render unto Caesar

render unto Caesar

English

Etymology

From the Holy Bible (Matthew, 22:21): Then he said to them, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.” (KJV; spelling modernized)[1]

Pronunciation

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Verb

render unto Caesar (third-person singular simple present renders unto Caesar, present participle rendering unto Caesar, simple past and past participle rendered unto Caesar)

1. (idiomatic) To give (something) to one's state or government, especially in the form of a tax payment.
   • 1997, Nora Roberts, Holding the Dream‎, →ISBN:

     [S]he . . . made a note to suggest that her client ease some of the last quarter's profits into tax-free bonds. Render unto Caesar, sure, she thought, but not one damn penny more than necessary.

   • 2002 July 1, Lance Morrow, "God Knows What the Court Was Thinking," Time (retrieved 1 July 2016):

     Still, the ideal solution, I think, would be to render unto Caesar an affirmation of flag and country but to keep God in our hearts.

   • 2008 Jan. 21, Sarah Vowell, "Radical love gets a holiday," New York Times (retrieved 1 July 2016):

     They fear that trying to find the homeless homes translates into raising the taxes they must render unto Caesar.

Translations

to give (something) to one's state or government, especially in the form of a tax payment

French: rendre à César ce qui est à César (fr) German: gebt dem Kaiser, was des Kaisers ist Greek: Ancient: ἀπόδοτε οὖν τὰ Καίσαρος Καίσαρι καὶ τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῷ Θεῷ (apódote oûn tà Kaísaros Kaísari kaì tà toû Theoû tôi Theôi) Hungarian: adjátok meg a császárnak, ami a császáré Japanese: 皇帝のものは皇帝に (kōtei no mono wa kōtei ni)

References

1. The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], 1611, OCLC 964384981, Matthew 22:21, column 1: “Then ſayth he vnto them, Render therefore vnto Ceſar, the things which are Ceſars: and vnto God, the things that are Gods.”