There were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and dying left no offspring.
Parallel Translations
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There were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and dying left no offspring.
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Ther were seven brethren: and the fyrst toke a wyfe and when he dyed leeft no seed behynde him.
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There were seuen brethren, and the first tooke a wife, and when he died, left no issue.
Cross-references (2)
Passages linked to Mark 12:20 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Matthew 22:25-28 Now there were with us seven brothers. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother. In the same way, the second also, and the third, to the seventh. After them all, the woman died. In the resurrection therefore, whose wife will she be of the seven? For they all had her.”
- Luke 20:29-33 There were therefore seven brothers. The first took a wife, and died childless. The second took her as wife, and he died childless. The third took her, and likewise the seven all left no children, and died. Afterward the woman also died. Therefore in the resurrection whose wife of them will she be? For the seven had her as a wife.”
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (4 sources)
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John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 20 Now there were seven brethren: and the first…
20 Now there were seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed.
Ver. 20. {See Trapp on "Mat 22:25"}
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And the seventh had her, and left no seed,....…
And the seventh had her, and left no seed,.... All, the seven brethren married her, one after another, and neither of them had any children by her:
and last of all the woman died also; after all the seven brethren, to whom she had been married.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 20. there were seven brethren] It was probably a…
20. there were seven brethren] It was probably a fictitious case, for the Jews were averse to the fulfilling of the enactment at all.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 There were seven brothers
There were seven brothers
The Sadducees talk about a situation that did not really happen because they want Jesus to tell them what he thinks is right and wrong. AT: "Suppose there were seven brothers" (See: Hypothetical Situations)
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the first ... the second ... the third
These numbers refer to each of the brothers and can be expressed as such. AT: "the first brother ... the second brother ... the third brother" (See: Ellipsis)
The seven
This refers to all the brothers. AT: "The seven brothers" (See: Ellipsis)
the first took a wife ... the second took her
"the first married a woman ... the second married her." Here marrying a woman is spoken of as "taking" her.
the third likewise
It may be helpful to explain what "likewise" means. AT: "the third brother married her as his other bothers did, and he also died leaving no children" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
The seven left no children
Each of the brothers married the woman and then died before he had any children with her. This can be stated clearly. AT: "Eventually all seven brothers married that woman one by one, but none of them had any children with her, and one by one they died" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be?
The Sadducees are testing Jesus by asking this question. If your readers can only understand this as a request for information, this can be written as a statement. AT: "Now tell us whose wife she will be in the resurrection, when they all rise again." (See: Rhetorical Question)
translationWords
die
resurrection
raise
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.