Matthew 22:32 kjv
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.
Matthew 22:32 nkjv
'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living."
Matthew 22:32 niv
'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead but of the living."
Matthew 22:32 esv
'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 nlt
'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' So he is the God of the living, not the dead."
Matthew 22 32 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exod 3:6 | "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. | Jesus directly quotes this foundational passage, the source of His argument. |
| Mk 12:27 | "He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are greatly mistaken.” | Parallel account, echoing Jesus' direct conclusion. |
| Lk 20:38 | "For he is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him." | Parallel account, adding "for all live to him," emphasizing continued existence in God's sight. |
| Dan 12:2 | "And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." | Old Testament prophecy affirming future bodily resurrection. |
| Isa 26:19 | "Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise." | Old Testament poetic expression of hope in resurrection. |
| Job 19:26 | "And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God." | An early expression of faith in seeing God after physical death/restoration. |
| 1 Cor 15:20 | "But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." | Christ's resurrection as the guarantee and first installment of believers' resurrection. |
| 1 Cor 15:53-54 | "For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality..." | The ultimate transformation of the resurrected body. |
| Jn 5:28-29 | "Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out..." | Jesus' teaching on the general resurrection of all the dead. |
| Phil 3:20-21 | "who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself." | Believers' future resurrected bodies will be like Christ's glorious body. |
| Rev 20:13 | "And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them according to what they had done." | Universal resurrection for judgment. |
| Acts 23:8 | "(For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.)" | Clarifies the theological differences with the Sadducees Jesus confronted. |
| Gen 17:7 | "I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you." | God's everlasting covenant with Abraham, implying an eternal relationship. |
| Gen 28:13 | "And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac..." | Reiterates God's identity in covenant with Jacob. |
| Acts 3:13 | "The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus..." | Reiterates the covenant formula used by the apostles. |
| Rom 4:17 | "...in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence things that do not exist." | God's power as life-giver, even to the dead, supporting resurrection. |
| Jn 8:58 | Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” | Jesus' "I AM" claim, signifying His pre-existence and deity. |
| Lk 16:19-31 | Parable of the rich man and Lazarus. | Illustrates the consciousness and distinct existence of individuals after death. |
| Lk 23:43 | And he said to him, “Truly, I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” | Jesus' promise to the thief on the cross affirming immediate afterlife presence. |
| Phil 1:23 | "I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better." | Paul's expectation of conscious existence with Christ after death. |
| Heb 12:23 | "...and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect." | Refers to the "spirits of the righteous made perfect," implying their ongoing existence. |
| Eccl 12:7 | "and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it." | Describes the spirit's return to God after death. |
| Rom 14:8-9 | "For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord... For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living." | Christ's lordship extends over those physically dead, implying their continued relationship. |
| 2 Tim 1:10 | "and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." | Christ's victory over death and revelation of eternal life. |
Matthew 22 verses
Matthew 22 32 Meaning
Matthew 22:32 presents Jesus' definitive statement in response to the Sadducees, affirming the reality of life after physical death and implicitly, the future resurrection of the dead. Jesus asserts that God is eternally connected to His people in an active covenantal relationship. By quoting God's self-identification to Moses as "I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob," Jesus demonstrates that the patriarchs must still be "living" in God's presence, for God is not the God of the dead (i.e., those who have ceased to exist) but of the living. This proves that death does not end God's relationship with His covenant partners, establishing the continuity of existence beyond the grave.
Matthew 22 32 Context
Matthew 22:32 is part of a series of confrontations between Jesus and various Jewish leaders in Jerusalem, occurring shortly before His crucifixion. Specifically, this verse comes from Jesus' encounter with the Sadducees (Mt 22:23-33). The Sadducees, unlike the Pharisees, accepted only the written Torah (Pentateuch) as divinely inspired scripture and explicitly denied the resurrection of the dead, the existence of angels, and spirits (Acts 23:8). Their question about the levirate marriage of a woman to seven brothers was a hypothetical scenario designed to ridicule the concept of resurrection, by showing its apparent absurdities in their literalistic view. Jesus first corrected their understanding of the resurrection state itself, explaining that in the resurrection, people neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels (Mt 22:29-30). Then, He directly countered their denial of resurrection by using a passage from the Torah—a text they respected—Exodus 3:6. His argument relies on the enduring, present-tense nature of God's covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Matthew 22 32 Word analysis
- "I am" (Greek: Egō eimi, Ἐγώ εἰμι): This phrase signifies existence in the present tense, a strong statement of active being. It echoes God's self-revelation "I AM WHO I AM" (Exod 3:14), profoundly linking Jesus' words to God's divine nature and immutable truth. It asserts that God's relationship with the patriarchs is not a relic of the past, but an active, ongoing reality.
