22:31a–22:32a

31a
And as for the resurrection of the dead, 31bhave you not read what was said to you by God: 32a‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?: This is a long and complex rhetorical question. It is possible to divide this long question into two sentences. For example:

31aAnd as for the resurrection of the dead, 31bhave you not read what was said to you by God? He said, 32a‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’

It may also be more natural to change the order of the clauses. For example:

31bHave you not read what God said to you 31aabout the resurrection of the dead? He said, 32a‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’

22:31a

And: The Greek conjunction that the English Standard Version here translates as And often indicates a change. Here, the change is a change in the subject. Jesus changed from talking about marriage to talking about the issue of the resurrection of the dead.

Some versions do not translate this conjunction. In some language, it will also not be necessary to translate this conjuction.

as for: The Greek word that the English Standard Version translates as as for indicates what the new subject will be. Here are some other ways to translate this word:

concerning
-or-
about (New International Version)
-or-
as for the matter of (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

the resurrection of the dead: The Greek word that the English Standard Version translates as the resurrection is the same as in 22:23b and 22:28a. Here there is the addition of the Greek phrase of the dead. Even if you did not include that idea in 22:23b and 22:28a, you should include it here. For example:

⌊God⌋ resurrecting dead people
-or-
the dead coming back to life (God’s Word)

22:31b

have you not read what was said to you by God: This is a rhetorical question. It is a rebuke. Jesus rebuked the Sadducees for not understanding the Word of God. The Sadducees had of course read the passage from Exodus that Jesus quoted. But they did not accept the idea of resurrection. So Jesus rebuked them and tried to correct their belief by quoting a Scripture that he knew that they accepted.

Here are some ways to translate this rebuke:

• Use a rhetorical question. For example:

haven’t you ever read what God has told you? (Good News Translation)

• As a statement. For example:

Surely you have read what God said to you…. (New Century Version)

what was said to you by God: This is a passive clause. Here is a way to make it active:

what God said to you

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