has the power of ruling, let him do it with a serious mind; he who has mercy on others, let it be with joy.
• Exod 18:13-27 : 13 Now on the day after, Moses took his seat to give decisions for the people: and the people were waiting before Moses from morning till evening. 14 And when Moses' father-in-law saw all he was doing, he said, What is this you are doing for the people? why are you seated here by yourself, with all the people waiting before you from morning till evening? 15 And Moses said to his father-in-law, Because the people come to me to get directions from God: 16 And if they have any question between themselves, they come to me, and I am judge between a man and his neighbour, and I give them the orders and laws of God. 17 And Moses' father-in-law said to him, What you are doing is not good. 18 Your strength and that of the people will be completely used up: this work is more than you are able to do by yourself. 19 Give ear now to my suggestion, and may God be with you: you are to be the people's representative before God, taking their causes to him: 20 Teaching them his rules and his laws, guiding them in the way they have to go, and making clear to them the work they have to do. 21 But for the rest, take from among the people able men, such as have the fear of God, true men hating profits wrongly made; and put such men over them, to be captains of thousands, captains of hundreds and of fifties and of tens; 22 And let them be judges in the causes of the people at all times: and let them put before you all important questions, but in small things let them give decisions themselves: in this way, it will be less hard for you, and they will take the weight off you. 23 If you do this, and God gives approval, then you will be able to go on without weariness, and all this people will go to their tents in peace. 24 So Moses took note of the words of his father-in-law, and did as he had said. 25 And he made selection of able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, captains of thousands, captains of hundreds and of fifties and of tens. 26 And they were judges in the causes of the people at all times: the hard questions they put before Moses; but on every small point they gave decisions themselves. 27 And Moses let his father-in-law go away, and he went back to his land.
• Deut 1:9-9 : 9 At that time I said to you, I am not able to undertake the care of you by myself; 10 The Lord your God has given you increase, and now you are like the stars of heaven in number. 11 May the Lord, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times greater in number than you are, and give you his blessing as he has said! 12 How is it possible for me by myself to be responsible for you, and undertake the weight of all your troubles and your arguments? 13 Take for yourselves men who are wise, far-seeing, and respected among you, from your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you. 14 And you made answer and said to me, It is good for us to do as you say. 15 So I took the heads of your tribes, wise men and respected, and made them rulers over you, captains of thousands and captains of hundreds and captains of fifties and captains of tens, and overseers of your tribes. 16 And at that time I gave orders to your judges, saying, Let all questions between your brothers come before you for hearing, and give decisions uprightly between a man and his brother or one from another nation who is with him. 17 In judging, do not let a man's position have any weight with you; give hearing equally to small and great; have no fear of any man, for it is God who is judge: and any cause in which you are not able to give a decision, you are to put before me and I will give it a hearing.
• 1 Sam 7:16-17 : 16 From year to year he went in turn to Beth-el and Gilgal and Mizpah, judging Israel in all those places. 17 And his base was at Ramah, where his house was; there he was judge of Israel and there he made an altar to the Lord.
• 2 Sam 8:5 : 5 And when the Aramaeans of Damascus came to the help of Hadadezer, king of Zobah, David put to the sword twenty-two thousand of the Aramaeans.
• 1 Chr 18:14 : 14 So David was king over all Israel, judging and giving right decisions for all his people.
• Ezra 4:13 : 13 The king may be certain that when the building of this town and its walls is complete, they will give no tax or payment in goods or forced payments, and in the end it will be a cause of loss to the kings.
• Ezra 4:20 : 20 Further, there have been great kings in Jerusalem, ruling over all the country across the river, to whom they gave taxes and payments in goods and forced payments.
• Ezra 6:8 : 8 Further, I give orders as to what you are to do for the responsible men of the Jews in connection with the building of this house of God: that from the king's wealth, that is, from the taxes got together in the land over the river, the money needed is to be given to these men readily, so that their work may not be stopped.
• Neh 5:4 : 4 And there were others who said, We have given up our fields and our vine-gardens to get money for the king's taxes.
• Job 29:7-9 : 7 When I went out of my door to go up to the town, and took my seat in the public place, 8 The young men saw me, and went away, and the old men got up from their seats; 9 The rulers kept quiet, and put their hands on their mouths; 10 The chiefs kept back their words, and their tongues were joined to the roofs of their mouths. 11 For when it came to their ears, men said that I was truly happy; and when their eyes saw, they gave witness to me; 12 For I was a saviour to the poor when he was crying for help, to the child with no father, and to him who had no supporter. 13 The blessing of him who was near to destruction came on me, and I put a song of joy into the widow's heart. 14 I put on righteousness as my clothing, and was full of it; right decisions were to me a robe and a head-dress. 15 I was eyes to the blind, and feet to him who had no power of walking. 16 I was a father to the poor, searching out the cause of him who was strange to me. 17 By me the great teeth of the evil-doer were broken, and I made him give up what he had violently taken away.