Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother:
Parallel translations
- WEB Now there were with us seven brothers. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother.
- BSB Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died without having children. So he left his wife to his brother.
- NKJV Now there were with us seven brothers. The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother.
- NASB Now there were seven brothers among us; and the first married and died, and having no children, he left his wife to his brother.
- NLT Well, suppose there were seven brothers. The oldest one married and then died without children, so his brother married the widow.
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
They describe seven brothers, the first of whom dies childless and leaves his wife to the next. The scenario builds toward their challenge.
Overview
The elaborate case of seven brothers successively marrying the same woman is designed to make resurrection look ridiculous. The detail heightens the supposed dilemma about whose wife she would be. Jesus' reply will show that their problem rests on a false assumption about the nature of resurrection life.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Heb 9:27And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
- Luke 20:29–33There were therefore seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and died without children.
- Mark 12:19–23Master, 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.
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
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 22:25 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.