For they can’t die any more, for they are like the angels, and are children of God, being children of the resurrection. But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed at the bush, when he called the Lord ‘The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ Now he is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for all are alive to him.”
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Luke 20:36-38 sits inside this longer paragraph.
Jesus said to them, “The children of this age marry, and are given in marriage. But those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. For they can’t die any more, for they are like the angels, and are children of God, being children of the resurrection. But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed at the bush, when he called the Lord ‘The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ Now he is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for all are alive to him.”
Parallel Translations
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For they can’t die any more, for they are like the angels, and are children of God, being children of the resurrection.
But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed at the bush, when he called the Lord ‘The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’
Now he is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for all are alive to him.”
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nor yet can dye eny moare. For they are equall vnto the angels: and are the sonnes of God in as moche as they are the chyldre of the resurreccion.
And that the deed shall ryse agayne even Moses signified besydes the busshe when he sayde: the Lorde God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Iacob.
For he is not the God of the deed but of them which live. For all live in him.
Show all 3 translations
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For they can die no more, forasmuch as they are equall vnto the Angels, and are the sonnes of God, since they are the children of the resurrection.
And that the dead shall rise againe, euen Moses shewed it besides the bush, when he said, The Lord is the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Iacob.
For he is not the God of the dead, but of them which liue: for all liue vnto him.
Cross-references (44)
- John 11:25-26 (v38) Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will still live, even if he dies. Whoever lives and believes…
- Colossians 3:3-4 (v38) For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, our life, is revealed, then you will also be revealed with him in…
- Romans 6:10-11 (v38) For the death that he died, he died to sin one time; but the life that he lives, he lives to God. Thus consider yourselves also to be dead…
- Exodus 3:2-6 (v37) Yahweh’s angel appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the middle of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire, and the…
- Philippians 3:21 (v36) who will change the body of our humiliation to be conformed to the body of his glory, according to the working by which he is able even to…
Show all 44 cross-references
- Revelation 21:4 (v36) He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more. The…
- Matthew 22:30 (v36) For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are like God’s angels in heaven.
- Mark 12:26-27 (v37) But about the dead, that they are raised; haven’t you read in the book of Moses, about the Bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the…
- John 14:19 (v38) Yet a little while, and the world will see me no more; but you will see me. Because I live, you will live also.
- Acts 7:30-32 (v37) “When forty years were fulfilled, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush. When…
- Romans 14:7-9 (v38) For none of us lives to himself, and none dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord. Or if we die, we die to the Lord. If…
- 1 Corinthians 15:42 (v36) So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown perishable; it is raised imperishable.
- Revelation 20:6 (v36) Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over these, the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God…
- Genesis 17:7 (v37) I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to…
- Genesis 28:13 (v37) Behold, Yahweh stood above it, and said, “I am Yahweh, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. I will give the land you lie…
- Genesis 28:21 (v37) so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, and Yahweh will be my God,
- Genesis 32:9 (v37) Jacob said, “God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, Yahweh, who said to me, ‘Return to your country, and to your relatives,…
- Exodus 3:15 (v37) God said moreover to Moses, “You shall tell the children of Israel this, ‘Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of…
- Deuteronomy 33:16 (v37) for the precious things of the earth and its fullness, the good will of him who lived in the bush. Let this come on the head of Joseph, on…
- Psalms 145:1-2 (v38) I will exalt you, my God, the King. I will praise your name forever and ever. Every day I will praise you. I will extol your name forever…
- Matthew 22:3-33 (v37) and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again he sent out other servants,…
- Mark 12:25 (v36) For when they will rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.
- Romans 6:22-23 (v38) But now, being made free from sin and having become servants of God, you have your fruit of sanctification and the result of eternal life.…
- Romans 8:17-23 (v36) and if children, then heirs: heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified with…
- 1 Corinthians 15:26 (v36) The last enemy that will be abolished is death.
