Taxes in the Bible

About Taxes in the Bible

Taxation appears throughout the Bible. In Genesis, Joseph imposed a 20 percent tax on grain in Egypt during the famine. In the New Testament, tax collectors were widely despised. Matthew was a tax collector before becoming an apostle. Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector in Jericho. Jesus was asked whether it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar. His response, render to Caesar the things that are Caesars and to God the things that are Gods, has been cited for centuries in debates about church and state. The temple tax, or didrachma, was paid by every Jewish male. Peter found a coin in the mouth of a fish to pay the temple tax for himself and Jesus. These biblical references illustrate that tax disputes are as old as recorded history.