For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him.”
Parallel translations
- WEB Now he is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for all are alive to him.”
- KJV For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.
- BSB He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to Him all are alive.”
- NASB Now He is not the God of the dead, but of the living; for all live to Him.”
- NLT So he is the God of the living, not the dead, for they are all alive to him.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God is the God of the living, not the dead, for all the faithful are alive to Him.
Overview
Since God remains in covenant relationship with the patriarchs, they must live in His presence, awaiting bodily resurrection. The covenant bond God makes is not severed by death. This assures believers that in Christ, who conquered death, their life with God is unending.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- John 11:25–26Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will still live, even if he dies.
- Col 3:3–4For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
- Rom 6:10–11For the death that he died, he died to sin one time; but the life that he lives, he lives to God.
- Rom 14:7–9For none of us lives to himself, and none dies to himself.
- John 14:19Yet a little while, and the world will see me no more; but you will see me. Because I live, you will live also.
- 2 Cor 13:4For he was crucified through weakness, yet he lives through the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we will live with him through the power of God toward you.
- 2 Cor 6:16What agreement has a temple of God with idols? For you are a temple of the living God. Even as God said, “I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
- Ps 145:1–2A praise psalm by David. I will exalt you, my God, the King. I will praise your name forever and ever.
- Rev 7:15–17Therefore they are before the throne of God, they serve him day and night in his temple. He who sits on the throne will spread his tabernacle over them.
- Rom 6:22–23But now, being made free from sin, and having become servants of God, you have your fruit of sanctification, and the result of eternal life.
- Ps 22:23–26You who fear Yahweh, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify him! Stand in awe of him, all you descendants of Israel!
- Ps 16:5–11Yahweh assigned my portion and my cup. You made my lot secure.
- Rev 22:1He showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb,
- Heb 11:16But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
- John 6:57As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father; so he who feeds on me, he will also live because of me.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 20:38 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.