Bible Strands
Mark 12:20
Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died, leaving no children.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses a group of Sadducees who have constructed a hypothetical scenario about levirate marriage to challenge the concept of resurrection. He responds to their question during His final week in Jerusalem, shortly before His crucifixion.
The words — The text introduces the scenario with ἑπτὰ (hepta), meaning "seven," and ἀδελφοὶ (adelphoi), meaning "brothers," to establish the specific familial structure of the hypothetical case. It then notes that ὁ πρῶτος (ho prōtos), "the first," took a wife but died without offspring.
The thread — This identical narrative framework appears in Matthew 22:25 and Luke 20:29, where the same seven-brother hypothetical is presented to Jesus. Each gospel writer preserves the precise sequence of the first brother marrying and dying childless to set up the legal dilemma.
Why it lands — The passage requires the reader to recognize that the hypothetical scenario relies on a strict, literal reading of Mosaic law that ignores the reality of resurrection. It forces a direct confrontation between human legal assumptions and divine power.
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
Now there were seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed.
Cross-references
- Matthew 22:25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died without having children. So he left his wife to his brother.
- Luke 20:29 Now there were seven brothers. The first one married a wife but died childless.