Luke 20:37

20:37 Having refuted the Sadducees’ argument about marriage, Jesus turned to the larger question concerning the resurrection. • even Moses proved this: Jesus used the books of Moses (Genesis—Deuteronomy)—the only Scripture the Sadducees recognized as authoritative—to prove the resurrection. • the God of Abraham . . . Jacob: God identified himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob long after these patriarchs had died. Since he was still their God, they must have had a continuing existence after death.

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

Luk 20:37. Καὶ Μωσῆς) Not merely the rest of the prophets, but even Moses.—λέγει, calleth) In writing out the words of God, speaking concerning Himself.

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

Luk 20:37 . καὶ Μ .: the same Moses who gave the Levirate law. It was important in speaking to Sadducees to show that even Moses was on the side of the resurrection. ἐμήνυσεν , made known, used in reference to something previously hidden (Joh 11:57 ). ἐπὶ τῆς βάτου , as in Mk., vide notes there.

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

even Moses--whom they had just quoted to entangle Him.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

(37) Even Moses shewed at the bush.—The precise meaning of the verb is that of “indicating,” “pointing to,” rather than actually “shewing.” In his mode of reference to the words of Exo_3:6, St. Luke agrees with St. Mark (Mar_12:26).

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

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.”

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.

And David himself saith in the book Psalms,.... In Psa 110:1

the Lord said to my Lord, sit thou on my right hand; which words were delivered by David, as inspired by the Spirit of God; and contain a speech of God the Father to his son Jesus Christ, upon his ascension to heaven, after his sufferings, death, and resurrection from the dead; when he was bid to sit down in human nature, at the right hand of God, in token of having done his work on earth to full satisfaction; and in the relation of which David calls Christ his Lord; and is the reason of their being mentioned.

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

37. Now that the dead are raisen—Our Lord, in the argument of this verse, does not prove the resurrection of the body distinctively from the immortality of the soul. This is because he is arguing with those who hold the former to be included in and inseparably identified with the latter. To prove one, therefore, is to prove both. See notes on Mat_22:32.

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

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.

That the dead are raised, even Moses, as well as the other prophets showed, when he calleth - That is, when he recites the words which God spoke of himself, I am the God of Abraham, &c. It cannot properly be said, that God is the God of any who are totally perished. Exod. iii, 6.

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

God Elohim.

(See Scofield "Exo 3:6").

The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Connecting Statement:

Jesus finishes answering the Sadducees.

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.

37. ἐγείρονται. Literally, “are being raised”—the present of eternal certainty.

καὶ Μωϋσῆς. The argument is à fortiori, as though our Lord would say “the Prophets prove it abundantly, but I will not quote them. You quote Moses to throw doubt on the Resurrection; but even Moses, &c.”

ἐμήνυσεν. ‘Disclosed,’ or revealed.

ἐπὶ τῆς βάτου. ‘In the Bush,’ Vulg[351] in libro super rubum, 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.).

[351] Vulg. Vulgate.

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.

37.] καὶ Μ., that very Moses, whom you allege as shewing by inference the contrary.

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

37. Having shown that their question ought not to have been asked, being based upon a gross misconception of the conditions of the future state, Jesus proceeds to answer the objection which their question implied, viz. that the doctrine of the resurrection is inconsistent with the Mosais Law. On the contrary, Moses implies the doctrine. The levirate law is no argument against a resurrection; and the passage here quoted is a strong argument in favour of it. See Martensen, Chr. Dogm. § 290, 274.

καὶ Μωυσῆς. “Even Moses,” who was supposed to be against the doctrine (Mey. Weiss, Holtzm.). Less well, etiam Moses, non modo proPhetæ (Beng.). Jesus quotes Moses because they done so (ver. 28), not because the Sadducees accepted only the Pentateuch (Tert. Orig. Hieron.), which was not the case.

ἐμήνυσεν. Not, “hinted,” but “disclosed, intimated, revealed.” Both in class. and bibl. Grk. μήύω is specially used of making known what was secret (Act 23:30; 1Co 10:28; Joh 11:57; soph. O.R. 102).

ἐπὶ τῆς βάτου. “In the Bush,” i.e. in the portion of Scripture known as “the Bush.” In Mk. we have ἐν τῇ βίβλῳ Μωυσέως ἐπὶ τοῦ βάτου, where AV. violently transposes ἐπὶ τ. β.,—“how in the bush God spake unto him.” Comp. 2Sa 1:18 and Rom 11:2 The O.T. was divided into sections, which were named after something prominent in the contents. Examples are quoted from the Talmud. The rhapsodists divided Homer into sections and named them on a similar principle. In the Koran the chapters are named in this way. But the possibility of the simple local meaning here must not be excluded.

The gender of βάτος varies. Here and Act 7:35 it is fem. In Mk. and in LXX it is masc. (Exo 3:2, Exo 3:3, Exo 3:4; Deu 33:16). So also in Polyb. and Theophr. Several Old Latin texts here read sicut dixit vidi in rubo (cf ff2 il q), which seems to imply a Greek text ὡς λέγει εἶδον ἐν τῇ β.

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

Shewed [εμηνυσεν] . Originally to disclose something secret. Hence, generally, to make known.

At the bush [επι της βατου] . Wrong. Render as Rev., in the place concerning the bush. See on Mr 12:26.

41 - 44. Compare Mt 22:41 - 46; Mr 12:35 - 37.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.