ROM 13:7 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) So fulfil all of your obligations: if it’s tax then pay it, or revenue then give it, or if it’s respect then show it, or giving honour then do it.

Key: khaki:verbs, orange:accusative/object, cyan:dative/indirect object.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT Pay back to everyone your obligations: tax to whom tax, toll to whom toll, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.

UST Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay taxes to whom you owe taxes. Pay fees to whom you owe fees. Fear those people whom you should fear. Honor those people whom you should honor.

BSB Pay everyone what you owe [him]: taxes to whom taxes [are due], revenue to whom revenue [is due], respect to whom respect [is due], honor to whom honor [is due].

BLB Render to all their dues: tax to whom tax, revenue to whom revenue, respect to whom respect, honor to whom honor.

AICNT Pay to all what is owed: to the one the tax, the tax; to the one the custom, the custom; to the one the fear, the fear; to the one the honor, the honor.

OEB In all cases pay what is due from you – tribute where tribute is due, taxes where taxes are due, respect where respect is due, and honour where honour is due.

WEBBE Therefore give everyone what you owe: if you owe taxes, pay taxes; if customs, then customs; if respect, then respect; if honour, then honour.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Pay everyone what is owed: taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.

LSV render, therefore, to all [their] dues; to whom tribute, the tribute; to whom custom, the custom; to whom fear, the fear; to whom honor, the honor.

FBV Pay whatever you owe: taxes to the tax authorities, fees to the fee-collectors; give respect to those who should be respected, honor those who should be honored.

TCNT [fn]Therefore render to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, fear to whom fear is due, and honor to whom honor is due.

13:7 Therefore render ¦ Render CT

T4T Give to all the officials what you are supposed to give to them! Pay taxes to those who require that you pay taxes. Pay duties on goods to those who require that you pay those duties. Respect those who ought to be respected. Honor those who ought to be honored.

LEB Pay to everyone what is owed: pay taxes to whom taxes are due; pay customs duties to whom customs duties are due; pay respect to whom respect is due; pay honor to whom honor is due.[fn]

13:7 Due to the very compressed style in this verse, many words must be supplied to make sense in English

BBE Give to all what is their right: taxes to him whose they are, payment to him whose right it is, fear to whom fear, honour to whom honour is to be given.

Moff Pay them all their respective dues, tribute to one, taxes to another, respect to this man, honour to that.

Wymth Pay promptly to all men what is due to them: taxes to those to whom taxes are due, toll to those to whom toll is due, respect to those to whom respect is due, honour to those to whom honour is due.

ASV Render to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.

DRA Render therefore to all men their dues. Tribute, to whom tribute is due: custom, to whom custom: fear, to whom fear: honour, to whom honour.

YLT render, therefore, to all [their] dues; to whom tribute, the tribute; to whom custom, the custom; to whom fear, the fear; to whom honour, the honour.

Drby Render to all their dues: to whom tribute [is due], tribute; to whom custom, custom; to whom fear, fear; to whom honour, honour.

RV Render to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.

SLT Therefore restore debts to all; to whom tribute, tribute; to whom recompense, recompense; to whom fear, fear; to whom honour, honour.

Wbstr Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due ; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.

KJB-1769 Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.

KJB-1611 Render therfore to all their dues, tribute to whom tribute is due, custome to whome custome, feare to whome feare, honour to whom honour.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps Geue to euery man therfore his dutie, tribute to whom tribute, custome to whom custome, feare to whom feare, honour to whom honour belongeth.
(Give to every man therefore his dutie, tribute to whom tribute, custom to whom custom, fear to whom fear, honour to whom honour belongeth/belongs.)

Gnva Giue to all men therefore their duetie: tribute, to whome yee owe tribute: custome, to whom custome: feare, to whome feare: honour, to whom ye owe honour.
(Give to all men therefore their duetie: tribute, to whom ye/you_all owe tribute: custom, to whom custome: fear, to whom fear: honour, to whom ye/you_all owe honour. )

Cvdl Geue to euery man therfore his dutye: tribute, to whom tribute belongeth: custome, to whom custome is due: feare, to whom feare belongeth: honoure, to whom honoure pertayneth.
(Give to every man therefore his dutye: tribute, to whom tribute belongeth/belongs: custom, to whom custom is due: fear, to whom fear belongeth/belongs: honour, to whom honour pertaineth/pertains.)

TNT Geve to every man therfore his duetie: Tribute to whom tribute belongeth: Custome to whom custome is due: feare to whom feare belongeth: Honoure to who honoure pertayneth.
(Geve to every man therefore his duetie: Tribute to whom tribute belongeth/belongs: Custome to whom custom is due: fear to whom fear belongeth/belongs: Honour to who honour pertaineth/pertains. )

Wycl Therfor yelde ye to alle men dettis, to whom tribut, tribut, to whom tol, tol, to whom drede, drede, to whom onour, onour.
(Therefore yield ye/you_all to all men dettis, to whom tribut, tribut, to whom tol, tol, to whom dread, dread, to whom honour, honour.)

