Bible Strands
Luke 20:31
and the third married the widow, and in the same way all seven died, leaving no children.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus speaks to a group of Sadducees who have just outlined a hypothetical case of a woman married sequentially to seven brothers. He delivers this statement during His final week in Jerusalem, directly addressing their challenge regarding the resurrection.
The words — ἔλαβεν (elaben) literally means "took" or "received," and ὡσαύτως (hōsautōs) translates to "likewise" or "in the same way." These terms mark the mechanical repetition of the brothers' actions and the uniform outcome of their lives.
The thread — The verse continues the sequential list begun in Luke 20:30 and concludes the scenario before Luke 20:32 records the woman's death. The narrative pattern of repeated marriage and childless death anchors the Sadducees' argument in the Levirate law framework.
Why it lands — The text states that earthly marital succession ends in universal death without offspring, leaving the hypothetical scenario logically closed. It asks a reader to recognize that the scenario's own terms cannot resolve the question of life after 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.
The Greek words
King James Version
And the third took her; and in like manner the seven also: and they left no children, and died.