Matthew 22:26 - In the same way, the second also, and the third, to the seventh.

Generated Verse: Matthew 22:26

What does "Matthew 22:26" mean?


This verse is part of a story Jesus tells to the Sadducees, who didn't believe in the resurrection. They were trying to trap him with a hypothetical question about the afterlife.

Here's the context and what the verse means within that story:

The Scenario: The Sadducees present a scenario based on Deuteronomy 25:5-6, which mandates that if a married man dies without having children, his brother should marry his widow to continue the family line. They describe a situation where one woman marries seven brothers in succession, each dying without producing an heir.

The Question: Their question is: "Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her." (Matthew 22:28) They're trying to paint the resurrection as absurd by suggesting a complicated and potentially polyandrous situation.

Matthew 22:26: "In the same way, the second also, and the third, to the seventh." This verse is simply a connecting phrase within the story. It emphasizes that the same situation (the brother marrying the widow and then dying) happened repeatedly, from the second brother all the way to the seventh.

In essence, the verse highlights the repetitive nature of the scenario the Sadducees are setting up to make their point. It's not a statement about the resurrection itself but rather a detail within the hypothetical question they are posing to Jesus.