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.
Matthew 17:26 Then are the children free.
Matthew 17:26 “Then the children are exempt,
Then Ameni free are those children.
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.
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "then" is not the common word usually translated as "then."
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "then" is not the common word usually translated as "then."
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "exempt" is more specific than the meaning of the word.
Then -- (CW) The word translated as "then" is a particle marking a sudden change or explaining or drawing attention to a consequence of an action. It is a conjunction of two words, the first meaning "there and then" or "straight away." Jesus only uses it three times. It is used in questions that expect a negative answer. With the objective negative, it expects a positive answer. It is not the common "then." The sense is "then and there indeed."
are -- The verb "is" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition. It also equates terms or assigns characteristics. With the genitive object, the sense is "belongs to." The word also means "to exist" and where it doesn't connect to characteristics or conditions. -- When the verb "to be" appears early in the clause before the subject, the sense is more like "it is" or, in the plural, "there are."
the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, without a noun, it has the sense of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more.
children "Children" is from the Greek word that means a "son," and more generally, a "child." To understand this verse, we must imagine Christ indicating himself as he said "sons." Christ frequently refers to himself as "the son of man," and occasionally, though usually less directly, as "the son of God." More in this article about "son of" statements.
free. - "Free" is from an adjective that means "free," "freedom," "independent," and "freed from a thing." Jesus only uses it twice. It is related to the verb for, another word Jesus also uses only twice. The sense if both "free" from debt and "free" from blame. It also has a slight sense of licentiousness.
Then -- (CW) The word translated as "then" is a particle marking a sudden change or explaining or drawing attention to a consequence of an action. It is a conjunction of two words, the first meaning "there and then" or "straight away." Jesus only uses it three times. It is used in questions that expect a negative answer. With the objective negative, it expects a positive answer. It is not the common "then." The sense is "then and there indeed."
are -- The verb "is" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition. It also equates terms or assigns characteristics. With the genitive object, the sense is "belongs to." The word also means "to exist" and where it doesn't connect to characteristics or conditions. -- When the verb "to be" appears early in the clause before the subject, the sense is more like "it is" or, in the plural, "there are."
the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, without a noun, it has the sense of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more.
children - "Children" is from the Greek word that means a "son," and more generally, a "child." To understand this verse, we must imagine Christ indicating himself as he said "sons." Christ frequently refers to himself as "the son of man," and occasionally, though usually less directly, as "the son of God." More in this article about "son of" statements.
exempt,. - (CW) "Exempt" is from an adjective that means "free," "freedom," "independent," and "freed from a thing." Jesus only uses it twice. It is related to the verb for, another word Jesus also uses only twice. The sense if both "free" from debt and "free" from blame. It also has a slight sense of licentiousness. The word "exempt" doesn't capture the more general sense of the word.
Ἄραγε [3 verses](adv) "Then: is ara ge. Ara means "there and then," "straightway," "then," "next," "mark you!," "for this cause," "so true is it that," and "namely." It indicates an immediate transition. It is also used to introduce a sentence that is a question that expects a negative answer. The ge is an emphatic particle meaning "at least" and "indeed." It emphasizes the word to which it is associated.
ἐλεύθεροί [2 verses](noun pl masc nom) "Free" is eleutheros, which means "free," "freedom," "independent," "unencumbered (of property)," "fit for a freeman," "frank," "legally permissible," "open to," of things: "free," "open to all,"and "freed from a thing."
εἰσιν (verb 3rd pl pres ind act) "Is" is from eimi, which means "to be," "to exist," "to be the case," and "is possible."
οἱ (article pl masc nom) "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").
υἱοί [157 verses](noun pl masc nom) "Children" is from huios, which means a "son," and more generally, a "child." -- The word translated as "son" more generally means "child."
Christ is subtly referring to himself as the son of the ruler.