Luke 20:35

20:35 will neither marry nor be given in marriage: Jesus emphasized that marriage is an institution for this life, not for the resurrection.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Luk 20:35. Καταξιωθέντες, who are accounted worthy) Truly a great dignity conferred. So ch. Luk 21:36 [ἴνα καταξιωθῆτε, “that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things—and to stand before the Son of man”].—τοῦ αἰῶνος ἐκείνου, καὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως, that world, and the resurrection) Therefore even before the resurrection an entrance is given into that world.—ἐκ νεκρῶν, out from the dead) All shall rise again; but the godly shall rise again out from among the ungodly.[217] As to these latter, there is not preached and declared the resurrection, but a more profound death of the soul conjoined with the body. So Act 4:2.[218]

[217] In reference to which fact, the term ἐξανάστασις is used by Paul (not merely ἀνάστασις), Php 3:11, to express his great hope.—E. and T.

[218] Τὴν ἀνάστασιν τὴν ἐκ νεκρῶν. However the word resurrection, ἀνάστασιν, is applied to the unjust as well as to the just, Act 24:15, though not with the addition, ἐκ νεκρῶν, out from the dead.—E. and T.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Luk 20:35 . οἱ δὲ καταξιωθέντες , etc., those deemed worthy to attain that world. The thought could have been expressed without τυχεῖν , for which accordingly there is no equivalent in the Vulgate: “qui digni habebuntur seculo illo,” on which account Pricaeus thinks it should be left out of the Greek text. But the use of this verb, even when it seems but an elegant superfluity, is common in Greek. Examples in Bornemann.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

(35) They which shall be accounted worthy.—Another word common to St. Luke and St. Paul (2Th_1:5), and to them only in the New Testament.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Then certain of the Scribes, answering said,.... Who believed the doctrine of the resurrection, which the Sadducees denied, and so were pleased with our Lord's reasoning on this subject:

master, thou hast well said; thou hast spoken in a beautiful manner, reasoned finely upon this head, and set this matter in a fair and clear light; See Gill on Mar 12:28

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

29 There were therefore seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and died without children.

30 And the second took her to wife, and he died childless.

31 And the third took her; and in like manner the seven also: and they left no children, and died.

32 Last of all the woman died also.

33 Therefore in the resurrection whose wife of them is she? for seven had her to wife.

34 And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage:

35 But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage:

Ver. 35. Nor are given in marriage] Hence some collect, that the difference of sexes shall continue after the resurrection: wherefore else should our Saviour say, that they shall then neither marry nor be given in marriage? Sed hic επεχω. Haymo is over confident, I suppose, in that gloss he gives here, Quod viri in suo sexu resurgent, feminae in sexu muliebri. Erunt habentes membra genitalia, non autem voluntatem coeundi.

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.

35. They which shall be accounted worthy—From the words accounted worthy, some draw the inference that the resurrection is conditional and partial; that it is limited to the worthy, while the wicked are left in perpetual extinction. It is an unwarranted conclusion. For, 1. The Greek word here rendered accounted worthy is often elegantly put for equum censetur, it is thought proper, or it seems good; good, that is, in the present case, to the Divine Mind. The meaning then would be: Those who by the Divine will shall attain the resurrection. Their resurrection would be not dependent upon personal worthiness, but upon God’s plan; whether of a part or the whole. 2. As the question of the Sadducees, (briefly feigning to be orthodox,) which Christ here answers, regarded solely the children of Abraham, who were assumed to be of course heirs of the blessed resurrection, it is of the blessed resurrection, or the blessed side of the resurrection, only, that Jesus now speaks, to which the worthy alone do in fact attain. In the same manner Paul in 1 Corinthians 15, as writing for the Christian alone, describes only the glorious resurrection. In neither case is it implied that there is not also, and at the same time, a resurrection of the unjust, (Act_24:15,) or resurrection of damnation, Joh_5:29.

