Translation commentary on Luke 20:37

Exegesis:

hoti de egeirontai hoi nekroi ‘but that the dead are raised,’ i.e. that there is a resurrection of the dead, indirect speech dependent upon emēnusen but placed at the opening of the sentence for reasons of emphasis. For egeirō cf. on 7.14.

kai Mōusēs emēnusen epi tēs batou ‘also Moses indicated in the passage concerning the thornbush.’ Moses is envisaged here as the author, not as participating in the event.

hōs legei kurion ton theon Abraam kai theon Isaak kai theon Iakōb ‘when he calls the Lord the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.’ kurios (cf. on 1.6) is without article as if a personal name, hōs is used here in a temporal sense.

Translation:

But that the dead are raised. Jesus shifts the topic of the discussion, from the situation in which the risen dead will find themselves to the fact that the dead will really arise. This introductory statement, in Greek and English an object-clause dependent on ‘showed,’ is in some other languages given a more independent position, cf. ‘as-to-the-fact-that the dead are-raised, that matter is made-clear…’ (Balinese, Bible de Jérusalem). For the dead are raised see above on 7.22.

Showed, or, ‘indicated,’ ‘made known,’ ‘made clear.’

The passage about the bush, or, “the chapter on the Bush” (The Four Gospels – a New Translation, similarly Balinese), ‘the chapter/story/section called “the Bush” (or, “the burning bush”, New English Bible, Good News Translation, better to bring out that the reference is to Ex. 3.1ff).’ For bush cf. on “bramble bush” in 6.44.

Where. Though the Gr. hōs-clause is temporal, going with ‘showed,’ it may be preferable to do as Revised Standard Version and render it as a locative clause going with “the passage”.

Calls the Lord, or, ‘speaks of the Lord as,’ ‘mentions the Lord as being.’

The God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob may be unidiomatic and even misleading; hence, ‘the God of A. and I. and J.’ (Toraja-Sa’dan), ‘the one who is God (in relation) to A., (is God) to I. and (is God) to J..’

Quoted with permission from Reiling, J. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on the Gospel of Luke. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1971. For this and other handbooks for translators see here . Make sure to also consult the Handbook on the Gospel of Mark for parallel or similar verses.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 20:37

20:37a

Even Moses demonstrates that the dead are raised: In this verse Jesus introduced the second part of his answer to the Sadducees. The topic of this part is that dead people will be raised to life again. The Greek text introduces this topic by putting it first in the sentence.

The Sadducees used their story in 20:28–33 to imply that it is impossible for dead people to live again. Here in 20:37 Jesus implied that he would prove that they were wrong. In some languages it may be helpful to make this explicit. For example:

Furthermore ⌊you(plur) are wrong to think that the dead cannot rise again⌋. Even Moses showed that the dead rise.

You should introduce this topic in a way that is natural in your language. In some languages it is helpful to change the order of the clauses. See the General Comment on 20:37a for more suggestions.

Even Moses: In this context the Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Even emphasizes Moses. He was an authority whom the Sadducees respected greatly. He was the one who received the law from God for the Jewish people. What Moses said was authoritative. Another way to express this emphasis in English is:

Moses himself (New Revised Standard Version)

In some languages it may be difficult to translate this emphasis. If that is true in your language, it may be possible to add some implied information. For example:

it is the prophet Musa himself
-or-

⌊our⌋ ⌊great⌋ ⌊lawgiver/ancestor⌋ Moses

demonstrates that the dead are raised: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as demonstrates here means “to inform, reveal, make known.” The account of the burning bush by Moses reveals that God can and does cause the dead to live again.

the dead are raised: The phrase the dead are raised means “dead people live again.” In this context it refers to life with God in the next world. It does not refer to living again on the earth in this age. See the note on “resurrection” at 20:27b–c.

In some languages it may be helpful to make explicit here that God is the one who causes the dead to live again. For example:

⌊God⌋ will raise people who have died to live again

in the passage about the burning bush: The phrase in the passage about the burning bush refers to Exodus 3:1–6. In those verses God spoke to Moses from a bush that was flaming but did not burn up.

In some languages it may be necessary to indicate that the passage about the burning bush is part of the Scriptures. You may be able to use your usual way to refer to the Scriptures. For example:

in the ⌊Scriptures⌋ ⌊that tell what happened⌋ at the ⌊burning⌋ bush, even Moses revealed this
-or-
in the ⌊holy book/words⌋ ⌊where⌋ ⌊they⌋ wrote about the ⌊burning⌋ bush

General Comment on 20:37a

In this statement Jesus introduced the second part of his answer to the Sadducees. The topic of this part is that dead people will be raised to life again. The Greek text introduces this topic by putting it first in the sentence. Some ways to follow this order are:

And the fact that the dead are raised, Moses himself showed, in the story about the bush…. (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
But now, as to whether the dead will be raised—even Moses proved this when he wrote about the burning bush. (New Living Translation (2004))

Use a natural order in your language.

20:37b–c

For: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For introduces the evidence or basis for what Jesus said in 20:37a. Other ways to introduce 20:37b are:

where he calls (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
when he calls (Revised English Bible)

Other English versions begin a new sentence without a conjunction. They simply refer to Moses and say “He says” (God’s Word) or “He said” (Contemporary English Version). You should introduce 20:37b in a way that is natural in your language.

he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’: Jesus referred here to what Moses wrote in Exodus 3:6. There Moses wrote what he heard the Lord say about himself. In some languages it may be necessary to make this explicit:

Moses ⌊writes⌋ that the Lord calls ⌊himself⌋ the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.

This statement indicates that God still referred to himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob long after they had already died. He still called himself their God. Use an appropriate verb form in your language to indicate this. If you have translated the books of Exodus and Acts, consider how you translated this phrase in Exodus 3:6 and Acts 3:13.

calls: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as calls here is literally “says.” In Greek it is a natural verb to use to refer to what Moses wrote. Use a natural way in your language to refer to Moses’ written words. In some languages it may be more natural to use a form that refers to the past. Some other ways to translate it in English are:

says that (God’s Word)
-or-
wrote
-or-
speaks of (Good News Translation)
-or-
referred to (New Living Translation (2004))

the Lord: The phrase the Lord refers to God. See Lord, Context 2, in the Glossary.

the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob: The Lord is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob because he is the one who cares for them as their God. He is the God whom they worship and serve. God is faithful to them as his people.

In some languages it may be necessary to make explicit in what sense the Lord was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For example:

I am the God whom Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob ⌊worship⌋.
-or-
I am the God who ⌊cares for⌋ Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

The statement indicates that God was still caring for them as their God, and they were still worshiping him. Use an appropriate verb form in your translation.

Abraham…Isaac…Jacob: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were great ancestors of the Jewish people who died long before Jesus was born. In some languages it may be helpful to make this explicit here. For example:

our(incl) ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

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