The full context, then, determines what precisely is the question the
Sadducees pose. Jesus’s response recognizes the precise nature of the question
he is to address. To be exact, Jesus’s use of gameō shows his acceptance
of the limited question of the Sadducees. In v. 34 gamiskontai indicates
a repetitive aspect to marriage which corresponds very well with the situation
of the woman described by the Sadducees. In v. 35, gamidsontai suggests
a being ‘forced’ to marry, which corresponds to the situation of the woman
forced by the Law to enter six marriages, as are the six brothers as well.
The combination of these verbal expressions together with the fuller
contextual significance of the Sadducees’ final question indicates that Jesus intends
to address a question of marriage in the terms in which it is posed: “Which of
the seven mean will be husband of the woman in the next life, in order to raise
up the requisite heir who will thwart the blotting out of the original husband’s
name, who will perpetuate the house of the man.” It is to this limited question
that Jesus responds; . . . (John J. Kilgallen, “The Sadducees and Resurrection
from the Dead: Luke 20,27-40,” Biblica 67, no. 4 [1986]: 484-85)
. . . translations of these
forms of gameō are hypothetical. As for gamidsō, it is perhaps
too much to press a sense of "forcing one to marry", though the verb
is used designedly for those situations in which a woman's future is determined
by another (1 Cor 7,38); in this response of Jesus, the "other" would
be the Levirate Law. As for gam- iskō, it is quite true that the loci
citati of the dictionaries do not carry any sense of repetitiveness and thus
make my view 'antiquarian', but two questions lead toward an acceptance of my
understanding. First, is Luke, aware of Mark's upcoming gamidsontai,
using gamiskontai at an earlier place simply as a synonym? (Pace
MONTANTI, my note 9). Secondly, though aware of the usual meaning of gamiskontai,
Luke could be subtly recalling a repetitive sense of -isk, outmoded by
Luke's day, yet part of the verb which makes it particularly significant in
this Levirate Law situation. So it is reasonable to think Luke chose these
verbs carefully in view of the circumstances within which Jesus is to frame his
answer. Thus, it is the circumstances of the Sadducees' question which
determine the way Jesus is to answer; the verbs reflect the effort to remain
within these circumstances. Still, it remains true that this interpretation of
these two verbs is hypothetical. (Ibid., 484 n. 16)