Resurrection from the dead—Literally, resurrection from dead. There is apparently a difference in meaning between the three phrases, resurrection of the dead, resurrection from the dead, and resurrection from dead, without the article. Says Winer, (Gram. of N.T., vol. ii, p. 135,) “Νεκροι [dead, without the article] signifies dead persons, Luk_7:22; 1Co_15:15; 1Co_15:29; 1Co_15:32, etc.; but οι νεκροι, the dead as a definite multitude.” Resurrection of the dead would signify the resurrection of the totality of the race. The resurrection from the dead would signify the resurrection of only a part from the whole. The resurrection from dead may be a resurrection of persons from being dead. It is a becoming alive from dead. The same persons from their dead selves rise into living; as the phoenix has a resurrection from her own ashes, her ashes composing her risen self. There are thirty-four passages in the New Testament where the preposition εκ, from or out from, is used before dead without the article; and four in which it is used with the article, namely, Eph_5:14; Col_1:18; Col_2:12; Rev_1:5. With the preposition απο, there are four instances; in all which, with a single exception, (Luk_16:30,) the article is used. The result is, that the great mass of passages are resurrection εκ from dead persons. In a resurrection from dead, there may or may not be additional dead who do not rise. In Rom_11:15, life from dead is life from their own dead selves; for Israel is held as a one historical race, which as a unit dies and rises again. The casting away and recovering is of the same conceptual Israel existing through ages. So also in Rom_6:13, Christians are to yield themselves, as εκ νεκρων ζωντας, from dead living. In the whole passage the contrast is between themselves dead and themselves alive; not between themselves alive and others dead. The phrase εκ νεκρων does not therefore decide whether a general or a partial resurrection takes place; but whether it is a partial or a universal resurrection, it may be a resurrection from their own previous dead selves.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

But they who obtain that world - Which they enter into, before the resurrection of the dead.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

35. καταξιωθέντες. Comp. Luk 21:36; Rev 3:4; 2Th 1:5. Sane magna dignatio. Bengel.

αἰῶνος ἐκείνου τυχεῖν. Literally, “to attain to that world-age,” i.e. the genuine inheritors of the future aeon beyond the grave, Luk 14:14; Php 3:11. The answer of Jesus is not only full of tolerant condescension, but also of a divine wisdom which at once dwarfs into insignificance the insight of the Rabbinic Hillels and Shammais. It is further most important, as being one of the few passages which give us a clear glimpse into the conditions of future blessedness. These Sadducees erred because, in their ignorance of the Scriptures and the power of God (Mar 12:24), they were imagining a kingdom which could be inherited by “flesh and blood.”

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

35. οἱ υἱοὶ …] Peculiar to Luke, and important. For this present state of men, marriage is an ordained and natural thing; but in τῷ αἰῶνι ἐκείνῳ, which is by the context the state of the first resurrection (nothing being said of the rest of the dead, though the bare fact might be predicated of them also), they who are found worthy to obtain that state of life and the resurrection from the dead, are no longer under the ordinance of marriage: for neither can they any more die; i.e. they will have no need of a succession and renewal, which is the main purpose of marriage.

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

35. οἱ δὲ καταξιωθέντες τοῦ αἰῶνος ἐκείνου. One might have expected simply of οἱ υἱοὶ Τ. αἰῶνος ἐκ. But the substitution of καταξιωθέντες corrects the assumption that all the sons of this world will enter the Kingdom which begins with the resurrection. Comp. Act 5:41; 2Th 1:5 Nowhere else does ὁ αἰὼν ἐκεῖνος occur in N.T. It means the age beyond the grave regarded as an age of bliss and glory. See on Rom 12:2. In itself it implies resurrection; but, inasmuch as this is the doctrine in dispute, the resurrection is specially mentioned. The word ἀνάστασις occurs Zep 3:8; Lam 3:63; Dan 11:20; title of Psa_65. But not until 2 Mac. 7:14, 12:43 is it used of resurrection after death.

τῆς ἐκ νεκρῶν. This must be distinguished from [ἡ] ἀνάστασις [τῶν] νεκρῶν. The latter is the more comprehensive term and implies that all the dead are raised (Mat 22:31; Act 17:32, Act 17:23:6, Act 17:24:21, Act 17:26:23; Rom 1:4; 1Co 15:12, 1Co 15:13, 1Co 15:42; Heb 6:2). Whereas ἀνάστασις ἐκ νεκρῶν rather implies that some from among the dead are raised, while others as yet are not. Hence it is used of the resurrection of Christ and of the righteous, and is equivalent to the ἀνάστασις ζωῆς (Act 4:2; 1Pe 1:3: comp. Col 1:18). The ἀνάστασις νεκρῶν includes the ἀνάστασις κρίσεως as well as the ἀν ζωῆς (Joh 5:29).Comp. 14:14; 1Th 4:16; Rev 20:5, Rev 20:6; and see Lft. on Php 3:11 and Mey. on Rom 1:4. With the construction comp. τούτου τυχεῖν οὐκ ἠειώθην αὐτός (Aesch. P.V. 239).

γαμίζονται. Identical in meaning with γαμίσκονται (ver. 34).

In both verses the simple verb is the right reading. In both places TR. inferior authorities in reading ἐκγαμ.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.