Romans 13:6 - Exposition

For for this cause ye pay . And what the apostle means may be that the same principle on which they paid their taxes extended to all legal requirements) tribute also: for they ( i.e. the officers who exact tribute) are God's ministers (not, as in Romans 13:4 , διακόνοι , but λειτουργοὶ . This word, with its correlatives, is used in the New Testament especially with reference to the ceremonial services of the temple, and to their counterpart in Christian devotion; but not exclusively so (see Romans 15:27 ; Philippians 2:25 ). In classical Greek it denotes peculiarly persons performing public duties, or works of public use. This well-known use of the word may have suggested it here, the apostle meaning to say that such as in any such way served the state were in fact serving God), attending continually upon this very thing ; i.e. on λειτουργία for God.