Mark 12:27 (DBY)

Passage

He is not the God of [the] dead, but of [the] living. *Ye* therefore greatly err.

Nearby Context

Mark 12:25 For when they rise from among [the] dead they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as angels [who are] in the heavens.

Mark 12:26 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?

Mark 12:27 He is not the God of [the] dead, but of [the] living. *Ye* therefore greatly err.

Mark 12:28 And one of the scribes who had come up, and had heard them reasoning together, perceiving that he had answered them well, demanded of him, Which is [the] first commandment of all?

Mark 12:29 And Jesus answered him, [The] first commandment of all [is], Hear, Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "dead", "living", "therefore", and "greatly". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "dead" and "living", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 26's "But concerning the dead that they rise..." into verse 28's "And one of the scribes who had...", so "dead" and "living" belong inside that flow. In Mark context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "dead" and "living" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.