Luke 20:32

KJV

Last of all the woman died also.

KJV (with Strong's)

{G1161} Last {G5305} of all {G3956} the woman {G1135} died {G599} also {G2532}.

Complete Jewish Bible

Lastly, the woman also died.

Berean Standard Bible

And last of all, the woman died.

American Standard Version

Afterward the woman also died.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Luke 20:32 serves as the climactic, yet understated, conclusion to the Sadducees' elaborate hypothetical scenario presented to Jesus, detailing the death of a woman who had successively married seven brothers according to levirate marriage law. This seemingly simple statement marks the final earthly event in their complex "trap" designed to challenge Jesus's teaching on the resurrection, setting the stage for His profound revelation concerning the nature of life in the age to come.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** This verse is the concluding statement of the Sadducees' theological challenge to Jesus, which begins in [Luke 20:27](/luke/20-27 "Luke 20:27 - The Sadducees Question Jesus About the Resurrection"). Following their introduction as a group that denies the resurrection, they present a highly detailed and seemingly airtight case involving a woman and seven brothers, all of whom die childless after marrying her in accordance with the levirate marriage law ([Deuteronomy 25:5-6](/deuteronomy/25-5-6 "Deuteronomy 25:5-6 - The Law of Levirate Marriage")). The statement "Last of all the woman died also" in [Luke 20:32](/luke/20-32 "Luke 20:32 - The Woman Dies Last") completes the earthly narrative, making the Sadducees' subsequent question in [Luke 20:33](/luke/20-33 "Luke 20:33 - The Sadducees' Question") about the woman's marital status in the resurrection appear unanswerable from their limited perspective. It is the final piece of their carefully constructed logical dilemma, intended to expose what they believed to be the absurdity of resurrection.

* **Historical & Cultural Context:** The Sadducees were a prominent Jewish sect during the Second Temple period, primarily composed of the priestly aristocracy and wealthy elites. Unlike the Pharisees, they accepted only the written Torah (the Pentateuch) as authoritative scripture and rejected the concept of a bodily resurrection, the existence of angels, and the immortality of the soul, as noted in [Acts 23:8](/acts/23-8 "Acts 23:8 - Sadducees Deny Resurrection and Angels"). Their challenge to Jesus regarding levirate marriage was rooted in a genuine Mosaic Law, which mandated that if a man died childless, his brother should marry the widow to raise up offspring for the deceased, ensuring the family line and inheritance continued. The Sadducees' use of this law in their hypothetical scenario reflects their literalistic interpretation of the Torah and their inability to conceive of an existence that transcends earthly institutions and biological realities. Their question was not a sincere inquiry but a calculated attempt to publicly discredit Jesus by demonstrating the perceived logical inconsistencies of belief in the resurrection.

* **Key Themes:** Luke 20:32, within its broader context, contributes to several significant themes. Firstly, it underscores the **Sadducees' profound misunderstanding of resurrection**, revealing their projection of earthly limitations and social structures onto the eternal realm. Their scenario highlights their belief that resurrection would merely be a continuation of mortal life, complete with its societal norms like marriage, rather than a transformed existence. Secondly, the verse helps to establish the **temporary nature of earthly institutions**, particularly marriage, in contrast to the eternal realities of God's kingdom. While marriage is a sacred covenant in this life, Jesus's subsequent teaching in [Luke 20:34-36](/luke/20-34-36 "Luke 20:34-36 - Jesus's Teaching on Marriage in the Resurrection") clarifies that it does not persist in the resurrected state, where believers are "like angels" and "children of God." Finally, the verse serves as a crucial **setup for Jesus's divine wisdom and authority**. By presenting this seemingly unanswerable dilemma, the Sadducees unwittingly provide Jesus with an opportunity to reveal deeper truths about God's power and the nature of eternal life, demonstrating His unparalleled insight into spiritual matters that eluded even the most learned religious leaders of His time.

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **Last (Greek, _hýsteron'_):** This adverb, derived from the neuter of *hýsteros*, signifies "more lately" or "eventually," translating as "afterward" or "at the last (of all)." In Luke 20:32, its placement emphasizes the chronological finality of the woman's death within the Sadducees' narrative. It marks the ultimate conclusion of the earthly chain of events, ensuring that all parties involved in their hypothetical dilemma had passed away, thereby setting the stage for their "gotcha" question about the afterlife.
* **woman (Greek, _gynḗ'_):** This noun, meaning "a woman" or "a wife," is central to the Sadducees' entire scenario. She is the common link between the seven brothers, and her successive marriages and eventual death are the linchpin of their argument against the resurrection. The focus on her as the "woman" underscores the human, earthly dimension of their theological puzzle, which Jesus will then transcend with a divine perspective.
* **died (Greek, _apothnḗskō'_):** Derived from *apo* (from) and *thnḗskō* (to die), this verb means "to die off," literally or figuratively. Here, it signifies the physical cessation of life, completing the cycle of mortality for all characters in the Sadducees' story. The stark reality of death, repeated seven times for the brothers and finally for the woman, is precisely what the Sadducees believe makes the concept of resurrection, particularly with earthly marital ties, illogical.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"Last of all":** This phrase functions as a temporal marker, indicating the final event in the Sadducees' carefully constructed sequence of deaths. It signifies the culmination of their earthly narrative, implying that every participant in their hypothetical scenario has now passed away, thus making their subsequent question about the resurrection seem logically inescapable from their human perspective.
* **"the woman died":** This clause states the ultimate fate of the central figure in the Sadducees' dilemma. Her death, following that of all seven brothers, completes the earthly cycle of relationships and mortality, underscoring the finality of physical life as understood by the Sadducees and setting up the theological problem they intend to pose to Jesus.
* **"also":** This conjunction (Greek *kai*) connects the woman's death to the preceding deaths of her seven husbands. It emphasizes that her demise is part of the same pattern of mortality that affected the brothers, reinforcing the Sadducees' premise that all earthly ties and conditions, including marriage, are dissolved by death, and thus, resurrection must confront this reality.

