Luke 20:27

King James Version:

(The Lord speaking is red text)

¶ Then came to [him] certain of the Sadducees, which deny that there is any resurrection; and they asked him,

Complete Jewish Bible:

Some Tz’dukim, who say there is no resurrection, came to Yeshua

Berean Standard Bible:

Then some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to question Him.

American Standard Version:

And there came to him certain of the Sadducees, they that say that there is no resurrection;

KJV with Strong’s Numbers:

Then^{G1161} came^{G4334} to him certain^{G5100} of the Sadducees^{G4523}, which^{G3588} deny^{G483} that there is^{G1511} any^{G3361} resurrection^{G386}; and they asked^{G1905} him^{G846},

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Commentary for Luke 20:27

Luke 20:27 is a verse that captures a moment of theological debate within the context of first-century Judaism, specifically between Jesus and a group of Sadducees. The Sadducees were a religious and political movement in Judea, primarily drawn from the aristocracy and priestly class, who held significant influence, particularly in the operation of the Temple in Jerusalem. They are distinguished in the New Testament for their rejection of certain beliefs held by other Jewish groups, such as the Pharisees, notably the belief in the resurrection of the dead, the afterlife, and the existence of angels and spirits.

In this verse, the Sadducees approach Jesus to challenge him on the very issue they are known to dispute—the resurrection. Their question, which is fully detailed in the subsequent verses, is designed to expose what they see as the absurdity of the concept of resurrection. They present a hypothetical case based on the Mosaic law of levirate marriage (Deuteronomy 25:5-6), where a man is obligated to marry his brother's widow if the brother dies without an heir. The Sadducees' question revolves around which brother would be the widow's husband in the resurrection if she had been married to several brothers in turn during her lifetime.

The themes present in this encounter include the tension between different interpretations of Jewish law and belief, the nature of the afterlife, and the authority of Jesus as a teacher and interpreter of Scripture. Historically, this reflects the broader debate within Judaism during the Second Temple period regarding the validity of various religious doctrines. Jesus' response to the Sadducees not only defends the concept of resurrection but also challenges the assumptions behind their question, thereby affirming his own authority and the continuity of life beyond death as understood in the broader Jewish eschatological hope. This exchange is emblematic of the religious ferment of the time and underscores the diversity of messianic and eschatological expectations in the period leading up to the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE.

*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model

Strong's Numbers and Definitions:

Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)

1. Strong's Number: G1161
   There are 2556 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: δέ
   Transliteration: dé
   Pronunciation: deh
   Description: a primary particle (adversative or continuative); but, and, etc.:--also, and, but, moreover, now (often unexpressed in English).
   
2. Strong's Number: G4334
   There are 85 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: προσέρχομαι
   Transliteration: prosérchomai
   Pronunciation: pros-er'-khom-ahee
   Description: from πρός and ἔρχομαι (including its alternate); to approach, i.e. (literally) come near, visit, or (figuratively) worship, assent to:--(as soon as he) come (unto), come thereunto, consent, draw near, go (near, to, unto).
   
3. Strong's Number: G5100
   There are 419 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: τὶς
   Transliteration: tìs
   Pronunciation: tis
   Description: an enclitic indefinite pronoun; some or any person or object:--a (kind of), any (man, thing, thing at all), certain (thing), divers, he (every) man, one (X thing), ought, + partly, some (man, -body, - thing, -what), (+ that no-)thing, what(-soever), X wherewith, whom(-soever), whose(-soever).
   
4. Strong's Number: G4523
   There are 14 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: Σαδδουκαῖος
   Transliteration: Saddoukaîos
   Pronunciation: sad-doo-kah'-yos
   Description: probably from Σαδώκ; a Sadducæan (i.e. Tsadokian), or follower of a certain heretical Israelite:--Sadducee.
   
5. Strong's Number: G3588
   There are 498 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: ὁ
   Transliteration: ho
   Pronunciation: to
   Description: the definite article; the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom):--the, this, that, one, he, she, it, etc.
   
6. Strong's Number: G483
   There are 26 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: ἀντιλέγω
   Transliteration: antilégō
   Pronunciation: an-til'-eg-o
   Description: from ἀντί and λέγω; to dispute, refuse:--answer again, contradict, deny, gainsay(-er), speak against.
   
7. Strong's Number: G1511
   There are 124 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: εἶναι
   Transliteration: eînai
   Pronunciation: i'-nahee
   Description: present infinitive from εἰμί; to exist:--am, was. come, is, X lust after, X please well, there is, to be, was.
   
8. Strong's Number: G3361
   There are 602 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: μή
   Transliteration: mḗ
   Pronunciation: may
   Description: a primary particle of qualified negation (whereas οὐ expresses an absolute denial); (adverb) not, (conjunction) lest; also (as an interrogative implying a negative answer (whereas οὐ expects an affirmative one)) whether:--any but (that), X forbear, + God forbid, + lack, lest, neither, never, no (X wise in), none, nor, (can-)not, nothing, that not, un(-taken), without. Often used in compounds in substantially the same relations. See also ἐὰν μή, ἵνα μή, οὐ μή, μῆκος, μηκύνω, μήν, μὴ οὐκ.
   
9. Strong's Number: G386
   There are 189 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: ἀνάστασις
   Transliteration: anástasis
   Pronunciation: an-as'-tas-is
   Description: from ἀνίστημι; a standing up again, i.e. (literally) a resurrection from death (individual, genitive case or by implication, (its author)), or (figuratively) a (moral) recovery (of spiritual truth):--raised to life again, resurrection, rise from the dead, that should rise, rising again.
   
10. Strong's Number: G1905
    There are 58 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: ἐπερωτάω
    Transliteration: eperōtáō
    Pronunciation: ep-er-o-tah'-o
    Description: from ἐπί and ἐρωτάω; to ask for, i.e. inquire, seek:--ask (after, questions), demand, desire, question.
    
11. Strong's Number: G846
    There are 3776 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: αὐτός
    Transliteration: autós
    Pronunciation: ow-tos'
    Description: from the particle (perhaps akin to the base of ἀήρ through the idea of a baffling wind) (backward); the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative ἑαυτοῦ) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other persons:--her, it(-self), one, the other, (mine) own, said, (self-), the) same, ((him-, my-, thy- )self, (your-)selves, she, that, their(-s), them(-selves), there(-at, - by, -in, -into, -of, -on, -with), they, (these) things, this (man), those, together, very, which. Compare αὑτοῦ.