Mark 12:22 - and the seven took her and left no children. Last of all the woman also died.

Generated Verse: Mark 12:22

What does "Mark 12:22" mean?


This verse is part of a hypothetical scenario Jesus is presented with by the Sadducees, a Jewish sect that didn't believe in the resurrection of the dead. They were trying to trap Jesus in a theological contradiction.

Here's a breakdown of what the verse and the larger context mean:

The scenario: The Sadducees presented a case based on the law of levirate marriage (Deuteronomy 25:5-6). This law stated that if a married man died without having children, his brother was obligated to marry the widow. The purpose was to continue the deceased brother's lineage and ensure that his name and inheritance were preserved.

"And the seven took her and left no children.": This means that sequentially, seven brothers married the same woman after each one died without producing an heir. The law of levirate marriage obligated each brother to marry her, but none of them had children with her.

"Last of all the woman also died.": After all seven brothers had died, the woman herself also passed away.

The Sadducees' question: The Sadducees then posed a question to Jesus to try and discredit the idea of resurrection: "In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For all seven had her as wife." (Mark 12:23). They believed this scenario exposed a logical problem with the concept of resurrection. They were trying to paint the resurrection as absurd, since in their earthly understanding of marriage, the woman would be in an impossible situation in the afterlife, supposedly being married to seven men.

Jesus's Response: Jesus rebukes them for their misunderstanding of both the Scriptures and the power of God. He says that in the resurrection, people will not marry or be given in marriage, but will be like angels in heaven. This is a complex passage with multiple interpretations, but one way of thinking about it is that earthly relationships will not have the same form or significance in the resurrected life as they do now.

In summary, the verse "and the seven took her and left no children. Last of all the woman also died" is a crucial part of a hypothetical situation designed by the Sadducees to challenge Jesus's beliefs about resurrection. It depicts a series of levirate marriages where a woman marries seven brothers, none of whom produce an heir before dying, after which the woman also dies. It highlights the Sadducees' attempt to expose a logical contradiction in the concept of resurrection based on their earthly understanding of marriage and relationships.

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