TRIBUTE (tribqn), (Heb. eras, from ntasas, 'to melt' or 'liquify; Gr. ib 6p o s , for' os, a tax), a tax which one prince or state agrees, or is compelled to pay to another, as the purchase of peace, or in token of dependence.
(1) Capitation Tax. The Hebrews atknowl edged the sovereign dominion of God by a tribute, orcapitation of half a shekel a head. which waspaid yearly (Exod. xxx :13). Our Savior (Matt. 25) thus reasons with Peter: "Of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers?" Meaning, that he, as Son of God, ought to be exempt from this capitation.. We do not find that either the kings or the judges of the Hebrews when they were of that nation, demanded tribute. Solomon. at the beginning of his reign (1 Kings ix:21-33; 2 Chron. viii ;9) compelled the Canaanites, left in the country, to pay tribute and to perform the drudgery of the public works he had undertaken. Toward the end of his reign, he also imposed a tribute on his own people, and made them work on the public buildings (t Kings v:13, 14; ix: is; xi:27), which alienated their minds, and sowed the seeds of that discontent which after wards ripened into open revolt, by the rebellion of Jeroboam.
(2) Foreign Tribute. The Israelites were at various times subjected to heavy taxes and tributes by their foreign conquerors. After Judaea was reduced to a Roman province, a new poll of the people and an estimate of their substance were taken by command of Augustus, in order that he might more correctly regulate the tribute to be exacted (Joseph. Antiq. xvii, is). This was a
capitation tax levied at so much a head, and im posed upon all males from 14, and all females from 12 up to 65 years of age (Ulpian, Digest de Censib. lib. iii; Fischer, De Numisni. Census).
(3) Opposition. To oppose the levying of this tribute Judas the Gaulonite raised an insur rection of the Jews, asserting that it was not law ful to pay tribute to a foreigner, that it was a token of servitude, and that the Jews were not al lowed to acknowledge any for their master who did not worship the Lord. They boasted of being a free nation, and of never having been in bondage to any man (John viii :33). These sentiments were extensively promulgated, but all their efforts were of no avail in restraining or mitigating the exactions of their conquerors.
(4) Christ and the Pharisees. The Pharisees who sought to entangle Jesus in his talk (Matt. xxii:17), sent unto him demanding whether it was lawful to give tribute unto Cmsar or not ; but knowing their wicked designs he replied, 'Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?' Render unto Cesar the things which are Cnsar's, and unto God the things that are God's.' The apostles Peter and Paul severally recom mended submission to the ruling powers, and in culcated the duty of paying tribute, 'tribute to whom tribute is due' (Rom. xiii:i-8; I Peter ii: 13). G. M. B.