- 2 Corinthians 6:16 (v38) What agreement does a temple of God have with idols? For you are a temple of the living God. Even as God said, “I will dwell in them and…
- 2 Corinthians 13:4 (v38) For he was crucified through weakness, yet he lives through the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we will live with him…
- 1 John 3:1-2 (v36) See how great a love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God! For this cause the world doesn’t know us,…
- Revelation 7:15-17 (v38) Therefore they are before the throne of God, they serve him day and night in his temple. He who sits on the throne will spread his…
- Revelation 22:9 (v36) He said to me, “See you don’t do it! I am a fellow bondservant with you and with your brothers, the prophets, and with those who keep the…
- Psalms 16:5-11 (v38) Yahweh assigned my portion and my cup. You made my lot secure. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places. Yes, I have a good…
- Psalms 22:23-26 (v38) You who fear Yahweh, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify him! Stand in awe of him, all you descendants of Israel! For he has…
- Isaiah 25:8 (v36) He has swallowed up death forever! The Lord Yahweh will wipe away tears from off all faces. He will take the reproach of his people away…
- Hosea 13:14 (v36) I will ransom them from the power of Sheol. I will redeem them from death! Death, where are your plagues? Sheol, where is your destruction?…
- Zechariah 3:7 (v36) “Yahweh of Armies says: ‘If you will walk in my ways, and if you will follow my instructions, then you also shall judge my house, and shall…
- 1 Corinthians 15:49 (v36) As we have borne the image of those made of dust, let’s also bear the image of the heavenly.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 (v36) But we don’t want you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning those who have fallen asleep, so that you don’t grieve like the rest, who have…
- Revelation 5:6-14 (v36) I saw in the middle of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the middle of the elders, a Lamb standing, as though it had been…
- Revelation 7:9-12 (v36) After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude, which no man could count, out of every nation and of all tribes, peoples, and…
- Revelation 22:1 (v38) He showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb,
- Revelation 22:2-5 (v36) in the middle of its street. On this side of the river and on that was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruits, yielding its fruit…
- John 6:57 (v38) As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father; so he who feeds on me, he will also live because of me.
- 1 Corinthians 15:52-54 (v36) in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we…
- Hebrews 11:16 (v38) But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God, for he has…
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (14 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv36, 38 That is, men partakers of the resurrection, for as…
That is, men partakers of the resurrection, for as we say truly, that they shall live indeed, which shall enjoy everlasting bliss, so do they rise indeed, which rise to life, though if this word resurrection, be taken generally, it belongeth also to the wicked which shall rise to condemnation, which is not properly life, but death.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv36, 38 36 Neither can they die any more: for they…
36 Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.
Ver. 36. Die any more] That there should be any further use of matrimony, for the propagation of mankind.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv36–38 And after that, they durst not ask him any…
And after that, they durst not ask him any question at all. Neither the Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes, nor Herodians.
And after that, they durst not ask him any question at all. Neither the Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes, nor Herodians.
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Luke 20:41
luk 20:41
luk 20:41
luk 20:41And he said unto them,.... The Ethiopic version reads, "to the Pharisees"; and so it appears, that it was to them he spoke, from Mat 22:41
how say they? The Syriac version reads, "how say the Scribes?" as in Mar 12:35 and the Persic version, how say the wise men, the doctors in Israel,
that Christ is David's son? that which nothing was more common among the Jews.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv36–38 They are the children of God - In a…
They are the children of God - In a more eminent sense when they rise again.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv36, 38 Verse 36. Equal unto the angels] Who neither marry…
Verse 36. Equal unto the angels] Who neither marry nor die. See the Jewish testimonies to the resurrection of the human body quoted at length on 1Co 15:42.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On v36 The children of resurrection; i.e. of the just, who…
The children of resurrection; i.e. of the just, who shall rise to a happy resurrection: not but that the wicked shall also rise, but to their condemnation and greater misery. (Witham) --- Jesus Christ begins with stating the wide difference between the state of things in this mortal life and in that which is to come: that marriage necessary here, will be unnecessary hereafter. For, in this life, they are children of men, subject to death, and therefore under the necessity of continuing their race by generation; but in the next life, they shall be children of resurrection, living for eternity, never to die, and consequently sons of God, and immortal. Resurrection is a kind of regeneration to immortality. Hence St. Paul explains to our Saviour’s rising again, these words of the 2nd Psalm: Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. (Calmet)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv36–38 neither . . . die any more--Marriage is ordained…
neither . . . die any more--Marriage is ordained to perpetuate the human family; but as there will be no breaches by death in the future state, this ordinance will cease.
equal--or "like."
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unto the angels--that is, in the immortality of their nature.
children of God--not in respect of character but nature; "being the children of the resurrection" to an undecaying existence (Rom 8:21, Rom 8:23). And thus the children of their Father's immortality (Ti1 6:16).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv36–37 36. Neither can they die—Soul and body are made…
36. Neither can they die—Soul and body are made incapable of separation, and both incapable of disintegration or extinction. Death from violence, either from others or their own efforts, is impossible, and out of their natures.
Equal unto the angels—In Mark, are as the angels which are in heaven. Luke’s words might be translated are angel-like. To them, as to angels, is attributed neither death, birth, nor marriage. It is not to be inferred that the angels are, like men even in their glorified state, of a compound nature, body and soul. Angels we understand to be pure spirits, who in becoming visible to bodily eyes invest themselves with a visible vehicle; unless, indeed, we suppose with some that matter is but a denser and solidified sort of spirit.
