Mark 12:26 kjv
And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?
Mark 12:26 nkjv
But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?
Mark 12:26 niv
Now about the dead rising?have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the account of the burning bush, how God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?
Mark 12:26 esv
And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?
Mark 12:26 nlt
"But now, as to whether the dead will be raised ? haven't you ever read about this in the writings of Moses, in the story of the burning bush? Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, God said to Moses, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.'
Mark 12 26 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Mt 22:31-32 | But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read... He is not God of the dead, but of the living. | Parallel account of Jesus' argument against the Sadducees. |
| Lk 20:37-38 | But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush... for he is not God of the dead, but of the living. | Another parallel account, specifically referencing Moses. |
| Exod 3:6 | I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. | The direct Old Testament passage Jesus quotes. |
| Exod 3:15 | This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations. | God's eternal nature and His "I AM" identity. |
| Heb 11:16 | But as it is, they desire a better country... God is not ashamed to be called their God... | God's continued relationship with the deceased patriarchs and His promise. |
| Rom 4:17 | ...God... who gives life to the dead and calls into existence things that do not exist. | God's power to give life to the dead, reflecting resurrection. |
| Jn 5:28-29 | ...all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out... | Jesus affirms a future bodily resurrection for all. |
| 1 Cor 15:12-28 | If Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection? | Paul's extensive argument for the reality and centrality of the resurrection. |
| Acts 23:8 | For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit... | Describes the Sadducees' theological position, validating Jesus' argument. |
| Dan 12:2 | Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake... | Old Testament prophetic passage explicitly mentioning resurrection. |
| Ps 116:15 | Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. | God values the lives and deaths of His people, implying continued care. |
| Isa 26:19 | Your dead shall live; their corpses shall rise. | Old Testament prophetic passage affirming future resurrection. |
| Gen 12:1-3 | Now the Lord said to Abram... and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. | God's covenant with Abraham, whose fulfillment extends beyond physical death. |
| Gen 26:3-4 | ...I will be with you and will bless you...and I will fulfill the oath...to Abraham your father. | God reaffirms the covenant to Isaac. |
| Gen 28:13-15 | The Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham... and the God of Isaac." | God reaffirms the covenant to Jacob. |
| Jn 8:58 | Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” | Jesus identifies Himself with the divine "I AM," linking to God's eternal nature. |
| Heb 13:8 | Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. | God's unchanging nature, ensuring His promises remain active. |
| Mk 12:24 | Jesus said to them, "Is not this the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God?" | Immediate context; Jesus' diagnosis of the Sadducees' error. |
| Isa 8:20 | To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word... | Emphasizes going back to scripture as authoritative. |
| 2 Tim 3:16-17 | All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching... | Highlights the divine authority and utility of Scripture. |
| Phil 3:20-21 | But our citizenship is in heaven...who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body. | Affirms bodily resurrection and transformation for believers. |
| 1 Thess 4:13-18 | ...we do not want you to be uninformed...about those who are asleep... | Assures believers of the future resurrection. |
Mark 12 verses
Mark 12 26 Meaning
This verse is Jesus' definitive refutation of the Sadducees' challenge concerning the resurrection. He argues from the Pentateuch, the only scriptures they fully accepted, showing that God identifies Himself in the present tense ("I am") as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob long after their physical deaths. This implies their continued existence and establishes the foundational truth of resurrection, as God is the God of the living, not the dead.
Mark 12 26 Context
Mark 12:26 is part of a series of confrontations between Jesus and various religious authorities in Jerusalem just before His crucifixion. In the preceding verses (Mk 12:18-25), the Sadducees, a Jewish sect known for denying the resurrection, angels, and spirits, pose a riddle to Jesus. They present a scenario based on the Law of Levirate marriage (Deut 25:5-6) about a woman who had seven husbands and whose wife she would be in the resurrection. This question was designed to expose what they considered the absurdity of resurrection, thereby trapping Jesus. Jesus quickly diagnoses their error as a failure to understand both the Scriptures and the power of God (Mk 12:24). Verse 26 then directly addresses their scriptural ignorance by appealing to the very foundation of their accepted authority, the Law of Moses, to prove the reality of resurrection.
