Matthew 22:23-33 · Bible study
Matthew 22:23-33 Commentary: Study: Resurrection & the Power of God
Greek · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Jesus refutes Sadducees on resurrection using Exodus. He corrects misunderstandings about marriage in heaven and affirms God's power over death.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Jesus refutes the Sadducees’ denial of resurrection by showing that God’s power creates a new order where marriage and death no longer exist.
- Key words: planaō (“you err,” present passive, you are being led astray); anastasis (“resurrection,” a raising up); dunamis (“power,” God’s ability to do what seems impossible).
- Main debate: Whether “like the angels” implies non-bodily existence or a transformed bodily existence. Most commentators hold that Jesus affirms a bodily resurrection but one that is no longer subject to death, marriage, or reproduction.
- Theological theme: The resurrection is not a return to this life but a transformation into a life sustained directly by God’s power, where covenant relationship with Him is the central reality.
- Best use: To comfort those grieving, to correct misunderstandings about the afterlife, and to trust that God’s power can do far more than we imagine.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
23That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and questioned Him.
24“Teacher,” they said, “Moses declared that if a man dies without having children, his brother is to marry the widow and raise up offspring for him.
25Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died without having children. So he left his wife to his brother.
26The same thing happened to the second and third brothers, down to the seventh.
27And last of all, the woman died.
28In the resurrection, then, whose wife will she be of the seven? For all of them were married to her.”
29Jesus answered, “You are mistaken because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.
30In the resurrection, people will neither marry nor be given in marriage. Instead, they will be like the angels in heaven.
31But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what God said to you:
32‘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.”
33When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.
WEB World English Bible 2000
23On that day Sadducees (those who say that there is no resurrection) came to him. They asked him,
24saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.’
25Now there were with us seven brothers. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother.
26In the same way, the second also, and the third, to the seventh.
27After them all, the woman died.
28In the resurrection therefore, whose wife will she be of the seven? 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 God’s angels in heaven.
31But concerning the resurrection of the dead, haven’t you read that which was spoken to 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.”
33When the multitudes heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.
KJV King James Version 1769
23The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him,
24Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.
25Now 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:
26Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh.
27And last of all the woman died also.
28Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.
29Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
30For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.
31But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,
32I 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.
33And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
23On that day there came to him Sadducees, they that say that there is no resurrection: and they asked him,
24saying, Teacher, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.
25Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first married and deceased, and having no seed left his wife unto his brother;
26in like manner the second also, and the third, unto the seventh.
27And after them all, the woman died.
28In the resurrection therefore whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.
29But Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
30For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as angels in heaven.
31But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,
32I 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.
33And when the multitudes heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
23In that day there came near to him Sadducees, who are saying there is not a rising again, and they questioned him, saying,
24`Teacher, Moses said, If any one may die not having children, his brother shall marry his wife, and shall raise up seed to his brother.
25`And there were with us seven brothers, and the first having married did die, and not having seed, he left his wife to his brother;
26in like manner also the second, and the third, unto the seventh,
27and last of all died also the woman;
28therefore in the rising again, of which of the seven shall she be wife--for all had her?'
29And Jesus answering said to them, `Ye go astray, not knowing the Writings, nor the power of God;
30for in the rising again they do not marry, nor are they given in marriage, but are as messengers of God in heaven.
31`And concerning the rising again of the dead, did ye not read that which was spoken to you by God, saying,
32I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not a God of dead men, but of living.'
33And having heard, the multitudes were astonished at his teaching;
Darby Darby Bible 1890
23On that day came to him Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection; and they demanded of him,
24saying, Teacher, Moses said, If any one die, not having children, his brother shall marry his wife and shall raise up seed to his brother.
25Now there were with us seven brethren; and the first having married died, and not having seed, left his wife to his brother.
26In like manner also the second and the third, unto the seven.
27And last of all the woman also died.
28In the resurrection therefore of which of the seven shall she be wife, for all had her?
29And Jesus answering said to them, Ye err, not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God.
30For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are as angels of God in heaven.
31But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read what was spoken to you by God, saying,
32I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?God is not God of [the] dead, but of [the] living.
33And when the crowds heard [it] they were astonished at his doctrine.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
23That day there came to him the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection; and asked him,
24Saying: Master, Moses said: If a man die having no son, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up issue to his brother.
25Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first having married a wife, died; and not having issue, left his wife to his brother.
26In like manner the second and the third and so on, to the seventh.
27And last of all the woman died also.
28At the resurrection therefore, whose wife of the seven shall she be? For they all had her.
29And Jesus answering, said to them: You err, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.
