Bible Strands
Luke 20:33
So then, in the resurrection, whose wife will she be? For all seven were married to her.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Sadducees pose a hypothetical to Jesus about a woman who had seven husbands, asking whose wife she will be in the resurrection. This exchange occurs during Jesus' public teaching as he directly addresses their challenge to the doctrine of the afterlife.
The words — The term ἀναστάσει (anastasei) literally means "resurrection," while τίνος (tinos) translates to "of which." The text records the Sadducees' exact phrasing to frame their objection without yet providing Jesus' response.
The thread — The scenario draws on the levirate marriage custom referenced in Matthew 22:24 and Mark 12:19. This identical challenge appears across the Synoptic Gospels to test Jesus' teaching on life after death.
Why it lands — The verse requires a reader to examine how earthly legal categories apply to a transformed existence. It demands a clear distinction between present-age social structures and the reality of resurrection life.
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
Therefore in the resurrection whose wife of them is she? for seven had her to wife.
Cross-references
- Matthew 22:24 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses declared that if a man dies without having children, his brother is to marry the widow and raise up offspring for him.
- Mark 12:19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man is to marry his brother’s widow and raise up offspring for him.