Luke 20:30 - The second took her as wife, and he died childless.
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What does "Luke 20:30" mean?
Luke 20:30 refers to a specific legal and cultural practice called levirate marriage. Here's a breakdown of what it means in the context of the verse:
Levirate Marriage: This was an ancient Israelite law (found in Deuteronomy 25:5-10) designed to ensure the continuation of a family line when a married man died without children.
The Scenario: In the story Jesus is responding to, a woman had been married to seven brothers, each of whom died without fathering any children with her. Each brother, one after the other, took her as his wife according to the law.
"The second took her as wife, and he died childless" This means the second brother, following the death of the first, married his brother's widow, fulfilling the levirate duty. However, he, too, died without having any children with her. This continued until all seven brothers had died.
Childless: The crucial part is that each brother died "childless." If even one of the brothers had produced an heir with the woman, the levirate duty would have been fulfilled, and the other brothers would not have been obligated to marry her.
Purpose of the Law: The primary purpose of levirate marriage was to provide an heir for the deceased brother. The first son born to the widow and the surviving brother was considered the legal son of the deceased brother, ensuring that his name and inheritance continued.
The Question in Luke 20: The Sadducees (who didn't believe in resurrection) were trying to trick Jesus with this hypothetical scenario. They asked, in the resurrection, whose wife would the woman be, since she had been married to all seven brothers? They were trying to highlight what they believed to be a logical absurdity in the idea of resurrection.
Luke 20:30 - The second took her as wife, and he died childless.
What does "Luke 20:30" mean?
Luke 20:30 refers to a specific legal and cultural practice called levirate marriage. Here's a breakdown of what it means in the context of the verse:
Levirate Marriage: This was an ancient Israelite law (found in Deuteronomy 25:5-10) designed to ensure the continuation of a family line when a married man died without children.
The Scenario: In the story Jesus is responding to, a woman had been married to seven brothers, each of whom died without fathering any children with her. Each brother, one after the other, took her as his wife according to the law.
"The second took her as wife, and he died childless" This means the second brother, following the death of the first, married his brother's widow, fulfilling the levirate duty. However, he, too, died without having any children with her. This continued until all seven brothers had died.
Childless: The crucial part is that each brother died "childless." If even one of the brothers had produced an heir with the woman, the levirate duty would have been fulfilled, and the other brothers would not have been obligated to marry her.
Purpose of the Law: The primary purpose of levirate marriage was to provide an heir for the deceased brother. The first son born to the widow and the surviving brother was considered the legal son of the deceased brother, ensuring that his name and inheritance continued.
The Question in Luke 20: The Sadducees (who didn't believe in resurrection) were trying to trick Jesus with this hypothetical scenario. They asked, in the resurrection, whose wife would the woman be, since she had been married to all seven brothers? They were trying to highlight what they believed to be a logical absurdity in the idea of resurrection.