The Meaning of Mark 12:26 Explained

Mark 12:26

KJV: And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?

YLT: And concerning the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the Book of Moses (at The Bush), how God spake to him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob;

Darby: But concerning the dead that they rise, have ye not read in the book of Moses, in the section of the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?

ASV: But as touching the dead, that they are raised; have ye not read in the book of Moses, in the place concerning the Bush, how God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  as touching  the dead,  that  they rise:  have ye  not  read  in  the book  of Moses,  how  in  the bush  God  spake  unto him,  saying,  I  [am] the God  of Abraham,  and  the God  of Isaac,  and  the God  of Jacob? 

What does Mark 12:26 Mean?

Study Notes

read in the book
Jesus affirms the historic truth and inspiration of Exodus 3.

Context Summary

Mark 12:1-27 - Jesus Silences His Enemies
Our Lord reviews the history of the theocracy. He recounts the long roll of God's servants who had been persecuted and misused from the first to the last, including Himself. In doing so, He openly implied that He was the Son of God and made the Pharisees realize how clearly He foresaw the fate which they were preparing for Him. They were accustomed to apply Psalms 118:22 to the Messiah, and recognized at once what Jesus meant, when He claimed it as an emblem of His own rejection.
How admirably our Lord defined the relations of His Kingdom to the civil power! If we accept Caesar's protection and ordered government we are bound to maintain it by money payment and such other service as conscience permits. This indeed is part of our duty to God; and with equal care we must give Him the dues of the spiritual world.
Jesus silenced the Sadducees by a quotation from the Pentateuch, whose authority they admitted. God could not be the God of persons not in existence. Therefore since He used the present tense of His relationship with the patriarchs in speaking to Moses three hundred years after their death, they must have been still in existence. [source]

Chapter Summary: Mark 12

1  Jesus tells the parable of the tenants
13  He avoids the snare of the Pharisees and Herodians about paying tribute to Caesar;
18  convicts the Sadducees, who denied the resurrection;
28  resolves the scribe, who questioned of the first commandment;
35  refutes the opinion that the scribes held of the Christ;
38  bidding the people to beware of their ambition and hypocrisy;
41  and commends the poor widow for her two mites, above all

Greek Commentary for Mark 12:26

In the place concerning the Bush [επι του βατου]
This technical use of επι — epi is good Greek, in the matter of, in the passage about, the Bush. ατος — Batos is masculine here, feminine in Luke 20:37. The reference is to Exodus 3:3-6 (in the book of Moses, εν τηι βιβλωι — en tēi biblōi). [source]
How in the bush God spake []
An utterly wrong rendering. In the bush ( ἐπὶ τοῦ βάτου )refers to a particular section in the Pentateuch, Exodus 3:2-6. The Jews were accustomed to designate portions of scripture by the most noteworthy thing contained in them. Therefore Rev., rightly, in the place concerning the bush. Wyc., in the book of Moses on the bush. The article refers to it as something familiar. Compare Romans 11:2, ἐν Ἠλίᾳ ; i.e., in the section of scripture which tells of Elijah. There, however, the Rev. retains the A. V. of Elijah, and puts in in the margin. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Mark 12:26

