Luke 20:30

Study note

Setting — Jesus addresses a group questioning marital status after resurrection by recounting a hypothetical case of seven brothers. The moment occurs mid-narrative as he outlines how each brother successively married the same woman.

The words — ἔλαβεν (elaben) means "took" and δεύτερος (deuteros) means "second." The text states that the second brother took the wife, advancing the sequence of the hypothetical case.

The thread — The pattern of sequential marriage and childless death runs through the immediate exchange in Luke 20:29–31. The same levirate marriage scenario appears in Matthew 22:24 and Mark 12:20.

Why it lands — The text records a mechanical succession of marriages to test assumptions about afterlife relationships. It asks the reader to examine whether earthly marital categories apply beyond death.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.