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King James Version

Matthew 22:23

The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him,

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Infidelity;   Jesus, the Christ;   Resurrection;   Sadducees;   Thompson Chain Reference - Faith-Unbelief;   Infidelity;   Materialism;   Sadducees;   Sects, Jewish;   The Topic Concordance - Marriage;   Resurrection;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Resurrection, the;   Sadducees, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Marriage;   Sadducees;   Widow;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Heaven;   Pharisees;   Priest;   Resurrection;   Sadducees;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Intermediate State;   Resurrection;   Sadducees;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Hutchinsonians;   Resurrection;   Sadducees;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Immortality;   Marriage;   Sadducees;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Heir;   Jude, the Epistle of;   Sadducees;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Levirate Law, Levirate Marriage;   Matthew, the Gospel of;   Resurrection;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Marriage;   Resurrection;   Sadducees;   Text of the New Testament;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Boyhood of Jesus;   Immortality (2);   Israel, Israelite;   Judgment;   Levirate Law ;   Marriage (Ii.);   Power;   Resurrection;   Resurrection of the Dead;   Sadducees (2);   Temptation;   Wisdom of Christ;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Sadducees;   Zechariah, Prophecy of;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Sadducees;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Sad'ducees;   Widow;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Resurrection;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Husband's Brother;   Resurrection;   Sadducees;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for December 16;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
That same day some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came up to him and questioned him:
King James Version (1611)
The same day came to him the Sadduces, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him,
English Standard Version
The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question,
New American Standard Bible
On that day some Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) came to Jesus and questioned Him,
New Century Version
That same day some Sadducees came to Jesus and asked him a question. (Sadducees believed that people would not rise from the dead.)
Amplified Bible
On that day some Sadducees, who say that there is no resurrection [of the dead], came to Him and asked Him a question,
New American Standard Bible (1995)
On that day some Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) came to Jesus and questioned Him,
Legacy Standard Bible
On that day some Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) came to Jesus and asked Him a question,
Berean Standard Bible
That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and questioned Him.
Contemporary English Version
The Sadducees did not believe that people would rise to life after death. So that same day some of the Sadducees came to Jesus and said:
Complete Jewish Bible
That same day, some Tz'dukim came to him. They are the ones who say there is no such thing as resurrection, so they put to him a sh'eilah:
Darby Translation
On that day came to him Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection; and they demanded of him,
Easy-to-Read Version
That same day some Sadducees came to Jesus. (Sadducees believe that no one will rise from death.) The Sadducees asked Jesus a question.
Geneva Bible (1587)
The same day the Sadduces came to him (which say that there is no resurrection) and asked him,
George Lamsa Translation
That same day the Sadducees came and said to him, There is no resurrection of the dead; and they asked him,
Good News Translation
That same day some Sadducees came to Jesus and claimed that people will not rise from death.
Lexham English Bible
On that day Sadducees—who say there is no resurrection—came up to him and asked him,
Literal Translation
On that day, Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him. And they questioned Him,
American Standard Version
On that day there came to him Sadducees, they that say that there is no resurrection: and they asked him,
Bible in Basic English
On the same day there came to him the Sadducees, who say that there is no coming back from the dead: and they put a question to him, saying,
Hebrew Names Version
On that day Tzedukim (those who say that there is no resurrection) came to him. They asked him,
International Standard Version
That same day some Sadducees, who claim there is no resurrection, came to Jesushim">[fn] and asked him,Mark 12:18; Luke 20:27; Acts 23:8;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
IN that (same) day came the Zadukoyee, affirming to him, (that) there is no life for the dead. And they questioned him,
Murdock Translation
The same day came Sadducees, and said to him: There is no life of the dead. And they questioned him,
Bishop's Bible (1568)
The same day came to hym the Saducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked hym,
English Revised Version
On that day there came to him Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection: and they asked him,
World English Bible
On that day Sadducees (those who say that there is no resurrection) came to him. They asked him,
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
The same day came the Saducees, who say there is no resurrection, and they asked him,
Weymouth's New Testament
On the same day a party of Sadducees came to Him, contending that there is no resurrection. And they put this case to Him.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
In that dai Saduceis, that seien there is no risyng ayen to lijf, camen to hym, and axiden him,
Update Bible Version
On that day there came to him Sadducees, those that say that there is no resurrection: and they asked him,
Webster's Bible Translation
The same day came to him the Sadducees, who say that there is no resurrection, and asked him,
New English Translation
The same day Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) came to him and asked him,
New King James Version
Mark 12:18-27; Luke 20:27-40">[xr] The same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and asked Him,
New Living Translation
That same day Jesus was approached by some Sadducees—religious leaders who say there is no resurrection from the dead. They posed this question:
New Life Bible
The same day some people from the religious group who believe no one will be raised from the dead came to Jesus. They asked,
New Revised Standard
The same day some Sadducees came to him, saying there is no resurrection; and they asked him a question, saying,
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
On that day, there came unto him Sadducees, who say, there is, no resurrection - and they questioned him,
Douay-Rheims Bible
That day there came to him the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection; and asked him,
Revised Standard Version
The same day Sad'ducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection; and they asked him a question,
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
The same daye the Saduces came to him (which saye that there is no resurrcecion) and axed him
Young's Literal Translation
In that day there came near to him Sadducees, who are saying there is not a rising again, and they questioned him, saying,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The same daye there came vnto him the Saduces (which holde that there is no resurreccion) and axed him,
Mace New Testament (1729)
About that time the Sadducees, who say there is no future life, came and propos'd this question,
THE MESSAGE
That same day, Sadducees approached him. This is the party that denies any possibility of resurrection. They asked, "Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies childless, his brother is obligated to marry his widow and get her with child. Here's a case where there were seven brothers. The first brother married and died, leaving no child, and his wife passed to his brother. The second brother also left her childless, then the third—and on and on, all seven. Eventually the wife died. Now here's our question: At the resurrection, whose wife is she? She was a wife to each of them."
Simplified Cowboy Version
The cattle barons (Sadducees), who were a group of influential people who didn't believe in life after death, came to Jesus and said,