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And are the children of God… children of the resurrection—Literally, sons of the resurrection. The opposite of this would be son of gehenna, or child of hell, in Mat_23:15. This is in accordance with that Hebrew figure of speech by which a being is said to be a son or child of that to whose nature he is conformed, or to whom he somehow belongs. So son of Belial, son of perdition, son of death. They who attain the resurrection in its glorious side cannot die, because they are now angel-like, and so god-like, resurrection-like.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv37–38 37. are raised] Literally, “are being raised”—the present of…
37. are raised] Literally, “are being raised”—the present of eternal certainty.
even Moses] The argument is d fortiori, as though our Lord would say, “the Prophets prove it abundantly, but I will not quote them since you attach higher importance to the Law. You quote Moses to throw doubt on the Resurrection; but even Moses, &c.”
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shewed] Rather, disclosed, or revealed.
at the bush] Rather, in the Bush, i.e. in that section of Exodus (Exodus 3) which they called by that name, just as they called 2 Samuel 1. ‘the Bow’ and Ezekiel 1 ‘the Chariot.’ Comp, “in Elias,” Rom_11:2 (marg.).
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv36–38 (36) Neither can they die any more.—The record of…
(36) Neither can they die any more.—The record of this teaching is peculiar to St. Luke. The implied thought is that death and marriage are correlative facts in God’s government of the world, the one filling up the gaps which are caused by the other. In the life eternal there is no need for an addition in this way to the number of the elect, and therefore there is no provision for it.
Equal unto the angels.—The one Greek word which answers to the English four is again peculiar to St. Luke.
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The children of God, being the children of the resurrection.—It is obvious that here the resurrection is assumed to be unto life and to a share in the divine kingdom. The fact that men were counted worthy to obtain that resurrection was a proof that they were “children of God,” and as such on the same footing as those other “sons of God,” whom the language of Scripture (Job_1:6; Job_38:7, and possibly Gen_6:12) identified with the angels.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On v37 Vers. 37, 38. Now that the dead are raised,…
Vers. 37, 38. Now that the dead are raised, even Moses showed at the bush. You Sadducees, in your own arbitrary fashion, set aside the authority of the prophets and all sacred books save the Pentateuch; well, I will argue with you on your own, comparatively speaking, narrow ground the books of Moses. Even he, Moses, is singularly clear and definite in his teaching on this point of the resurrection, though you pretend he is not. You are acquainted with the well-known section in Exodus termed "the Bush:" what read you there?" When he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living; more accurately rendered, not a God of dead beings, but of lividly beings. The meaning of the Lord"s argument is, "God would never have called himself the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, if these patriarchs, after their short lives, had become mere crumbling dust. God cannot be the God of a being who does not exist." So Josephus who, however, no doubt drew his argument from these words of Christ, for this strong and conclusive argument from the Pentateuch for the immortality of man does not appear to have occurred to rabbis before the time of our Lord so Josephus writes: "They who die for God"s sake live unto God as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the patriarchs." The expression, "at the bush," should be rendered "in the Bush," that is, in that division of Exodus so named. So the Jews termed 2Sa 1. and following verses "the Bow;" Eze 1 and following section, "the Chariot."
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On vv36–37 (See Scofield "Heb 1:4").
angels
(See Scofield "Heb 1:4").
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v37 Connecting Statement:
Connecting Statement:
Jesus finishes answering the Sadducees.
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But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed
The word "even" is here because the Sadducees might not have been surprised that some scriptures say that the dead are raised, but they did not expect Moses to have written something like that. AT: "But even Moses showed that dead people rise from the dead" (See: Active or Passive)
the dead are raised
This can be stated in active form. AT: "God causes the dead to live again" (See: Active or Passive)
in the place concerning the bush
"in the part of scripture where he wrote about the burning bush" or "in the scripture about the burning bush" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
where he calls the Lord
"where Moses called the Lord"
the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob
"the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." They all worshiped the same God.
Now
This word is used here to mark a break in the main teaching. Here Jesus explains how this story proves that people rise from the dead.
he is not the God of the dead, but of the living
These two sentences have similar meaning said twice for emphasis. Some languages have different ways of showing emphasis. AT: "the Lord is the God of living people only" (See: Parallelism)
but of the living
"but the God of living people." Since these people died physically, they must still be alive spiritually. AT: "but the God of people whose spirits are alive, even though their bodies may have died" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
because all live to him
"because in God's sight they all are still alive" or "because their spirits are alive in God's presence"
translationWords
die
raise
Moses
lord
Abraham
Isaac
Jacob
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv36–37 20:36 In this respect they will be like angels:…
20:36 In this respect they will be like angels: Angels are not married, and they are immortal. The Bible never teaches that people become angels (cp. Heb 1:5–2:18), but that we will be like them.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.