Matthew 22:32

“‘I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.””

Matthew 22:32 · direct translation from the Greek
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32

Quotation · Exodus 3:6

Go to Exodus 3:6

Jesus quotes the words of God to Moses at the bush to speak of the resurrection of the dead.

Formula: τὸ ῥηθὲν ὑμῖν ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ λέγοντος “what was spoken to you by God” (Matthew 22:31)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ θεὸς Ἀβραὰμ καὶ ὁ θεὸς Ἰσαὰκ καὶ ὁ θεὸς Ἰακώβ οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ θεὸς νεκρῶν ἀλλὰ ζώντων

Hebrew (Masoretic text): וַיֹּאמֶר אָנֹכִי אֱלֹהֵי אָבִיךָ אֱלֹהֵי אַבְרָהָם אֱלֹהֵי יִצְחָק וֵאלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב וַיַּסְתֵּר מֹשֶׁה פָּנָיו כִּי יָרֵא מֵהַבִּיט אֶל הָאֱלֹהִים

Septuagint (Exodus 3:6 in the Septuagint numbering): καὶ εἶπεν Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ θεὸς τοῦ πατρός σου, θεὸς Ἀβραὰμ καὶ θεὸς Ἰσαὰκ καὶ θεὸς Ἰακώβ. ἀπέστρεψεν δὲ Μωυσῆς τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ. εὐλαβεῖτο γὰρ κατεμβλέψαι ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ.

In the Septuagint verse that most resembles it, at most 4 consecutive words match the Greek of the NT. The transcription has reading errors, so a match may not show.

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

Matthew 22:32, word by word

amεἰμιeimi

be

To be: says who or what something is.

Where else “eimi” appears
the Godθεὸςtheos

God

The Creator and Lord of all, the one God of Israel.

Where else “theos” appears
of AbrahamἈβραὰμAbraam

Abraham

Abraham, the father of the people of Israel, to whom God promised to bless all the families of the earth through his offspring.

Where else “Abraam” appears
of IsaacἸσαὰκIsaak

Isaac

Isaac, son of Abraham and Sarah, the son of the promise.

Where else “Isaak” appears
of Jacob’ἸακώβIakōb

Jacob

Jacob, son of Isaac, also called Israel; father of the twelve tribes.

Where else “Iakōb” appears
of the deadνεκρῶνnekrōn

dead

Someone who no longer has life, whose body has no breath left.

Where else “nekrōn” appears
of the livingζώντωνzōntōn

live

To have life in the body, or receive it again after dying.

Where else “zōntōn” appears

Translation note

Exodus 3:6; in the Hebrew, “the Elohim of Abraham…”.

Parallel passages

Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.

The Sadducees and the resurrection

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

See them side by side

Matthew 22:23-33

23On that day Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him, and they questioned him, 24saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If someone dies not having children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.’ 25Now there were among us seven brothers; and the first married and died, and not having offspring, he left his wife to his brother; 26likewise also the second and the third, up to the seven. 27And last of all the woman died. 28In the resurrection, then, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her.” 29But Jesus answered them, “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven. 31But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 32‘I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” 33And when the crowds heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.

Mark 12:18-27

18And Sadducees come to him, who say there is no resurrection, and they were questioning him, saying, 19“Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves behind a wife and does not leave a child, his brother should take the wife and raise up offspring for his brother. 20There were seven brothers; and the first took a wife, and when he died he left no offspring; 21and the second took her, and died, leaving no offspring; and the third likewise; 22and the seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman also died. 23In the resurrection, when they rise, which of them will she be wife to? For the seven had her as wife.” 24Jesus said to them, “Is it not for this reason that you are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God? 25For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26But concerning the dead, that they are raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, at the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob’? 27He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are greatly mistaken.”

Luke 20:27-40

27And some of the Sadducees, those who contend that there is no resurrection, came up and asked him, 28saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if someone’s brother dies having a wife, and he is childless, his brother should take the wife and raise up offspring for his brother. 29Now there were seven brothers; and the first took a wife and died childless; 30and the second, 31and the third took her; and likewise also the seven left no children and died. 32Finally the woman also died. 33The woman, then, in the resurrection, of which of them does she become wife? For the seven had her as wife.” 34And Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, 35but those who are considered worthy to attain that age and the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage; 36for neither can they die anymore, for they are equal to angels, and they are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. 37But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, when he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. 38Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him.” 39And some of the scribes answered and said, “Teacher, you have spoken well.” 40For they no longer dared to ask him anything.

Quotation · Exodus 3:6

Jesus quotes the words of God to Moses at the bush to speak of the resurrection of the dead.

See them side by side

Matthew 22:32

32‘I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.”

Exodus 3:6

6And he said, “I am the Elohim of your father, the Elohim of Abraham, the Elohim of Isaac, and the Elohim of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at Elohim.

The context

31But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying,

32 · This verse (above)

33And when the crowds heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.

Read all of Matthew 22

To study Matthew 22 in a group

  1. 1. What it says

    Which commandment did Jesus say is the greatest, and which is the second (vv. 37–39)?

  2. 2. What it means

    Why does Jesus say that all the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments (v. 40)?

  3. 3. How I live it

    Jesus joined loving God with loving your neighbor (vv. 37–39). What will make your love for someone near you concrete today?

How to use it