Luke 6:44 Bramble-bush [βάτου]
Matthew has τριβολῶν , thistles. The word occurs only once outside of Luke's writings, in Mark 12:26, where it is used as the familiar title of a section of the Pentateuch. Luke also uses it in the same way (Luke 20:37). He was doubtless acquainted with it medicinally, as it was extensively used by ancient physicians. Galen has a chapter on its medicinal uses, and the medical writings abound in prescriptions of which it is an ingredient. Galen also has a saying similar to our Lord's: “A farmer could never make a bramble bear grapes.” It is the word employed by the Septuagint for the bush out of which God spoke to Moses. [source]
Luke 20:37 At the bush [ἐπὶ τῆς βάτου]
Wrong. Render as Rev., in the place concerning the bush. See on sa40" translation="">Mark 12:26.sa40 [source]
Luke 20:37 Even Moses [και Μωυσης]
Moses was used by the Sadducees to support their denial of the resurrection. This passage (Exodus 3:6) Jesus skilfully uses as a proof of the resurrection. See Matthew 22:32 and Mark 12:26. [source]
Luke 6:44 Bramble bush [batou)]
Old word, quoted from the lxx in Mark 12:26; Luke 20:37 (from Exodus 3:6) about the burning bush that Moses saw, and by Stephen (Acts 7:30, Acts 7:35) referring to the same incident. Nowhere else in the N.T. “Galen has a chapter on its medicinal uses, and the medical writings abound in prescriptions of which it is an ingredient” (Vincent).Gather (βατου — trugōsin). A verb common in Greek writers for gathering ripe fruit. In the N.T. only here and Revelation 14:18.Grapes Cluster of grapes. [source]
Acts 7:31 As he drew near [προσερχομενου αυτου]
Genitive absolute with present middle participle of προσερχομαι — proserchomai A voice of the Lord (πωνη κυριου — phōnē kuriou). Here the angel of Jehovah of Acts 7:30 is termed Jehovah himself. Jesus makes powerful use of these words in his reply to the Sadducees in defence of the doctrine of the resurrection and the future life (Mark 12:26; Matthew 22:32; Luke 20:37.) that God here describes himself as the God of the living. Trembled Literally, becoming tremulous or terrified. The adjective εντρομος — entromos Imperfect active, was not daring, negative conative imperfect. [source]
Acts 7:31 A voice of the Lord [πωνη κυριου]
Here the angel of Jehovah of Acts 7:30 is termed Jehovah himself. Jesus makes powerful use of these words in his reply to the Sadducees in defence of the doctrine of the resurrection and the future life (Mark 12:26; Matthew 22:32; Luke 20:37.) that God here describes himself as the God of the living. [source]
Romans 11:2 Of Elias [ἐν Ἡλίᾳ]
Wrong; though Rev. has retained it: of Elijah, with in in margin; probably in order to avoid the awkward circumlocution in the passage treating of Elijah, or the ambiguous in Elijah. See on in the bush, Mark 12:26. Thucydides (i. 9) says: “Homer, in 'The handing down of the sceptre,' said,” etc.; i.e., in the passage describing the transmission of the sceptre in the second book of the Iliad. A common form of quotation in the rabbinical writings. The passage cited is 1 Kings 19:10, 1 Kings 19:14. [source]
Romans 11:2 Wot ye not? [ουκ οιδατε]
“Know ye not?” Why keep the old English “wot”? Of Elijah (εν Ελειαι — en Eleiāi). “In the case of Elijah.” Cf. “in the bush” (Mark 12:26). He pleadeth See Romans 8:27. Εντυγχανω — Entugchanō means to happen on one and so to converse with (Acts 25:24), to plead for (Romans 8:27, Romans 8:34), to plead against as here with κατα — kata but the “against” is in κατα — kata f0). [source]
Romans 11:2 Of Elijah [εν Ελειαι]
“In the case of Elijah.” Cf. “in the bush” (Mark 12:26). [source]

What do the individual words in Mark 12:26 mean?

Concerning now the dead that they rise not have you read in the book of Moses on the bush how spoke to him - God saying I [am] the of Abraham and the of Isaac of Jacob
Περὶ δὲ τῶν νεκρῶν ὅτι ἐγείρονται οὐκ ἀνέγνωτε ἐν τῇ βίβλῳ Μωϋσέως ἐπὶ τοῦ Βάτου πῶς εἶπεν αὐτῷ Θεὸς λέγων Ἐγὼ Ἀβραὰμ καὶ ‹ὁ› Ἰσαὰκ Ἰακώβ

Περὶ  Concerning 
Parse: Preposition
Root: περί 
Sense: about, concerning, on account of, because of, around, near.
δὲ  now 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: δέ  
Sense: but, moreover, and, etc.
νεκρῶν  dead 
Parse: Adjective, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root: νεκρός  
Sense: properly.
ὅτι  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ὅτι  
Sense: that, because, since.
ἐγείρονται  they  rise 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Middle or Passive, 3rd Person Plural
Root: ἐγείρω  
Sense: to arouse, cause to rise.
ἀνέγνωτε  have  you  read 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 2nd Person Plural
Root: ἀναγινώσκω  
Sense: to distinguish between, to recognise, to know accurately, to acknowledge.
βίβλῳ  book 
Parse: Noun, Dative Feminine Singular
Root: βίβλος  
Sense: a written book, a roll, a scroll.
Μωϋσέως  of  Moses 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: Μωσεύς 
Sense: the legislator of the Jewish people and in a certain sense the founder of the Jewish religion.
Βάτου  bush 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: βάτοσ1  
Sense: a thorn or bramble bush.
πῶς  how 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: πῶς  
Sense: how, in what way.
εἶπεν  spoke 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to speak, say.
αὐτῷ  to  him 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
  - 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Θεὸς  God 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: θεός  
Sense: a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities.
λέγων  saying 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: λέγω 
Sense: to say, to speak.
Ἐγὼ  I  [am] 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Nominative 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
Ἀβραὰμ  of  Abraham 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: Ἀβραάμ  
Sense: the son of Terah and the founder of the Jewish nation.
Ἰσαὰκ  of  Isaac 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: Ἰσαάκ  
Sense: the son of Abraham and Sarah.
Ἰακώβ  of  Jacob 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: Ἰακώβ  
Sense: was the second son of Isaac.