Luke 20 36

Luke 20:36 kjv

Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.

Luke 20:36 nkjv

nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

Luke 20:36 niv

and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God's children, since they are children of the resurrection.

Luke 20:36 esv

for they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

Luke 20:36 nlt

And they will never die again. In this respect they will be like angels. They are children of God and children of the resurrection.

Luke 20 verses

Luke 20 36 Meaning

In Luke 20:36, Jesus declares the transformed nature of those who partake in the resurrection of the dead. He reveals that they will no longer be subject to death, highlighting their newfound immortality. Their existence will be akin to angels in specific characteristics, particularly their eternal nature and exemption from death and marriage. Furthermore, they are affirmed as the direct children of God, with their very identity and status fundamentally rooted in and defined by their participation in the resurrection. This verse contrasts the temporary, earthly existence with the permanent, glorified state in the age to come.

Luke 20 36 Context

Luke 20:36 is part of a dialogue between Jesus and the Sadducees, recorded in Luke 20:27-40. The Sadducees, a Jewish religious sect, did not believe in the resurrection, angels, or spirits, directly contradicting the Pharisees and broader Jewish eschatological hopes derived from various Old Testament texts. They approached Jesus with a hypothetical scenario about a woman married sequentially to seven brothers who all die childless (a reference to the Levirate marriage law in Deut 25:5-6). Their aim was to present an absurd situation that, in their view, disproved the possibility of a bodily resurrection and therefore undermined Jesus' teaching and the concept of an afterlife. Jesus dismantles their flawed reasoning by first addressing their misunderstanding of the resurrected state, particularly concerning marriage (Lk 20:34-36), and then by providing a theological proof for the resurrection from Moses, whom the Sadducees esteemed (Lk 20:37-38). This specific verse clarifies the qualitative difference of resurrected life, which transcends the earthly arrangements the Sadducees were projecting onto the afterlife.

Luke 20 36 Word analysis

• For neither can they die anymore:
  • "can they die" (δύνανται ἀποθανεῖν - dynantai apothanein): Dynantai (from dynamai) means 'to be able,' 'to have power.' Apothanein means 'to die,' 'to expire.' This phrase indicates an absolute inability or impossibility of death.
  • "anymore" (ἔτι - eti): Signifies a continuation or cessation of a previous state. Here, it denotes that the former state of mortality is entirely finished.
  • Significance: This speaks to the permanence and incorruptibility of the resurrected state. Death, a consequence of sin (Rom 5:12), is utterly defeated and loses its dominion over those who are resurrected unto life (1 Cor 15:26, 54). It assures believers of an eternal existence free from decay, disease, or the ultimate physical end.
• for they are equal unto the angels;
  • "equal unto the angels" (ἰσάγγελοι - isangeloi): A unique New Testament word, an adjective formed from isos (equal) and angelos (angel/messenger). It means "angel-like" or "like angels."
  • Significance: Jesus clarifies that the comparison to angels is not about becoming angels, but about sharing specific attributes of angels, particularly immortality and not participating in earthly institutions like marriage or procreation (as angels typically do not). It points to a transcendent existence, where physical limitations and societal structures pertinent to this life no longer apply in the new eternal reality. Angels are heavenly, immortal beings; the resurrected saints will share this glorious immortality and heavenly dwelling.
• and are the children of God,
  • "children of God" (υἱοὶ Θεοῦ - huioi Theou): Huioi (sons, children) signifies not just offspring, but those who partake of the nature, character, and inheritance of God.
  • Significance: This identifies their ultimate status and relationship. Believers are spiritually adopted as children of God in this life through faith in Christ (Jn 1:12; Rom 8:14; Gal 3:26, 4:5-7). Resurrection is the full, perfected realization and public manifestation of this sonship, completing the redemption of their bodies (Rom 8:23) and confirming their status as heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. Their perfect relationship with God as their Father is fully unveiled and actualized in their immortal, glorified state.
• being the children of the resurrection.
  • "children of the resurrection" (υἱοὶ ἀναστάσεως - huioi anastaseōs): Anastasis means "standing up again," i.e., "resurrection." This genitive construction ("sons of the resurrection") is a Hebraism signifying those characterized by or belonging to the resurrection.
  • Significance: This phrase concisely describes how they become "children of God" in their perfected state, and what defines their being in the age to come. It's not just that they undergo resurrection, but that the resurrection itself fundamentally constitutes their identity, nature, and existence. Their new life is wholly a product and beneficiary of the power and reality of the resurrection, making them inherently linked to its eternal and glorified qualities.
• Words-group analysis:
  • "neither can they die anymore: for they are equal unto the angels": This phrase directly answers the Sadducees' premise by asserting immortality. The parallel with angels highlights characteristics that overcome earthly limitations – particularly freedom from mortality and the need for procreation (hence no marriage in the afterlife, Lk 20:34-35). It points to a quality of existence far removed from the constraints of the present age.
  • "and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection": This connects their divine sonship directly to their resurrected state. Their adoption and heirship, though initiated by faith in this life, are fully realized and manifested through the resurrection. The resurrection is the means by which they are glorified and truly reflect their identity as God's eternal offspring, receiving their spiritual body and a place in God's eternal household.

Luke 20 36 Bonus section

• Jesus' answer subtly refutes the Sadducees' limited view of God, who they presumed was only the God of the living in an earthly sense. By proving the reality of an immortal, post-resurrection existence, Jesus indirectly underscores that God is indeed the God of the living—He preserves life beyond physical death. This is further elaborated in the following verses (Lk 20:37-38), where Jesus cites God's self-identification as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob long after their physical deaths, demonstrating their continued existence to Him.
• The emphasis on not dying "anymore" not only points to physical immortality but also liberation from the fear, curse, and reign of death that characterizes this fallen world. It points to a state of absolute victory and flourishing in God's eternal presence.
• The angel-like existence, while clarifying no marriage, does not mean humans become less than human or cease to have distinct identities; rather, their human identity is perfected and glorified. It signifies a liberation from the biological and social imperatives of the temporary age, towards a spiritual and incorruptible form of existence dedicated entirely to the direct worship and service of God.

Luke 20 36 Commentary

Jesus, in addressing the Sadducees' theological misstep, reveals profound truths about the eschatological state of humanity. He asserts that the resurrected life transcends the confines and necessities of this present age. It is a life inherently immortal, where the cycle of death and procreation, which characterizes earthly existence and earthly marriages, ceases. Believers will possess a spiritual and imperishable body (1 Cor 15), aligning them in immortality and heavenly dwelling with angels. This new state definitively confirms and brings to fruition their status as "children of God," an identity secured by their participation in the power of resurrection itself. This verse serves as a powerful assurance for believers regarding the glorious and qualitatively different nature of their eternal destiny with God, free from the limitations and sorrows of mortality.