22:32a

I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob: The Greek phrase that the English Standard Version translates as the God of Abraham means that Abraham is one whom God loved and took care of. It also means that he is the God whom Abraham worshipped and believed in.

Here are some other ways to translate these clauses:

I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob (New American Bible, Revised Edition)
-or-
I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (God’s Word)

This is a quotation from Exodus 3:6. You may want to include a footnote to indicate that.

22:32b

He is not God of the dead: The phrase the dead refers to people who have died. Here is another way to translate this clause:

He is not the God of dead people

but: There is a contrast here. The contrast is between the people whom God is not the God of, and the people whom he is the God of.

Here are some ways to translate this contrast:

• With the conjunction “but.”

• With a conjunction other than “but.” This is a common way in English to show this type of contrast. For example:

rather
-or-
instead

• With no conjunction. Some versions change the order of the two clauses in 22:32b, then use no conjunction. For example:

He is the God of the living, not of the dead. (Good News Translation)

of the living: The phrase of the living refers to people who are alive.

In some languages, it may be natural to repeat the phrase “the God of.” For example:

he is the God of people who are alive

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