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Today's Verse Analysis

Matthew 17:26 Then are the children free.

After Simon Peter says that his master, Jesus pays tribute, Jesus asks if the children of the king of the earth are required to pay taxes. Peter says that they do not.

Spoken to
an individual

Matthew 17:26  Ἄραγε ἐλεύθεροί εἰσιν οἱ υἱοί:

KJV Verse

Matthew 17:26 Then are the children free.

NIV Verse:

Matthew 17:26  Then the children are exempt,

What His Listeners Heard:

Then truly free are those children.

Lost In Translation:

This is a punch line. It implies a taxation is a form of slavery. In Jesus's era, this was more obvious because slavery was commonly the result of debt. Though children are subservient to their parents, their role is not one of slaves. Sons, the specific word used here had a claim on the family and its property. Something Christ states explicitly in John 8:35 and John 8:36. As the son of God, Jesus is suggesting he is a son of the ruler and therefore, should be free of taxes. We should also remember that Christ refers to all of us as sons of God. So this is a statement that we should all be free.

KJV w/Translation Issues :

Then(CW) are the children free.

KJV List (See full page for word-by-word analysis):
For analysis of each word of original Greek and biblical verses, click here.

Constantly Updated

My analysis standards and methods are constantly improving. New information on each verse is provided as articles are updated. It requires approximately two years for me to work through updating each of Jesus's verses.

What Jesus's Listeners Heard

The everyday meanings of the Greek words Jesus used were different than the definitions they have been given over time in biblical translation. The word translations here are based upon documents of his time such as the Greek Septuagint, not ideas unknown in his time.

About this Site

See what Jesus said in Greek and see how his words are changed in English translation. My goal is to translate Jesus's words as they were heard when he taught, not the way they are interpreted today. The work here resurrects the humor and cleverness of Jesus's words lost in translation.

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Each article provides detailed information on all the Greek words in each verse with links simplifying your own research. It compares the Greek to popular translations to show where words are confused, changed, left out, and added. This site offers research available nowhere else, such as how often Jesus uses a specific Greek word and links to a list of every verse in which he uses a given word.