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Wednesday, July 9th, 2025
the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
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Read the Bible

Simplified Cowboy Version

Mark 12:23

If there is life after death, whose wife will she be in heaven?"

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:

- 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 (Ii.);   Mental Characteristics;   Resurrection;   Resurrection of the Dead;   Seed (2);   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Chief parables and miracles in the bible;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
In the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be, since the seven had married her?”
King James Version (1611)
In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seuen had her to wife.
King James Version
In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife.
English Standard Version
In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife."
New American Standard Bible
"In the resurrection, which one's wife will she be? For each of the seven had her as his wife."
New Century Version
Since all seven brothers had married her, when people rise from the dead, whose wife will she be?"
Amplified Bible
"In the resurrection, whose wife will she be? For all seven [brothers] were married to her."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"In the resurrection, when they rise again, which one's wife will she be? For all seven had married her."
Legacy Standard Bible
In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For all seven had married her."
Berean Standard Bible
In the resurrection, whose wife will she be? For all seven were married to her."
Contemporary English Version
When God raises people from death, whose wife will this woman be? After all, she had been married to all seven brothers.
Complete Jewish Bible
In the Resurrection, whose wife will she be? For all seven had her as wife."
Darby Translation
In the resurrection, when they shall rise again, of which of them shall she be wife, for the seven had her as wife?
Easy-to-Read Version
But all seven brothers had married her. So at the time when people rise from death, whose wife will she be?"
Geneva Bible (1587)
In the resurrection then, when they shall rise againe, whose wife shall she be of them? for seuen had her to wife.
George Lamsa Translation
Therefore at the resurrection, whose wife will she be? for all seven had married her.
Good News Translation
Now, when all the dead rise to life on the day of resurrection, whose wife will she be? All seven of them had married her."
Lexham English Bible
In the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.
Literal Translation
Then in the resurrection, when they rise again, of which of them will she be the wife? For the seven had her as wife.
American Standard Version
In the resurrection whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife.
Bible in Basic English
In the future life, when they come back from the dead, whose wife will she be? for the seven had her for a wife.
Hebrew Names Version
In the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be of them? For the seven had her as a wife."
International Standard Version
In the resurrection, whose wife will she be, since the seven had married her?"had her as wife
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Etheridge Translation
In the resurrection therefore, whose from them shall she be the wife ? for the seven of them had her.
Murdock Translation
In the resurrection, therefore, of which of them will she be the wife? For all the seven took her.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
In the resurrection therfore, when they shall rise agayne, whose wyfe shall she be of them? for seuen had her to wife.
English Revised Version
In the resurrection whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife.
World English Bible
In the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be of them? For the seven had her as a wife."
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them?
Weymouth's New Testament
At the Resurrection whose wife will she be? For they all seven married her."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Thanne in the resurreccioun, whanne thei schulen rise ayen, whos wijf of these schal sche be? for seuene hadden hir to wijf.
Update Bible Version
In the resurrection, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her as wife.
Webster's Bible Translation
In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her for a wife.
New English Translation
In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For all seven had married her."
New King James Version
Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be? For all seven had her as wife."
New Living Translation
So tell us, whose wife will she be in the resurrection? For all seven were married to her."
New Life Bible
When people are raised from the dead, whose wife will she be? All seven had her for a wife."
New Revised Standard
In the resurrection whose wife will she be? For the seven had married her."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
In the resurrection, - of, which, of them shall she be, wife? For, the seven, had her to wife.
Douay-Rheims Bible
In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise again, whose wife shall she be of them? For the seven had her to wife.
Revised Standard Version
In the resurrection whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife."
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
In the resurreccio then when they shall ryse agayne: whose wyfe shall she be of them? For seven had her to wyfe.
Young's Literal Translation
in the rising again, then, whenever they may rise, of which of them shall she be wife -- for the seven had her as wife?'
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Now in the resurreccion whan they shal ryse agayne, whose wife shal she be of them? For seuen had her to wife.
Mace New Testament (1729)
at the time therefore of the resurrection, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of the seven?

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

Reciprocal: Psalms 31:23 - O love

Gill's Notes on the Bible

In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise,.... This last clause, "when they shall rise", is omitted in two copies of Beza's, and in the Syriac, Arabic, Persic, and Ethiopic versions, because, perhaps, it might be thought superfluous; but this is agreeably to the way of speaking and writing with the Jews: so in the Targum on Zechariah 3:7: באחיות מיתיא אחינך, "in the quickening of the dead I will quicken thee"; or, in the resurrection of the dead I will raise thee. The question put on supposition of a resurrection, and that these seven brethren, and the wife they all had should rise, then is,

whose wife shall she be of them? of the seven brethren;

for the seven had her to wife. She was, according to law, the lawful wife of all seven; what particular and special claim could one have to her above the rest? Zechariah 3:7- :.

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.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 23. When they shall rise — This clause is wanting in BCDL, four others, Syriac, later Arabic, later Persic, Coptic, Saxon, and two of the Itala. Griesbach leaves it doubtful.


 
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