Tribute

A tax imposed by a king on his subjects (2 Samuel 20:24; 1 Kings 4:6; Romans 13:6). In Matthew 17:24-27 the word denotes the temple rate (the “didrachma,” the “half-shekel,” as rendered by the R.V.) which was required to be paid for the support of the temple by every Jew above twenty years of age (Exodus 30:12; 2 Kings 12:4; 2 Chronicles 24:6, 9). It was not a civil but a religious tax.

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Author: Easton’s Bible Dictionary

Keywords: Tribute

Source: Matthew G. Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary.