Word study · Greek
kēnsos
poll tax
Say it: KAIN-soss (approximate)
κῆνσος
What it means
A Latin loan word (census): the head tax Rome charged each person in a province, paid in Roman coin. It's used in only a few places in the Gospels. It was the most hated tax because it reminded subjects of Roman rule and was linked to a census, which sparked a revolt in AD 6.
Range of meaning
- CensusThe registration used to assess the tax.
- Poll taxThe tax assessed on each person.
In Matthew
- Chapter 22
"Is it lawful to pay the poll tax to Caesar?" (22:17, 22:19).
Every verse (3)
Verses where G2778 is tagged in the Hebrew text: STEPBible Data (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0. About our sources