Matthew 22:31

King James Version

But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
Surely you have read what God said to you about people rising from death.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
As touchynge the resurreccion of the deed: have ye not redde what is sayde vnto you of God which sayeth:

International Standard Version
As for the resurrection from the dead, haven't you read what was spoken to you by God when he said,

New American Standard Bible
"But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God:

New Century Version
Surely you have read what God said to you about rising from the dead.

Update Bible Version
But as concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which was spoken to you by God, saying,

Webster's Bible Translation
But as concerning the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken to you by God, saying,

Amplified Bible
"But as to the resurrection of the dead—have you not read [in the Scripture] what God said to you:

English Standard Version
And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God:

World English Bible
But concerning the resurrection of the dead, haven't you read that which was spoken to you by God, saying,

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
But touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken to you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac,

Weymouth's New Testament
But as to the Resurrection of the dead, have you never read what God says to you,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And of the risyng ayen of deed men, `han ye not red, that is seid of the Lord, that seith to you,

English Revised Version
But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,

Berean Standard Bible
But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what God said to you:

Contemporary English Version
And as for people being raised to life, God was speaking to you when he said,

American Standard Version
But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,

Bible in Basic English
But about the dead coming back to life, have you no knowledge of what was said to you by God in the Writings:

Complete Jewish Bible
And as for whether the dead are resurrected, haven't you read what God said to you,

Darby Translation
But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read what was spoken to you by God, saying,

Etheridge Translation
But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which has been spoken to you by Aloha, who said,

Murdock Translation
But as to the resurrection of the dead,: have ye not read what was spoken to you by God, who said:

King James Version (1611)
But as touching the resurrection of the dead, haue ye not read that which was spoken vnto you by God, saying,

New Living Translation
"But now, as to whether there will be a resurrection of the dead—haven't you ever read about this in the Scriptures? Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, God said,

New Life Bible
Have you not read what God said to you about those who are raised from the dead? He said,

New Revised Standard
And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God,

Geneva Bible (1587)
And concerning the resurrection of the dead, haue ye not read what is spoken vuto you of God, saying,

George Lamsa Translation
But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God, saying,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But, as touching the resurrection of the dead - Have ye not read what was spoken unto you by God, saying -

Douay-Rheims Bible
And concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which was spoken by God, saying to you:

Revised Standard Version
And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God,

Bishop's Bible (1568)
But as touchyng the resurrection of the dead: haue ye not read that which is spoken vnto you of God, which sayth.

Good News Translation
Now, as for the dead rising to life: haven't you ever read what God has told you? He said,

Christian Standard Bible®
Now concerning the resurrection of the dead, haven’t you read what was spoken to you by God:

Hebrew Names Version
But concerning the resurrection of the dead, haven't you read that which was spoken to you by God, saying,

Lexham English Bible
Now concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, who said,

Literal Translation
But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read that spoken to you by God, saying:

Young's Literal Translation
`And concerning the rising again of the dead, did ye not read that which was spoken to you by God, saying,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
As touchinge the resurreccio of the deed, haue ye notred, what is spoken vnto you of God, which sayeth:

Mace New Testament (1729)
now as to the state of life after death, have ye not read that expression of God himself,

New English Translation
Now as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God,

New King James Version
But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying,

Simplified Cowboy Version
As far as being given eternal life, the Boss was talkin' at you when he said,

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God:

Legacy Standard Bible
But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying,

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

have: Matthew 9:13, Matthew 12:3, Matthew 12:7, Matthew 21:16, Matthew 21:42

Reciprocal: Matthew 4:7 - It Matthew 19:4 - Have Mark 2:25 - Have Mark 12:10 - have Mark 12:26 - have Luke 6:3 - Have Acts 24:15 - that 2 Corinthians 9:1 - touching 2 Timothy 3:16 - All Hebrews 11:16 - to be

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But as touching the resurrection of the dead,.... In proof of that doctrine, and which will greatly serve to confirm and establish it, and that it may appear that the dead are, or will be raised, and to put it out of all doubt,

have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, as Mark adds, "in the book of Moses"; which was written by him, the book of Exodus 3:6 and though the words were spoke to Moses, yet were designed for the use, instruction, and comfort of the Israelites; not only at that time, but in succeeding ages, they being the posterity of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; whose God the Lord there declares himself to be. Moreover, whereas these words were spoken by God to Moses, there is some little difficulty occasioned, by Luke's representing them to be the words of Moses; for he says, "Moses showed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord, the God of Abraham", c. which may be removed by observing, that the sense is, that when Moses showed to the children of Israel, what he heard and saw at the bush on Mount Sinai, he called the Lord by these names, in which he spoke of himself to him he recited to them what the Lord said to him; and indeed he was bid to say to them these words; See Exodus 3:14

saying, as follows,

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 31. Have ye not read — This quotation is taken from Exodus 3:6; Exodus 3:16; and as the five books of Moses were the only part of Scripture which the Sadducees acknowledged as Divine, our Lord, by confuting them from those books, proved the second part of his assertion, "Ye are ignorant of those very scriptures which ye profess to hold sacred."