Bible Strands
Mark 12:22
In this way, none of the seven left any children. And last of all, the woman died.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Sadducees narrate the final stage of their levirate marriage hypothetical to Jesus, continuing their sequence after the third brother’s death (Mark 12:21). They present this scenario to Jesus while questioning the legal status of a woman married sequentially to seven brothers.
The words — ἀφῆκαν (aphēkan) translates literally to “left,” describing how each brother departed without offspring, while ἑπτὰ (hepta) denotes the specific number of men involved in the arrangement. The text records that none of these seven left children before the woman’s death.
The thread — This verse advances the Sadducees’ constructed case about levirate marriage, a legal tradition rooted in Deuteronomy 25:5–6. The narrative thread tracks the cumulative failure of each brother to produce an heir, culminating in the woman’s death to frame their resurrection dilemma (Mark 12:23).
Why it lands — It requires the reader to acknowledge the logical endpoint of the hypothetical before addressing the underlying theological challenge. The text demands direct engagement with the resurrection question rather than dismissal of the scenario’s premises.
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The Greek words
King James Version
And the seven had her, and left no seed: last of all the woman died also.