Luth So gebet nun jedermann, was ihr schuldig seid: Schoße dem der Schoß gebührt; Zoll, dem der Zoll gebührt; Furcht dem die Furcht gebührt; Ehre, dem die Ehre gebührt.
(So prayer now anyone, what/which you(pl)/their/her guilty are: lap(n)e to_him the/of_the lap(n) deserves; Zoll, to_him the/of_the Zoll deserves; fear(n) to_him the fear(n) deserves; honour(n), to_him the honour(n) deserves.)

ClVg Reddite ergo omnibus debita: cui tribulatum, tributum: cui vectigal, vectigal: cui timorem, timorem: cui honorem, honorem.[fn]
(Reddite therefore to_all debita: to_whom tribulatum, tributum: to_whom vectigal, vectigal: to_whom fear, fear: to_whom honour, honour. )

13.7 Tributum. Vel tributum quod dominis solvitur. Vectigal quod ad domum domini vehitur.

13.7 Tributum. Or tributum that masters paysur. Vectigal that to house/home master vehitur.

UGNT ἀπόδοτε πᾶσι τὰς ὀφειλάς: τῷ τὸν φόρον, τὸν φόρον; τῷ τὸ τέλος, τὸ τέλος; τῷ τὸν φόβον, τὸν φόβον; τῷ τὴν τιμὴν, τὴν τιμήν.
(apodote pasi tas ofeilas: tōi ton foron, ton foron; tōi to telos, to telos; tōi ton fobon, ton fobon; tōi taʸn timaʸn, taʸn timaʸn.)

SBL-GNT ⸀ἀπόδοτε πᾶσι τὰς ὀφειλάς, τῷ τὸν φόρον τὸν φόρον, τῷ τὸ τέλος τὸ τέλος, τῷ τὸν φόβον τὸν φόβον, τῷ τὴν τιμὴν τὴν τιμήν.
(⸀apodote pasi tas ofeilas, tōi ton foron ton foron, tōi to telos to telos, tōi ton fobon ton fobon, tōi taʸn timaʸn taʸn timaʸn.)

RP-GNT Ἀπόδοτε οὖν πᾶσιν τὰς ὀφειλάς· τῷ τὸν φόρον τὸν φόρον· τῷ τὸ τέλος τὸ τέλος· τῷ τὸν φόβον τὸν φόβον· τῷ τὴν τιμὴν τὴν τιμήν.
(Apodote oun pasin tas ofeilas; tōi ton foron ton foron; tōi to telos to telos; tōi ton fobon ton fobon; tōi taʸn timaʸn taʸn timaʸn.)

TC-GNT Ἀπόδοτε [fn]οὖν πᾶσι τὰς ὀφειλάς· τῷ τὸν φόρον τὸν φόρον· τῷ τὸ τέλος τὸ τέλος· τῷ τὸν φόβον τὸν φόβον· τῷ τὴν τιμὴν τὴν τιμήν.
(Apodote oun pasi tas ofeilas; tōi ton foron ton foron; tōi to telos to telos; tōi ton fobon ton fobon; tōi taʸn timaʸn taʸn timaʸn. )

13:7 ουν ¦ — CT

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 13:1–7: Paul taught about government officials/leaders

In this section, Paul told believers that they must submit to government officials, because God gave the officials the authority to rule. Fighting the government is fighting the thing that God put in place. Only people who do evil need to fear the government. The believer must do good. The government will approve those deeds. But if the believer does what is wrong, he or she should fear the government. It makes happen God’s anger against those who do evil. Submitting to the government helps avoid God’s anger and keeps our conscience clear.

Believers also should pay government taxes and fees. They should respect and honor the leaders.

Here are other possible headings for this section:

Our attitude toward the government

Our relationship with the government

13:7a

Pay everyone what you owe him:

Pay, as you^(plur) should/ought, the things you owe.
Whatever is your duty/obligation toward them, do it.
Things that are required of you to give, give them.

Pay: This Greek word refers to giving something because one is required to give.BDAG, sense 2.c. Here are other ways to translate this word:

Give (NIV)

Pay, as you should,

The NIV allows the context to imply giving something you should give. The BSB does a similar thing with Pay.

everyone: Considering the list of things to do in 13:7b–e, the word everyone here refers to all government authorities, not everyone in the world. For example:

all of them (RSV)

what you owe him: The Greek word refers to things that someone should repay or give. 13:7b–e has four examples of what you owe him. Your translation should clearly allow taxes, revenue, respect, and honor to be examples of the word or phrase you translate here.