Mark 12 26 Word analysis
- And as touching the dead: Jesus redirects the discussion from the Sadducees' flawed marital premise to the fundamental theological issue of the existence and state of those who have physically died.
- that they rise: (Greek: anastēsōntai, ἀναστήσωνται). This clause directly addresses the Sadducees' core disbelief in resurrection. Jesus asserts it as a truth, then proceeds to prove it from their own accepted texts.
- have ye not read: (Greek: ouk anegnōte, οὐκ ἀνέγνωτε). A rhetorical question serving as a gentle yet firm rebuke. It highlights the Sadducees' profound oversight or deliberate ignorance of principles clearly discernible within their most sacred texts, implying that they should have understood this truth.
- in the book of Moses: Refers to the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy). This reference is strategically significant because the Sadducees accepted only the Pentateuch as definitive divine revelation, unlike the Pharisees who accepted all O.T. books. Jesus thus bases His argument on their unquestioned authority, making it unassailable for them.
- how in the bush God spake unto him: This identifies the specific scriptural event: Moses' encounter with God at the burning bush as recorded in Exod 3:6. "Bush" (Greek: batou, βάτου) specifically points to the context of that divine revelation.
- saying: Introduces the direct divine utterance, emphasizing that what follows are God's very words.
- I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?: (Greek: Egō eimi ho Theos Abraam kai ho Theos Isaak kai ho Theos Iakōb). This is the absolute crux of Jesus' argument. The use of the present tense "I am" (Egō eimi) is critical. God identifies Himself presently as the God of these patriarchs, even though they had been physically dead for centuries. This indicates their continued existence as "living" to God, and by implication, that they are not permanently in a state of death but destined for future resurrection to complete life.
- Words-group analysis:
- "have ye not read in the book of Moses": This phrase underscores Jesus' intellectual superiority and divine authority in scriptural interpretation. It challenges the Sadducees' competency as religious teachers, revealing that they failed to grasp a fundamental truth of God's character and promises from their own foundational texts.
- "God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham...": This group of words emphasizes divine speech and the enduring nature of God's covenantal relationship. God’s self-identification using the present tense signifies His eternal faithfulness and that His relationship with His people transcends physical death. For God to be their God, they must still exist; this points strongly to the reality of an afterlife and ultimately, resurrection to fully inherit the promises of the covenant.
Mark 12 26 Bonus section
Jesus' argument draws on the profound implications of God's divine name "I AM" (Exodus 3:14), signifying His eternal self-existence and continuous presence. For God to say "I am" the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob centuries after their deaths elevates them from mere historical figures to eternally recognized covenant partners. The Sadducees' theological deficiency lay in limiting God's nature and power to purely earthly phenomena and historical past, failing to grasp the transcendence and ever-active nature of the Divine. Jesus' concise answer affirms not only the individual resurrection but also the faithfulness of God to His redemptive plan and covenants throughout all generations.
Mark 12 26 Commentary
In Mark 12:26, Jesus dismantles the Sadducees' denial of resurrection by a profound and subtle scriptural argument. Rather than addressing the intricacies of their hypothetical marriage riddle, He corrects their fundamental error: a lack of true understanding of both the Holy Scriptures and the infinite power of God. By appealing to a passage from the "book of Moses"—Exodus 3:6—the very text they acknowledged as supreme authority—Jesus skillfully traps them with their own logic. The crucial point hinges on God's statement, "I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." The present tense "I am" (ἐγώ εἰμι) implies that these patriarchs, though physically dead for centuries, are still actively related to God. God, being eternal and perfect, is not the God of the non-existent or of what is utterly passed away. He is inherently the God of the living. This truth powerfully necessitates their continued existence and implicitly assures their future bodily resurrection to experience the fullness of God's covenant promises, for the ultimate blessing to these patriarchs involved land, nation, and relationship with God—all tangible and relational. This verse firmly establishes the reality of resurrection and the unending, active covenant relationship between God and His people, extending beyond the grave.