Luk 20:27-38 | NET2full | STEP | Now some Sadducees (who contend that there is no resurrection) came to him .

‏ Luke 20:27-38

Marriage and the Resurrection

27 Now some Sadducees ^{▼▼sn The Sadducees controlled the official political structures of Judaism at this time, being the majority members of the Sanhedrin. They were known as extremely strict on law and order issues (Josephus, J. W. 2.8.2 [2.119], 2.8.14 [2.164-166]; Ant. 13.5.9 [13.171-173], 13.10.6 [13.293-298], 18.1.2 [18.11], 18.1.4 [18.16-17], 20.9.1 [20.199]; Life 2 [10-11]). They also did not believe in resurrection or in angels, an important detail in v. 36. See also Matt 3:7; 16:1-12; 22:23-34; Mark 12:18-27; Acts 4:1; 5:17; 23:6-8.} (who contend that there is no resurrection) ^{▼▼sn This remark is best regarded as a parenthetical note by the author.} came to him. 28 They asked him, ^{▼▼tn Grk “asked him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.} “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies leaving a wife but no children, that man ^{▼▼tn Grk “his brother,” but this would be redundant in English with the same phrase “his brother” at the end of the verse, so most modern translations render this phrase “the man” (so NIV, NRSV).} must marry ^{▼▼tn The use of ἵνα (hina) with imperatival force is unusual (BDF §470.1).} the widow and father children ^{▼▼tn Grk “and raise up seed,” an idiom for procreating children (L&N 23.59).} for his brother. ^{▼▼sn A quotation from Deut 25:5. Because the OT quotation does not include “a wife” as the object of the verb, it has been left as normal type. This practice is called levirate marriage (see also Ruth 4:1-12; Mishnah, m. Yevamot; Josephus, Ant. 4.8.23 [4.254-256]). The levirate law is described in Deut 25:5-10. The brother of a man who died without a son had an obligation to marry his brother’s widow. This served several purposes: It provided for the widow in a society where a widow with no children to care for her would be reduced to begging, and it preserved the name of the deceased, who would be regarded as the legal father of the first son produced from that marriage.} 29 Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a woman ^{▼▼tn Grk “took a wife” (an idiom for marrying a woman).} and died without children. 30 The second ^{▼▼tc Most mss (A W Θ Ψ ƒ1,13 33 Maj lat) have the words, “took the wife and this one died childless” after “the second.” But this looks like a clarifying addition, assimilating the text to Mark 12:21. In light of the early and diverse witnesses that lack the expression (א B D L 0266 892 1241 co), the shorter reading should be considered authentic.} 31 and then the third married her, and in this same way all seven died, leaving no children. 32 Finally the woman died too. 33 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? ^{▼▼sn The point is a dilemma. In a world arguing a person should have one spouse, whose wife will she be in the afterlife? The question was designed to show that (in the opinion of the Sadducees) resurrection leads to a major problem.} For all seven had married her.” ^{▼▼tn Grk “For the seven had her as wife.”}

34 So ^{▼▼tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate that Jesus’ response is a result of their framing of the question.} Jesus said to them, “The people of this age ^{▼▼tn Grk “sons of this age” (an idiom, see L&N 11.16). The following clause which refers to being “given in marriage” suggests both men and women are included in this phrase.} marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are regarded as worthy to share in ^{▼▼tn Grk “to attain to.”} that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. ^{▼▼sn Life in the age to come is different than life here (they neither marry nor are given in marriage). This means Jesus’ questioners had made a false assumption that life was the same both now and in the age to come.} 36 In fact, they can no longer die because they are equal to angels ^{▼▼sn Angels do not die, nor do they eat according to Jewish tradition (1 En. 15:6; 51:4; Wis 5:5; 2 Bar. 51:10; 1QH 3.21-23).} and are sons of God, since they are ^{▼▼tn Grk “sons of God, being.” The participle ὄντες (ontes) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle here.} sons ^{▼▼tn Or “people.” The noun υἱός (huios) followed by the genitive of class or kind (“sons of…”) denotes a person of a class or kind, specified by the following genitive construction. This Semitic idiom is frequent in the NT (L&N 9.4).} of the resurrection. 37 But even Moses revealed that the dead are raised ^{▼▼tn Grk “But that the dead are raised even Moses revealed.”} in the passage about the bush, ^{▼▼sn See Exod 3:6. Jesus used a common form of rabbinic citation here to refer to the passage in question.} where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. ^{▼▼sn A quotation from Exod 3:6.} 38 Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, ^{▼▼sn He is not God of the dead but of the living. Jesus’ point was that if God could identify himself as God of the three old patriarchs, then they must still be alive when God spoke to Moses; and so they must be raised.} for all live before him.” ^{▼▼tn On this syntax, see BDF §192. The point is that all live “to” God or “before” God.}