General Comment on 13:7a

With the colon (:) after the word “him” and not repeating the word “pay,” the BSB indicates that 13:7b–e are four things that the believer should pay. In some languages a different way to translate that meaning must be used. For example:

Pay everyone what you owe him. So, pay taxes to whom taxes are due, and pay revenue to whom revenue is due, and pay respect to whom respect is due, and pay honor to whom honor is due.

Pay everyone what you owe him. That is, pay taxes to whom taxes are due, and revenue to whom revenue is due, and respect to whom respect is due, and honor to whom honor is due.

13:7b

taxes to whom taxes are due,

So, pay taxes to the person you owe taxes to,
When the rulers tell you that you must pay taxes, then pay them.

taxes to whom taxes are due: The word “pay” is implied here. In some languages that word must be explicit here. For example:

pay taxes to whom taxes are owed

You may want to use the same word here for “pay” as you did in 13:7a.

taxes: See how you translated this word in 13:6.

13:7c

revenue to whom revenue is due,

and pay duties/fees to the person you owe duties/fees to.
When they tell you that you must pay duties or fees, then pay them.

revenue to whom revenue is due: The word “pay” is implied here. In some languages that word must be explicit here. For example:

pay revenue to whom revenue is owed

This is the second item in a list. In some languages an “and” must begin this phrase. For example:

and revenue to whom revenue is owed

revenue: The Greek word refers to money other than taxes that government authorities ask people to pay. This includes duty, fees, and other such things. Here are other ways to translate this word:

duty

fees

13:7d

respect to whom respect is due,

And fear the person you should fear,
They should be feared/respected, so fear/respect them.

respect to whom respect is due: The word “pay” is implied here. In some languages that word must be explicit here. But in many languages a different word than “pay” must be used for the correct meaning. For example:

pay/give/show respect to whom respect is owed

respect the person/leader you should respect

This is the third item in a list. In some languages an “and” must begin this phrase. For example:

and respect to whom respect is owed

respect: The Greek word that the BSB translates as respect is more literally “fear.” It refers to a necessary attitude to have toward powerful people because their power can put us in danger. People of lower status and power must act in ways that do not make powerful people angry or feel humiliated. For example:

fear (NASB)

But many English versions translate the Greek word as respect here.

13:7e

honor to whom honor is due.

and honor the person you should honor.
They should be honored, so honor them.

honor to whom honor is due: The word “pay” is implied here. In some languages that word must be explicit here. But in many languages a different word than “pay” must be used for the correct meaning. For example:

pay/give/show honor to whom honor is owed

honor the person/leader you should honor

This is the fourth item in a list. In some languages an “and” must begin this phrase. For example:

and honor to whom honor is owed

honor: This word refers to showing that you respect someone.BDAG, sense 2. This may be praising him or speaking highly of him to others. Here are other ways to translate this word:

praise

lift up the name

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

τὰς ὀφειλάς

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἀπόδοτε πᾶσι τάς ὀφειλάς τῷ τόν φόρον τόν φόρον τῷ τό τέλος τό τέλος τῷ τόν φόβον τόν φόβον τῷ τήν τιμήν τήν τιμήν)

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of obligations, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: [what you are obligated to pay]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

τῷ τὸν φόρον, τὸν φόρον; τῷ τὸ τέλος, τὸ τέλος; τῷ τὸν φόβον, τὸν φόβον; τῷ τὴν τιμὴν, τὴν τιμήν

˱to˲_the_‹one› ˱to˲_the_‹one› ˱to˲_the_‹one› ˱to˲_the_‹one› (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἀπόδοτε πᾶσι τάς ὀφειλάς τῷ τόν φόρον τόν φόρον τῷ τό τέλος τό τέλος τῷ τόν φόβον τόν φόβον τῷ τήν τιμήν τήν τιμήν)

Paul is leaving out some of the words that a sentence would need in many languages to be complete. If it would be helpful in your language, you could supply these words from the context. Alternate translation: [pay tax to whom tax is due, pay toll to whom toll is due, show fear to whom fear is due, show honor to him to whom honor is due]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

τῷ τὸν φόρον, τὸν φόρον; τῷ τὸ τέλος, τὸ τέλος

Paul is speaking of taxes and tolls in general, not of one particular tax and toll. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a more natural phrase. Alternate translation: [taxes to whom taxes, tolls to whom tolls]

Note 4 topic: translate-unknown

τῷ τὸ τέλος, τὸ τέλος

The word toll refers to a specific kind of tax that must be paid in addition to regular taxes. If your readers would not be familiar with this type of tax, you could use a general expression for additional taxes. Alternate translation: [government fees to whom government fees] or [revenues to whom revenues]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

τῷ τὸν φόβον, τὸν φόβον; τῷ τὴν τιμὴν, τὴν τιμήν

If your language does not use abstract nouns for the ideas of fear and honor, you could express the same ideas in another way. Alternate translation: [fear to whomever should be feared, honor to whomever should be honored]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor