Mar 12:26 And as touching the dead, that they rise:
Mar 12:26 And as touching the dead, that they rise: have you 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?
Alternative: But concerning the the dead and that they are awakened: have you not studied in the book of Moses, about how God proclaimed to him from the bramble teaching, I, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?
Wordplay: Christ likes to use the words for "I" and "say" right next to each other for that "lego" "ego" affect. See Mat 11:33 for a previous example. (Yes, just like the modern commercial, Let go, my Eggo. Weird, isn't it?)
Hidden meaning: First, the verb beginning this verse is not "and" which would indicate an agreement with the previous verse. It is the Greek conjunction that indicates an opposing position. Christ is disagreeing with the idea that might be people risen from the dead.
A different word is also used here than in the previous verse to describe being raised from the dead and a different mood. In the previous verse, Christ simply repeated the term that those questioning him used using the same subjunctive mood indicating a future possibility. In this verse, he uses a different term and it is present indicative, meaning something that is happening right now. The verb in the previous verse describes someone arising themselves, but this verb describes someone else being awaken by another. So, there is a strong sense that Christ is saying that death is an illusion. People do not die to possibly awakened in the future. They are awakened immediately upon death.
The use of "bramble" is also interesting because it seems to say something about God hiding, not only himself but the nature of reality in a tangle.
Thematically and Linguistically Related Verse(s): Mat 22:32 is the parallel verse in Matthew.
Vocabulary:
"And" is from de (de), which means "but." It is the particle that joins sentences and an adversarial way.
"As touching" is from peri (peri), which means "round about (Place)," "about," "concerning," "on account of," "in regard to," "before," "above," "beyond," "around," and "all around."
"Dead" is from nekros (nekros), which specifically means "a corpse" as well as "the dead."
"That they rise" is from egeirô (egeiro), which means "to awaken," "to stir up," and "to rouse."
"Have you read" is from anagignôskô (anaginosko), which means "to recognize," "to know well," "to know certainly," "to know again," "to own," and "to acknowledge."
"Book" is from biblos (biblos), which means "Egyptian papyrus," "rind," "roll of papyrus," "book," and a "division of a book."
"How" is from hôs (hos), which means to "thus," "as," "how," "when," "where," "like," "just as," "so far as," "as much as can be," "that," "in order that," "nearly (with numbers)," and "know that."
"Bush" is from batos (batos), which means "bramble."
"God" is from theos (theos), which means "God," the Deity."
"Spake" is from eipon (eipon), which means "to speak," "to say," "to recite," "to address," "to mention," "to name," "to proclaim," "to plead," "to promise," and "to offer."
"Saying" is from legô (lego) means "pick up," "choose for oneself," "pick out," and "count," but it used to mean "recount," "tell over," "say," "speak," "teach," "mean," "boast of," "tell of," "recite," nominate," and "command."
"I" is from ego (ego), is the pronoun of the first person, which means "I," "I at least," "for my part," "indeed," "for myself," and, in various forms, "me," "my,""mine," "we," "our," "ours," and "us."
