Mark 12:20

Simplified Cowboy Version

Say there were seven brothers and the oldest brother marries a woman, but dies before they have any kids.

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.

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

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.

Contextual Overview

¹⁸Some Sadducees (religious politicians who didn't believe in life after death—meaning they tried to get as much out of this life as they could) took their turn trying to trap Jesus. ¹⁹They asked him, "Sir, Moses told us that God said, 'If a man's brother is married and dies, then the brother is to marry his former sister-in-law and have some kids in memory of his dead brother.' But what about this scenario? ²⁰Say there were seven brothers and the oldest brother marries a woman, but dies before they have any kids. ²¹Then the next brother marries her and he dies before they have any kids. ²²This goes on until every brother has married her and died without a single kid being born. Finally, the woman dies too. ²³If there is life after death, whose wife will she be in heaven?" ²⁴Jesus said to them, "Y'all ain't got a clue what you're talking about. Y'all don't know God's words from a cow turd. And you certainly don't know anything about the power of God. ²⁵When people are raised from the dead and enter heaven, none of them will be married to anyone, but rather, they will be like the angels. ²⁶But, let's cut to the chase here. Y'all are asking me about life after death and you don't even believe in that. Have you not read in Moses's book, in the section about the burning bush, how God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He didn't say he had been the God of those great guys, but that he is the God of them. ²⁷Those guys are alive with him because he is the God of the living, not the dead. You boys couldn't find a forty-pound truth if it was hanging off the end of your nose."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

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

Reciprocal: Mark 2:25 - Have

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.