After the Sadducees tell a story of a woman marrying seven brothers and asking whose wife she is in the resurrection which the Sadducees taught against.
Luke 20:38 For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.
Luke 20:38 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.”
But He is not a god of dead ones but of living ones. Instead, all live to Him.
The "God" here has no definite article before it, so "a god" clearly referring to the pagan gods of the dead. The last clause of this verse doesn't exist in other Gospels. It could either refer to a timeless God who has access to the past where others live, but since the context is the awakening of the dead, it may refer to God's presence awakening the dead.
It is embarrassing to be dead in front of the Divine.
For(WW) he is not a God of the dead(CW), but of the(IW) living: for all live unto him.
- WW --Wrong Word -- The word translated as "for" should be something more like "but".
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "but" is not the common word usually translated as "but" and works differently.
- IW - Inserted Word-- The "the" doesn't exist in the source.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "but", at the beginning of the sentence is not shown in the English translation.
- IW - Inserted Word-- The "the" before "God" doesn't exist in the source.
- IW - Inserted Word-- The "the" before "dead" doesn't exist in the source.
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "but" is not the common word usually translated as "but" and works differently.
- IW - Inserted Word-- The "the" before "living" doesn't exist in the source.
For -- (WW) The Greek word translated as "for" means "but", "however" and "on the other hand". Since it always falls in the second position, translating it as "however" often captures its feeling better. This word doesn't mean "for".
he -- This is from the third-person, singular form of the verb.
is -- The verb "is" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition. It also equates terms or assigns characteristics. It appears after the subject, "God", not before, and after the negative.
not -- The Greek word translated as "not" is the Greek negative used to deny objective facts, not opinions. It makes a negative statement of fact. Adding "really" to the sentence captures the same idea.
a -- There is no indefinite article in Greek, but when a noun doesn't have a definite article, the indefinite article can be added in English translation.
God -- The word translated as "a God" means "God" and "deity". It is usually introduced with an article when used to refer to God so the "a God" is more correct even though Greek doesn't have an indefinite article such as our "a/an".
of -- This word "of" comes from the possessive form (genitive case) of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English. The most common is the "of" of possession.
the -- (IW) This word is not in the Greek source.
dead --- The word translated as "of the dead" means "corpse", "a dying man" and "inanimate, non-organic matter". Christ uses it in all three senses, referring to the actual dead, the spiritually dead, and inanimate matter. It is plural and in a possessive form but there is no article, however in English the article "the" is added to indicate that it is plural.
but -- (CW) The Greek word translated as "but" denotes an exception or simple opposition. It is used to emphasize the contrast between things like we use "instead", "but instead" or "rather". It is not the common word usually translated as "but". It is the Greek word "other" like we use "otherwise." Jesus almost always uses this conjunction to connect a negative clause, "not this", with a positive one, "instead this".
of -- This word "of" comes from the possessive form (genitive case) of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English. The most common is the "of" of possession.
the -- (IW) This word is not in the Greek source.
living --- "Living" is a Greek verb that means "to live", "the living" and "to be alive". It is a metaphor for "to be full of life", "to be strong" and "to be fresh". The form is an adjective, "living".
for --The word translated as "for" introduces a reason or explanation so "because" and, in questions, "why". However, since this word always appears in the second position, it is more like an aside remark like, "consequently" or "as a cause".
all -- The word translated as "all" is the Greek adjective meaning "all", "the whole", "every" and similar ideas. When it is used as a noun, we would say "everything". As an adverb, it means "in every way", "on every side" and "altogether".
live --- "Live" is a Greek verb that means "to live", "the living" and "to be alive". It is a metaphor for "to be full of life", "to be strong" and "to be fresh".
unto -- This word "to" comes from the indirect object form of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English. The most common is a "to" for the English indirect object.
him. This is the word that is translated from an pronoun that means "he", "she" or "it".
missing "but" -- (MW) The untranslated word "but" means "but", "however" and "on the other hand". Since it always falls in the second position, translating it as "however" often captures its feeling better.
He -- This is from the third-person, singular form of the verb.
is -- The verb "is" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition. It also equates terms or assigns characteristics. It appears after the subject, "God", not before, and after the negative.
not -- The Greek word translated as "not" is the Greek negative used to deny objective facts, not opinions. It makes a negative statement of fact. Adding "really" to the sentence captures the same idea.
the -- (IW) This word is not in the Greek source.