Contextual Overview

23 The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him, 24 Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. 25 Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother: 26 Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh. 27 And last of all the woman died also. 28 Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her. 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. 31 But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, 32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

same: Mark 12:18-27, Luke 20:27-40

the Sadducees: Matthew 3:7, Matthew 16:6, Acts 4:1, Acts 5:17, Acts 23:6-8

which: 1 Corinthians 15:12-14, 2 Timothy 2:18

Reciprocal: Genesis 38:8 - General Psalms 62:4 - consult Isaiah 52:14 - many Matthew 16:1 - Sadducees Mark 8:11 - Pharisees John 11:24 - I know Acts 23:8 - General Hebrews 6:2 - resurrection

Cross-References

Genesis 24:15
And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder.
Genesis 24:24
And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor.
Genesis 24:47
And I asked her, and said, Whose daughter art thou? And she said, the daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom Milcah bare unto him: and I put the earring upon her face, and the bracelets upon her hands.
Genesis 24:51
Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master's son's wife, as the Lord hath spoken.
Genesis 24:60
And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.
Genesis 24:67
And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.
Genesis 25:20
And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Syrian.
Genesis 28:2
Arise, go to Padanaram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother's father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughers of Laban thy mother's brother.
Genesis 28:5
And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padanaram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother.
Romans 9:10
And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac;

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Ver. 23 The same day came to him the Sadducees, ] Quickly after the Pharisees and Herodians had left him and which shows, that the Herodians and Sadducees were not the same; but that the Sadducees were a distinct sect, both from the Pharisees and the Herodians. These understanding that the former had not succeeded, came with a knotty question, with which they had often puzzled the Pharisees, and hoped they should nonplus Christ with it, showing the absurdity of the doctrine of the resurrection, an article which they denied; as it follows,

which say, that there is no resurrection of the dead: they denied that there were angels and spirits, and the immortality of the soul; they affirmed, that the soul died with the body, and that there was no future state: the rise of this sect, and of these notions of their's, was this, as the Jews relate w.

"Antigonus, a man of Socho, used to say, be not as servants, that serve their master on account of receiving a reward, but be as servants that serve their master, not on account of receiving a reward; and let the fear of heaven (God) be upon you, so that your reward may be double in the world to come: this man had two disciples, who altered his words, and taught the disciples, and the disciples their disciples, and they stood and narrowly examined them, and said, what did our fathers see, to say this thing? Is it possible, that a labourer should work all day, and not take his reward at evening? But if our fathers had known that there is another world, and that there is תהיית המתים, "a resurrection of the dead", they would not have said thus: they stood and separated from the law, and of them there were two parties, the Sadducees and Baithusites; the Sadducees on account of Sadoc, and the Baithusites on account of Baithus.''

The Syriac version reads, "and they said" and the Ethiopic version also, "saying, there is no resurrection of the dead"; taking the sense to be, that they at this time declared their sense of this doctrine, and according to a settled notion of their's, affirmed before Christ, that there was no such thing; that never any was raised from the dead, nor never will; and they were desirous of entering into a controversy with him about it:

and asked him; put the following question to him, in order to expose the weakness and absurdity of such a doctrine.

w Abot R. Nathan, c. 5. fol. 3. 1.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Conversation of Jesus with the Sadducees respecting the resurrection - See also Mark 12:18-27; Luke 20:27-38.

Matthew 22:23

The same day came the Sadducees - For an account of the Sadducees, see the notes at Matthew 3:7.

No resurrection - The word “resurrection” usually means the raising up the “body” to life after it is dead, John 11:24; John 5:29; 1 Corinthians 15:22. But the Sadducees not only denied this, but also a future state, and the separate existence of the soul after death altogether, as well as the existence of angels and spirits, Acts 23:8. Both these doctrines have commonly stood or fallen together, and the answer of our Saviour respects both, though it more distinctly refers “to the separate existence of the soul, and to a future state of rewards and punishments,” than to the resurrection of the body.

Matthew 22:24

Saying, Master, Moses said ... - Deuteronomy 25:5-6. This law was given by Moses in order to keep the families and tribes of the Israelites distinct, and to perpetuate them.

Raise up seed unto his brother - That is, the children shall be reckoned in the genealogy of the deceased brother; or, to all civil purposes, shall be considered as his.

Matthew 22:25-28

There were with us seven brethren - It is probable that they stated a case as difficult as possible; and though no such case might have occurred, yet it was supposable, and in their view it presented a real difficulty.

The difficulty arose from the fact, that they supposed that, substantially, the same state of things must take place in the other world as here; that if there is such a world, husbands and wives must be there reunited; and they professed not to be able to see how one woman could be the wife of seven men.

Matthew 22:29

Ye do err, not knowing ... - They had taken a wrong view of the doctrine of the resurrection.

It was not taught that people would marry there. The “Scriptures,” here, mean the books of the Old Testament. By appealing to them, Jesus showed that the doctrine of the future state was there, and that the Sadducees should have believed it as it was, and not have added the absurd doctrine to it that people must live there as they do here. The way in which the enemies of the truth often attempt to make a doctrine of the Bible ridiculous is by adding to it, and then calling it absurd. The reason why the Saviour produced a passage from the books of Moses Matthew 22:32 was that they had also appealed to his writings, Matthew 22:24. Other places of the Old Testament, in fact, asserted the doctrine more clearly Daniel 12:2; Isaiah 26:19, but he wished to meet them on their own ground. None of those scriptures asserted that people would live there as they do here, and therefore their reasoning was false.

Nor the power of God - They probably denied, as many have done since, that God could gather the scattered dust of the dead and remould it into a body. On this ground they affirmed that the doctrine could not be true - opposing reason to revelation, and supposing that infinite power could not reorganize a body that it had at first organized, and raise a body from its own dust which it had at first raised from nothing.

Matthew 22:30

Neither marry ... - This was a full answer to the objections of the Sadducees.

But are as the angels of God - That is, in the manner of their conversation; in regard to marriage and the mode of their existence.

Luke adds that they shall be “equal with the angels.” That is, they shall be elevated above the circumstances of mortality, and live in a manner and in a kind of conversation similar to that of the angels. It does not imply that they shall be equal in intellect, but only “in the circumstances of their existence,” as that is distinguished from the way in which mortals live. He also adds, “Neither do they die any more, but are the children of God; being the children of the resurrection,” or being accounted worthy to be raised up to life, and therefore “sons of God raised up to him.”

Matthew 22:31, Matthew 22:32

As touching ... - That is, in proof that the dead are raised.

The passage which he quotes is recorded in Exodus 3:6, Exodus 3:15, This was at the burning bush (Mark and Luke). Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had been dead for a long time when Moses spoke this - Abraham for 329 years, Isaac for 224 years, and Jacob for 198 years - yet God spake then as being still “their God.” They must, therefore, be still somewhere living, for God is not the God of the dead; that is, it is absurd to say that God rules over those who are “extinct or annihilated,” but he is the God only of those who have an existence. Luke adds, “all live unto him.” That is, all the righteous dead, all of whom he can be properly called their God, live unto his glory. This passage does not prove directly that the dead “body” would be raised, but only by consequence. It proves that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had an existence then, or that their souls were alive. This the Sadducees denied Acts 23:8, and this was the main point in dispute. If this was admitted - if there was a state of rewards and punishments - then it would easily follow that the bodies of the dead would be raised.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Matthew 22:23. The same day — Malice is ever active; let it be defeated ever so often, it returns to the charge. Jesus and his Gospel give no quarter to vice; the vicious will give no quarter to him or it.

The Sadducees — For an account of these see on Matthew 16:1.


 
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