- "the God" (Greek: ho theos, ὁ θεὸς): Refers to the one, true God of Israel, YHWH. The definite article "the" emphasizes His unique identity and covenantal fidelity, reinforcing that this is the personal and covenant-making God.
- "of Abraham," "and the God of Isaac," "and the God of Jacob": This ancient, repeated covenantal formula highlights God's personal and successive relationships with these patriarchs, the founders of the nation of Israel. The continued use of "the God of" before each name underscores the individual nature of God's bond with each person while emphasizing a continuous divine relationship across generations. This phrasing, drawn directly from Exod 3:6, is foundational to Israel's identity and its understanding of God's faithfulness.
- "He is not": A definitive and emphatic negation. Jesus directly refutes the Sadducees' underlying premise that death means utter cessation of being and therefore termination of God's relationship.
- "the God of the dead": This refers to God not being associated with those who are completely non-existent or eternally annihilated. If Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were merely deceased and unconscious, with their spirits annihilated, God’s present tense declaration ("I am") would be nonsensical or imply a relationship with oblivion.
- "but of the living": This is the counter-statement, affirming God's nature as the God who maintains a living, active, and present relationship with His people beyond physical death. It indicates that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are consciously existing in God's presence, implying an afterlife where they continue to be in communion with Him.
Words-group analysis
- "I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob": This whole phrase, quoted from God's revelation to Moses at the burning bush (Exod 3:6), is Jesus' masterstroke. The present tense of "I am" implies that when God spoke this to Moses (centuries after the patriarchs' deaths), Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were still in existence for God to be "their God." This isn't merely an historical reference, but a statement of ongoing relationship and being, thereby proving their continued "life."
- "He is not the God of the dead, but of the living": This concluding interpretive statement reveals the theological consequence of the previous phrase. Jesus' logic is irrefutable: God, by definition, is the author and sustainer of life, engaged in active, covenantal relationship. If the patriarchs were truly "dead" in the sense of utter non-existence, then God would contradict His own nature and claim by calling Himself their "God." Therefore, they must be "living," conscious and existent in His sight, awaiting future resurrection.
Matthew 22 32 Bonus section
- Jesus' Authority and Messianic Identity: In this exchange, Jesus demonstrates not only a superior grasp of the Law compared to the Sadducees but also exercises a divine authority to interpret God's word authoritatively. His pronouncement acts as a profound revelation from God through Him.
- The Nature of God: This verse underscores God's nature as eternally faithful, powerful over death, and intimately engaged in relationships that transcend physical mortality. He is a dynamic, living God whose promises extend beyond the temporal.
- Astounded Crowds: The account records that the crowds were "astonished at his teaching" (Mt 22:33), which contrasts sharply with the Sadducees who were silenced. This indicates the undeniable force and truth of Jesus' argument, which resonated with the common Jewish hope for a resurrection.
- Implications for Believers: The theological truth embedded in this verse provides immense comfort and assurance for believers throughout history: death is not an end but a transition, and our relationship with God, and therefore our existence in Him, endures eternally. It promises that our beloved deceased in Christ are truly "living" in His presence.
Matthew 22 32 Commentary
Matthew 22:32 highlights Jesus' profound wisdom and divine authority in interpreting Scripture, particularly against the specific theological challenges of His time. Facing the Sadducees, who rigidly held only to the Pentateuch and denied the resurrection, Jesus drew His proof from precisely that source—Exodus 3:6. The brilliance lies in His emphasis on the present tense "I am," demonstrating that God's covenant relationship with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was not severed by their physical deaths. God's declaration centuries after their demise that "I am their God" necessarily implies their continued existence and consciousness. For God to be the God of someone means to be in a living, ongoing relationship. A relationship cannot exist with nothingness. Therefore, the patriarchs must be "living" to God, affirming an afterlife. While not explicitly defining the bodily resurrection here, this verse lays its indispensable foundation: the assurance of continued personal existence and God's unwavering faithfulness, which inevitably points towards the future restoration of the whole person, body and soul. This short statement firmly counters any notion of annihilation upon death and affirms God as the Lord of life in all its fullness.