God -- The word translated as "a God" means "God" and "deity". It is usually introduced with an article when used to refer to God so the "a God" is more correct even though Greek doesn't have an indefinite article such as our "a/an".
of -- This word "of" comes from the possessive form (genitive case) of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English. The most common is the "of" of possession.
the -- (IW) This word is not in the Greek source.
dead --- The word translated as "of the dead" means "corpse", "a dying man" and "inanimate, non-organic matter". Christ uses it in all three senses, referring to the actual dead, the spiritually dead, and inanimate matter. It is plural and in a possessive form but there is no article, however in English the article "the" is added to indicate that it is plural.
but -- (CW) The Greek word translated as "but" denotes an exception or simple opposition. It is used to emphasize the contrast between things like we use "instead", "but instead" or "rather". It is not the common word usually translated as "but". It is the Greek word "other" like we use "otherwise". Jesus almost always uses this conjunction to connect a negative clause, "not this", with a positive one, "instead this".
of -- This word "of" comes from the possessive form (genitive case) of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English. The most common is the "of" of possession.
the -- (IW) This word is not in the Greek source.
living --- "Living" is a Greek verb that means "to live", "the living" and "to be alive". It is a metaphor for "to be full of life", "to be strong" and "to be fresh". The form is an adjective, "living".
for --The word translated as "for" introduces a reason or explanation so "because" and, in questions, "why". However, since this word always appears in the second position, it is more like an aside remark like, "consequently" or "as a cause".
to -- This word "to" comes from the indirect object form of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English. The most common is a "to" for the English indirect object.
him. This word is translated from an pronoun that means "he," "she" or "it".
all -- The word translated as "all" is the Greek adjective meaning "all", "the whole", "every" and similar ideas. When it is used as a noun, we would say "everything". As an adverb, it means "in every way", "on every side" and "altogether".
are -- This helping verb "are" indicates that the verb is passive. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English.
alive --- "Alive" is a Greek verb that means "to live", "the living" and "to be alive". It is a metaphor for "to be full of life", "to be strong" and "to be fresh"
θεὸς (noun sg masc nom) "A God" is theos, which means "God", "divine" and "Deity".
δὲ (conj/adv) "But" is de which means "but" and "on the other hand". It is the particle that joins sentences in an adversarial way but can also be a weak connective ("and") and explanation of cause ("so") and a condition ("if").
οὐκ (partic) "Not" is ou which is the negative adverb for facts and statements, negating both single words and sentences. The other negative adverb, μή applies to will and thought; οὐ denies, μή rejects; οὐ is absolute, μή relative; οὐ objective, μή subjective.
ἔστιν (verb 3rd sg pres ind act) "He is" is eimi, which means "to be", "to exist", "to be the case," of circumstance and events "to happen", and "is possible". (The future form is esomai. The 3rd person present indicative is "esti.")
νεκρῶν (adj pl masc gen) "Of the dead" is nekros, which specifically means "a corpse" as well as a "dying person", "the dead as dwellers in the nether world", "the inanimate" and "the inorganic".
ἀλλὰ (adv) "But" is alla, which means "otherwise", "but", "still", "at least", "except", "yet", "nevertheless", "rather", "moreover" and "nay".
ζώντων, (part pl pres act masc gen ) "Of the living" is zao, which means "to live", "the living" and "to be alive". It is a metaphor for "to be full of life", "to be strong" and "to be fresh".
πάντες ( adj pl masc nom ) "All" is pas, which means "all", "the whole", "every", "anyone", "all kinds" and "anything". In the adverbial form, it means "every way", "on every side", "in every way" and "altogether".
γὰρ (partic) "For" comes from gar which is the introduction of a clause explaining a reason or explanation: "for", "since" and "as". In an abrupt question, it means "why" and "what".
αὐτῷ (adj sg masc dat) "Unto him" is autos, which means "the same" and the reflexive pronouns, "myself", "yourself", "himself", "herself", "itself" or the oblique case of the pronouns, "him", "her" and "it". It also means "one's true self", that is, "the soul" as opposed to the body and "of one's own accord". In the adverbial form, it means "just here" or "exactly there".
ζῶσιν. (verb 3rd pl pres ind act) "Live" is zao, which means "to live", "the living" and "to be alive". It is a metaphor for "to be full of life", "to be strong" and "to be fresh".