Coin in the fish's mouth

Apostle Peter paying the temple tax with coin from the fish's mouth by Augustin Tünger, 1486.

Tilapia zilli ("St. Peter's fish") - served in a Tiberias restaurant.

Coin in the fish's mouth is one of the miracles of Jesus in the Gospels (Matthew 17:24-27).^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

According to the Gospel, after Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma temple tax came to Apostle Peter and asked, "Doesn't your teacher pay the temple tax?" And Peter replied: "Yes, he does".

When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak and said:

"What do you think, Simon?" he asked. "From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own children or from others?"

"From others," Peter answered. "Then the children are exempt," Jesus said to him. Then Jesus said:

"But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours."

The four-drachma coin would be exactly enough to pay the temple tax for two people.^[6]

The Bible does not name the fish, but Tilapia is sometimes referred to as St. Peter's fish.

See also

• Ministry of Jesus
• Miracles of Jesus
• Parables of Jesus
• Tribute Money

References

1. ^ Biblegateway Matthew 17:24-27 [1]
2. ^ Clowes, John, 1817, The Miracles of Jesus Christ published by J. Gleave, Manchester, UK page 194
3. ^ Maguire, Robert, 1863 The Miracles of Christ published by Weeks and Co. London page 221
4. ^ Daniel J. Scholz 2009 Introducing the New Testament ISBN 0884899551 page 86
5. ^ Steven L. Cox, Kendell H Easley, 2007 Harmony of the Gospels ISBN 0805494448 page 349
6. ^ Keener, Craig S., 2009, The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, ISBN 0802864988, page 445.