Exact. Demand, or take, no more.

Than that which is appointed. That is, by the government. John does not condemn the offic…

Exact no more.—Under the “farming” system of taxation adopted by the Roman Empire, this was the besetting temptation of a…

They were accustomed to gather the taxes unfairly, and to increase the rates by oppressing the people, getting, perhaps, twice or even ten times mo…

St. Gregory the Great: In John's preceding words, it is clear that the hearts of his hearers were troubled and that they sought…

The “tax collectors” (v.12) were part of a despised system (cf. 5:27; 15:1). Of the three groups mentioned, they would have been considered most in…

And he said to them
Not by advising them to quit their employments, as if it was a thing unlawful to impose pay, and…

The scope and design of John's ministry were to bring the people from their sins and to their Savior. He came preaching, not a sect or party, but a…