30For in the resurrection they shall neither marry nor be married, but shall be as the angels of God in heaven.
31And concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which was spoken by God, saying to you:
32I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.
33And the multitudes hearing it were in admiration at his doctrine.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · Matthew 22:23
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree Jesus answers the Sadducees by exposing two failures. First, they misunderstand the nature of the resurrection life. Matthew Henry notes they assumed the next world would mirror this one, an error that led them to see contradiction where none exists. Second, they do not know the Scriptures. Barnes points out that Jesus deliberately quotes from the Torah (Exodus 3:6), the only books the Sadducees accepted, to prove the patriarchs are alive. God says “I am the God of Abraham,” not “I was.” As Wesley summarises, God is not the God of the dead but of the living; therefore Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are living to Him. On the levirate question, Gill explains that marriage belongs to this age of death and reproduction; in the resurrection people are like the angels, immortal, no longer needing to propagate the species. The crowd’s astonishment (v. 33) confirms that Jesus’ teaching was both novel and authoritative.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: Jesus affirms that there is a resurrection, that marriage does not continue in that age, and that God’s covenant relationship with believers survives death.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The meaning of resurrection | Christians affirm that Jesus teaches a future resurrection of the dead in a transformed state. | Some traditions emphasise bodily resurrection (e.g., the Apostles’ Creed); others focus on continued life after death in a spiritual form. Both agree the patriarchs live to God now. |
| Marriage in the resurrection | Jesus says people ‘neither marry nor are given in marriage’ in the resurrection. This is accepted across traditions. | Whether this means all relational bonds are dissolved or only the legal institution of marriage. Some argue that deep relationships continue in transformed form, while others stress that our primary relationship becomes with God. |
| The argument from Exodus 3:6 | Jesus uses the present tense ‘I am’ to show God’s ongoing covenant with the patriarchs, thereby proving they are alive to Him. | Whether this argument proves only the immortality of the soul or also the future resurrection of the body. Most historic Christian exegesis sees it as supporting bodily resurrection, but some interpret it as proof of continued existence after death. |
| The nature of angels | Jesus says the resurrected are ‘like the angels’ in not marrying and not dying. | Whether ‘like the angels’ means believers become non-physical spirits, or whether they have spiritual bodies that are immortal, like the angels are, but still embodied. The passage does not specify whether believers become angels or remain human in a glorified state. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The Sadducees were a priestly and aristocratic Jewish sect that flourished in the first century. They accepted only the five books of Moses as Scripture and rejected the oral traditions the Pharisees valued. Crucially, they denied the resurrection of the dead, the existence of angels, and the immortality of the soul, a point Acts 23:8 confirms. For them, death ended a person’s existence; the idea of a future bodily resurrection seemed absurd, a notion they associated with Pharisaic innovation.
The levirate law (Deuteronomy 25:5, 6) required a brother to marry his deceased brother’s widow if the marriage had produced no son, to preserve the family line and property. This was a real, binding obligation in Jewish society. By inventing a case where seven brothers each marry the same woman, the Sadducees try to make the resurrection look ridiculous: how could one woman be wife to seven men? Their hypothetical was probably a stock objection they used to discredit the doctrine.
Jesus meets them on their own ground. He does not cite prophetic books they reject; he argues from Exodus, a book they revere. And he shifts the frame: resurrection is not a reanimated version of this life. It is a new creation, sustained by God’s power, where death, the reason marriage exists, is gone. The crowd’s astonishment shows how effectively Jesus dismantled a challenge meant to trap him.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for this passage. One minor variation involves the presence or absence of the article before legontes in verse 23, but it does not affect meaning. The Gospels of Mark (12:18, 27) and Luke (20:27, 38) present parallel accounts with the same core argument and vocabulary.
Reception History
This passage has been central to Christian teaching on the resurrection. Early church fathers such as Irenaeus and Tertullian used it to argue against Gnostic claims that the resurrection was spiritual only. In the medieval period, it shaped discussions on the nature of resurrected bodies, whether they retain sex and marriage. The Reformers, including Calvin and Luther, emphasised Jesus’ appeal to Scripture’s power to correct error and his affirmation of the patriarchs’ ongoing life. In funeral and memorial services, this passage is often read to comfort mourners with the hope that death does not sever God’s covenant relationship. The image of being ‘like the angels’ has also influenced hymnody and art, where the resurrected are depicted in white robes, free from earthly needs.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The trap: Sadducees use a law about marriage to argue against resurrection. They assume the next world works like this one.
