And the third took her; and in like manner the seven also: and they left no children, and died.
Parallel translations
- WEB The third took her, and likewise the seven all left no children, and died.
- BSB and the third married the widow, and in the same way all seven died, leaving no children.
- NKJV Then the third took her, and in like manner the seven also; and they left no children, and died.
- NASB and the third married her; and in the same way all seven died, leaving no children.
- NLT Then the third brother married her. This continued with all seven of them, who died without children.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
All seven brothers in turn marry the woman, and each dies leaving no children.
Overview
The complete chain of seven husbands is meant to sharpen the supposed absurdity. By the end, the woman has been wife to all seven. The Sadducees believe this proves resurrection leads to contradiction, but their error lies in misunderstanding the nature of the coming life.
Cross-references & the web
No cross-references recorded for this verse.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 20:31 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.