#### Literary Devices
Luke 20:32, though brief, functions as a powerful narrative **Culmination** within the Sadducees' elaborate hypothetical. It serves as the final, necessary detail to complete their "trap," ensuring that all characters in their story have met their earthly end before their "gotcha" question is posed. This verse also employs **Understatement** or **Simplicity** in its delivery. The plain declaration of the woman's death belies the profound theological implications it introduces, setting the stage for a debate about the nature of the afterlife and the power of God. Furthermore, it acts as a **Setup** for the **Rhetorical Trap** the Sadducees intend to spring, providing the final piece of information needed for their seemingly unanswerable question in the following verse.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Luke 20:32, while a simple statement of fact, is pregnant with theological significance as it sets the stage for Jesus's profound teaching on the nature of the resurrection. It highlights the vast chasm between human, earthly understanding of life and relationships, and God's eternal, transformative plan. The Sadducees' inability to conceive of a resurrected existence that transcends the limitations of human institutions like marriage reveals a fundamental spiritual blindness, not only to the power of God but also to the true meaning of the Scriptures they claimed to uphold. Jesus's response to their scenario, directly prompted by this verse, corrects their flawed anthropology and eschatology, revealing that the resurrected state is not merely an extension of earthly life but a new, transformed reality where human relationships are reconfigured in light of divine sonship and immortality.

* [Matthew 22:23-33](/matthew/22-23-33 "Matthew 22:23-33 - The Sadducees and the Resurrection")
* [Mark 12:18-27](/mark/12-18-27 "Mark 12:18-27 - Jesus's Teaching on the Resurrection")
* [1 Corinthians 15:42-44](/1_corinthians/15-42-44 "1 Corinthians 15:42-44 - The Nature of the Resurrected Body")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Luke 20:32, within its narrative context, invites us to critically examine our own assumptions about the afterlife and the nature of God's eternal kingdom. Just as the Sadducees projected their earthly understanding onto spiritual realities, we too can fall into the trap of limiting God's power and wisdom by our finite human logic and experience. This passage challenges us to cultivate a vision of eternity that transcends our present customs, relationships, and even our most cherished institutions. It reminds us that while earthly life and its relationships are precious and divinely ordained for this age, they are ultimately temporary. Our ultimate hope and identity are found not in their perpetuation but in the transformed, glorified existence that awaits us in Christ. This calls us to trust in God's perfect wisdom, especially when faced with spiritual questions that seem paradoxical or beyond our comprehension, and to prioritize eternal realities over transient concerns.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **In what ways might I be projecting my current earthly experiences or cultural norms onto my understanding of heaven or eternal life?**
* **How does Jesus's response to the Sadducees, prompted by this verse, challenge my assumptions about the nature of resurrected existence and relationships?**
* **What spiritual truths or aspects of God's power might I be limiting due to my own human logic or inability to grasp the divine?**
* **How can I cultivate a greater trust in God's wisdom regarding matters that seem unanswerable or paradoxical from my earthly perspective?**

### FAQ
**Why do the Sadducees present such a complicated scenario to Jesus?**

Answer: The Sadducees constructed this elaborate hypothetical, culminating in [Luke 20:32](/luke/20-32 "Luke 20:32 - The Woman Dies Last"), not to seek truth but to trap Jesus. As a sect that denied the resurrection of the dead ([Acts 23:8](/acts/23-8 "Acts 23:8 - Sadducees Deny Resurrection and Angels")), they believed that by presenting a scenario based on the Mosaic Law of levirate marriage ([Deuteronomy 25:5-6](/deuteronomy/25-5-6 "Deuteronomy 25:5-6 - The Law of Levirate Marriage")), they could expose the concept of resurrection as absurd and logically inconsistent. Their intention was to publicly discredit Jesus's teachings and authority by demonstrating that His beliefs led to an unresolvable marital dilemma in the afterlife.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Luke 20:32, by concluding the Sadducees' earthly dilemma, perfectly sets the stage for Jesus to unveil the profound truth of the resurrection, which finds its ultimate fulfillment and meaning in Himself. The Sadducees' question about marriage in the resurrection reveals their limited, earthbound understanding, failing to grasp that the new creation in Christ transcends the old. Jesus's subsequent teaching in [Luke 20:34-36](/luke/20-34-36 "Luke 20:34-36 - Jesus's Teaching on Marriage in the Resurrection") reveals that in the resurrection, people "neither marry, nor are given in marriage," but are "like the angels" and "children of God, being children of the resurrection." This transformed state is made possible through Christ, who is "the resurrection and the life" ([John 11:25](/john/11-25 "John 11:25 - Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life")). He breaks the power of death, which the Sadducees saw as final, and inaugurates a new reality where believers participate in His eternal, glorified life, a life not bound by the limitations of this fallen world. Our hope for resurrection is not a mere continuation of earthly existence but a radical transformation into conformity with Christ's glorious body ([Philippians 3:20-21](/philippians/3-20-21 "Philippians 3:20-21 - Our Citizenship is in Heaven")), where all things are made new in Him ([Revelation 21:5](/revelation/21-5 "Revelation 21:5 - Behold, I Make All Things New")).

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

Ecclesiastes 9:5

For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.

Ecclesiastes 1:4

¶ [One] generation passeth away, and [another] generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.

Hebrews 9:27

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Judges 2:10

And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.