- The correction: Jesus says they err because they do not know Scripture or God’s power. In the resurrection, people neither marry nor are given in marriage; they are like the angels.
- The foundation: God’s covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob shows they are alive. God is not the God of the dead but of the living.
Five-point outline
- The Sadducees’ question exposes their disbelief in resurrection (vv. 23, 28).
- Jesus identifies the root of their error: ignorance of Scripture and of God’s power (v. 29).
- He redefines the resurrection life: no marriage, no death, like the angels (v. 30).
- He proves resurrection from the Torah: God’s present-tense covenant with the patriarchs (vv. 31, 32).
- The crowds are astonished, sound doctrine wins (v. 33).
Illustration hooks
- Widow remarriage: A woman who lost her husband wonders if she will be married to him in heaven. This passage frees her from that worry, relationships are not ended, but marriage as we know it is no longer needed.
- The childless couple: A couple struggling with infertility hears that marriage is primarily for this age. In the age to come, our identity is not defined by marital status but by our relationship to God.
- “What if” scenarios: Just as the Sadducees thought of a worst-case hypothetical, people today imagine absurd situations to avoid trusting God’s promises. Jesus shows that God’s power reshapes the rules.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Will I recognise my spouse in heaven?
- If there is no marriage, what happens to the closeness I had with my spouse?
- How can we be sure God can raise the dead when everything we see tells us death is final?
Leading a Discussion
This passage challenges the common assumption that the next life will simply be a continuation of this one. Jesus presses us to think bigger, to trust in God’s power and in the Scriptures that promise a new creation. As you discuss these verses, let the group wrestle with what it means to be “like the angels” while still being ourselves.
Discussion questions
- Why do the Sadducees think the levirate marriage law creates a problem for resurrection? What assumption are they making about the afterlife?
- Jesus says they err because they do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. How are those two failures connected?
- In what sense will people be “like the angels in heaven” (v. 30)? What does this tell us about marriage and relationships in the resurrection?
- How does Jesus’ use of Exodus 3:6 prove the resurrection? What does God’s present-tense “I am” imply about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?
- The crowd was astonished at Jesus’ teaching (v. 33). What aspect of his answer would have surprised them most?
- How does knowing that God is the God of the living change the way you grieve or face your own mortality?
- If marriage is for this age only, what does that mean for our closest relationships now? How can they point us toward the age to come?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Matthew 3:7 | But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for his baptism, he said to them, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? |
| Matthew 16:6 | Jesus said to them, “Take heed and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” |
| Mark 12:18 | Some Sadducees, who say that there is no resurrection, came to him. They asked him, saying, |
| Mark 12:27 | He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are therefore badly mistaken.” |
| Luke 20:27 | Some of the Sadducees came to him, those who deny that there is a resurrection. |
| Luke 20:40 | They didn’t dare to ask him any more questions. |
| Acts 4:1 | As they spoke to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came to them, |
| Acts 5:17 | But the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
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What the Commentators Say
7 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke focuses on the Sadducees' spiritual blindness: they could only imagine heaven as a place for gratifying sensual appetites. Jesus corrects them by showing they are ignorant of both the Scriptures and God's power. The key proof comes from Exodus, where God calls himself the God of Abraham, proving the patriarchs are alive with God even while their bodies remain in the grave.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes notes that Jesus' response to the Sadducees centers more on the soul's continued existence after death than on the physical resurrection of the body. By quoting Exodus, Jesus shows that
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin traces the Sadducees' error to their ignorance of Scripture and of God's power. He insists that all false teaching springs from the same root, and that the only safeguard is to read the Bible humbly while keeping in mind the boundless power of God, especially when the doctrine surpasses human reason.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator highlights that Jesus argues from the Pentateuch, the only Scripture the Sadducees accepted. The key point is that God identifies Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, implying they are still alive, not dead. This establishes their immortality and points forward to a future resurrection.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange stresses that Jesus identifies the Sadducees' error as a twofold ignorance: they do not know the Scriptures' living substance or God's power over death. Mere adherence to tradition, as the Pharisees practiced, could never cure such unbelief. Only deeper study of Scripture and spiritual experience can set unbelief free.
Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887
Vincent notes that the Greek word translated "shall marry" comes from a term used in classical Greek for any relative by marriage. He observes that this word is chosen deliberately because the verse refers to a marriage between people already connected through family ties.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley notes the Sadducees' core error was thinking the soul dies with the body, which led them to deny the resurrection. He shows Jesus counters this from Moses: God's claim to be Abraham's God proves Abraham still lives, since God is God of the living, not the dead.