Yes appears in Good News Translation as “Of course.” New English Bible translates “He does,” New International Version has “Yes, he does,” and New American Bible has “Of course he does.” Any translation is satisfactory which indicates a strong affirmative. Languages that normally use indirect discourse can have “Peter assured him that Jesus did pay the tax.”
When he came home translates another participial clause in which the subject is not explicitly mentioned, though in the main clause Jesus is stated as subject. New International Version (“When Peter came into the house”) is similar to Good News Translation‘s “When Peter went into the house.” Jerusalem Bible makes the identification explicit, though in an entirely different way: “ ‘Oh yes’ he replied, and went into the house.”
The use of home indicates that the house Peter entered was the one where Jesus lived, and some translators have said “When Peter returned to Jesus’ house” or “… the house where Jesus lived.” This is acceptable, but this fact is not in focus here, and if translators find that the expression they would have to use to include this information makes the sentence long or awkward, then “the house” (Good News Translation) is certainly better.
Jesus spoke to him first, saying is somewhat abbreviated in Good News Translation: “Jesus spoke up first.” New Jerusalem Bible restructures slightly: “But before he could speak.” Barclay is similar: “before he could even mention the matter.”
What do you think? is translated “what is your opinion?” by Good News Translation. New English Bible renders “What do you think about this.” The reference is to the questions which follow. Translators may say “Here is a question, Simon. What do you think about it?” “Simon, what is your answer to this question (I have)?” or “I have a question for you, Simon.”
Simon is used as a noun of address in place of Peter, the name used in the narration. Elsewhere in Matthew’s Gospel Simon occurs in 4.18; 10.2; 16.16, 17.
From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tribute? is a form in which the kings are the subject of a verb for collecting taxes; this may be altered to have the taxpayers as subject: “Who pays … to the kings of the earth.” The focus on who pays can be made explicit with “Who are the people who have to pay taxes and fees to the kings of the earth?” The question may also be restructured slightly: “When kings collect fees and taxes, whom do they take them from?” or “Who are the people that kings make pay taxes and fees?”
The kings of the earth may be rendered more simply as “rulers” or “kings.”
It is probably impossible to draw a firm distinction between toll and tribute; one standard Greek dictionary defines toll as “(indirect) tax, customs, duties” and tribute as “tax, poll tax.” The English translations are quite diverse in the terms which they choose: “tax or toll” (New English Bible), “duty and taxes” (New International Version), “duties and taxes” (An American Translation), “customs or taxes” (Moffatt), and “duties or taxes” (Good News Translation). Translators should feel free to use whatever words are used in their languages for fees and taxes that people often have to pay. It is not necessary to keep the exact distinction between toll and tribute, nor even to use two different words if two different kinds of taxes are not known.
From their sons or from others? is difficult for at least the following reasons: (1) it presupposes the existence of a subject, verb, and object which are not explicitly mentioned here but are implied from the previous question and are understood in the Greek to be carried over to this question (“Do the kings collect these taxes from…?”); and (2) their sons is a Hebrew idiom which will not be understood by many readers with the meaning that it has in the present context. The reference is to citizens of a king’s own country who would normally not have been taxed, whereas others (citizens of conquered countries) would have been taxed. Good News Translation translates their sons … others as “The citizens of the country … the foreigners.” This can also be “From their own people or from foreigners?” The two questions may be restructured into one: “When kings take taxes and fees, do they take them from their own people or from foreigners?”
Today many governments collect taxes and fees from their own people, and some translators may need a footnote indicating that in those days, kings normally taxed the people they had conquered, not their own citizens.
Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .