Lectionary Calendar
Tuesday, July 15th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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Read the Bible

King James Version

Mark 12:20

Now there were seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Jesus, the Christ;   Marriage;   Resurrection;   Sadducees;   Satire;   The Topic Concordance - Marriage;   Resurrection;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Sadducees, the;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Government;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Christianity;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Sadducees;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Mark, the Gospel of;   Resurrection;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Mss;   Resurrection;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Dead, the ;   Family (Jesus);   Immortality (2);   Israel, Israelite;   Levirate Law ;   Marriage;   Marriage (Ii.);   Mental Characteristics;   Numbers (2);   Resurrection;   Resurrection of the Dead;   Seed;   Seed (2);   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Chief parables and miracles in the bible;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Phar'isees,;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Resurrection;   Sadducees;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
There were seven brothers. The first married a woman, and dying, left no offspring.
King James Version (1611)
Now there were seuen brethren: and the first tooke a wife, and dying left no seede.
English Standard Version
There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no offspring.
New American Standard Bible
"There were seven brothers; and the first took a wife, and died leaving no children.
New Century Version
Once there were seven brothers. The first brother married and died, leaving no children.
Amplified Bible
"There were seven brothers; the first [one] took a wife, and died leaving no children.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"There were seven brothers; and the first took a wife, and died leaving no children.
Legacy Standard Bible
There were seven brothers; and the first married a wife, and died leaving no seed.
Berean Standard Bible
Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died, leaving no children.
Contemporary English Version
There were once seven brothers. The first one married, but died without having any children.
Complete Jewish Bible
There were seven brothers. The first one took a wife, and when he died, he left no children.
Darby Translation
There were seven brethren; and the first took a wife, and dying did not leave seed;
Easy-to-Read Version
There were seven brothers. The first brother married but died. He had no children.
Geneva Bible (1587)
There were seuen brethren, and the first tooke a wife, and when he died, left no issue.
George Lamsa Translation
Now there were seven brothers; the first one took a wife and died, and left no off- spring.
Good News Translation
Once there were seven brothers; the oldest got married and died without having children.
Lexham English Bible
There were seven brothers, and the first took a wife. And when he died, he did not leave descendants.
Literal Translation
Then there were seven brothers. And the first took a wife, and dying, he left no seed.
American Standard Version
There were seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed;
Bible in Basic English
There were seven brothers: and the first took a wife, and at his death there were no offspring;
Hebrew Names Version
There were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and dying left no offspring.
International Standard Version
There were seven brothers. The first one married and died without having children.
Etheridge Translation
Seven brethren there were. The first took a wife, and died, and left not seed.
Murdock Translation
There were seven brothers: and the first took a wife, and died, and left no seed.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
There were seuen brethren: and the first toke a wyfe, and when he dyed, left no seede behynde hym.
English Revised Version
There were seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed;
World English Bible
There were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and dying left no offspring.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
There were seven brethren, and the first took a wife, and dying, left no seed.
Weymouth's New Testament
There were once seven brothers, the eldest of whom married a wife, but at his death left no family.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Thanne seuene britheren ther weren; and the firste took a wijf, and diede, and lefte no seed.
Update Bible Version
There were seven brothers: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed;
Webster's Bible Translation
Now there were seven brothers: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed.
New English Translation
There were seven brothers. The first one married, and when he died he had no children.
New King James Version
Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife; and dying, he left no offspring.
New Living Translation
Well, suppose there were seven brothers. The oldest one married and then died without children.
New Life Bible
There were seven brothers. The first was married. He died before he had any children.
New Revised Standard
There were seven brothers; the first married and, when he died, left no children;
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Seven brethren, there were: and, the first, took a wife, and, dying, left no seed, -
Douay-Rheims Bible
Now there were seven brethren: and the first took a wife and died leaving no issue.
Revised Standard Version
There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no children;
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Ther were seven brethren: and the fyrst toke a wyfe and when he dyed leeft no seed behynde him.
Young's Literal Translation
`There were then seven brothers, and the first took a wife, and dying, he left no seed;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Now were there seuen brethren: the first toke a wife, and dyed, and left no sede:
Mace New Testament (1729)
now there were seven brothers: the first married a wife and died, leaving her without any children.
Simplified Cowboy Version
Say there were seven brothers and the oldest brother marries a woman, but dies before they have any kids.

Contextual Overview

18 Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying, 19 Master, Moses wrote unto us, If a man's brother die, and leave his wife behind him, and leave no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. 20 Now there were seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed. 21 And the second took her, and died, neither left he any seed: and the third likewise. 22 And the seven had her, and left no seed: last of all the woman died also. 23 In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife. 24 And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God? 25 For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven. 26 And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? 27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Matthew 22:25-28, Luke 20:29-33

Reciprocal: Mark 2:25 - Have

Cross-References

Genesis 12:6
And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.
Genesis 12:11
And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon:
Genesis 12:14
And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair.
Genesis 12:15
The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house.
Exodus 18:27
And Moses let his father in law depart; and he went his way into his own land.
Proverbs 21:1
The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord , as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Now there were seven brethren,.... In a certain family, at a certain place; perhaps at Jerusalem, who were brethren by the father's side; for such only were reckoned so, and such only did this law oblige:

and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed: no child: hence it is clear that the ancient Jews used the word seed, of a single person, as these Sadducees did; though modern ones deny such an use of it in our present controversies with them about the sense of Genesis 3:15;

Genesis 3:15- :.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See this passage fully explained in the notes at Matthew 22:23-33.

Mark 12:25

Are as the angels - That is, as the angels in respect to connections and relations. What those connections and relations may be we know not, but this passage teaches that the special relation of “marriage” will not exist. It does not affirm, however, that there will be no recollection of former marriages, or no recognition of each other as having existed in this tender relation.

Mark 12:26

How in the bush - At the burning bush. See Exodus 3:16. The meaning is, “in that part of the book of Exodus which contains the account of the burning bush. When there were no chapters and verses, it was the easiest way of quoting a book of the Old Testament “by the subject,” and in this way it was often done by the Jews.


 
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