Mark 12:21

KJV

And the second took her, and died, neither left he any seed: and the third likewise.

KJV (with Strong's)

And {G2532} the second {G1208} took {G2983} her {G846}, and {G2532} died {G599},{G2532} neither {G3761} left {G863} he {G846} any seed {G4690}: and {G2532} the third {G5154} likewise {G5615}.

Complete Jewish Bible

Then the second one took her and died without leaving children, and the third likewise,

Berean Standard Bible

Then the second one married the widow, but he also died and left no children. And the third did likewise.

American Standard Version

and the second took her, and died, leaving no seed behind him; and the third likewise:

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Mark 12:21 continues the Sadducees' elaborate hypothetical scenario presented to Jesus, aiming to discredit the doctrine of resurrection. This verse specifically details the fate of the second and third brothers in their contrived story, who, like the first, marry the same woman in succession and die without leaving offspring, thereby intensifying the perceived dilemma regarding the woman's marital status in the afterlife.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** Mark 12:21 is an integral part of a pivotal confrontation between Jesus and the Sadducees, meticulously recorded in [Mark 12:18-27](/mark/12-18-27 "Mark 12:18-27 - Jesus and the Sadducees on the Resurrection"). This passage immediately follows Jesus' encounters with the Pharisees and Herodians regarding taxes, and the scribes regarding the greatest commandment, highlighting a series of challenges to His authority and teaching. The Sadducees' question, centered on a woman married sequentially to seven brothers, is designed as a logical trap, building to an absurd conclusion if resurrection were true. This verse, by continuing the list of deceased brothers, amplifies the complexity of their hypothetical, setting the stage for Jesus' profound and paradigm-shifting answer about the nature of the resurrected life.
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** The Sadducees were a prominent Jewish sect during the Second Temple period, primarily composed of aristocratic priests and wealthy landowners. Distinct from the Pharisees, they accepted only the written Torah (the Pentateuch) as authoritative scripture and vehemently denied the resurrection of the dead, the existence of angels, and the immortality of the soul. Their challenge to Jesus was rooted in their literalistic interpretation of the Mosaic Law, specifically the Levirate marriage law found in [Deuteronomy 25:5-6](/deuteronomy/25-5-6 "Deuteronomy 25:5-6 - The Law of Levirate Marriage"). This law mandated that if a man died childless, his brother should marry the widow to "raise up offspring for his brother," ensuring the family line and inheritance continued. The Sadducees' hypothetical, involving seven brothers, was an exaggerated application of this law, intended to expose what they perceived as an inherent contradiction between the Law and the concept of resurrection.
* **Key Themes:** This verse, by extending the Sadducees' narrative, contributes to several significant themes within the broader passage. Firstly, it underscores **The Sadducees' Challenge to Resurrection**, showcasing their attempt to use a seemingly unresolvable earthly dilemma to invalidate a core tenet of Jewish eschatology. Their question reveals a fundamental **Misunderstanding of God's Power and the Nature of the Afterlife**, as they project human limitations and societal structures onto divine realities. The repetition of brothers dying without issue also serves to **Amplify the Perceived Absurdity** of their scenario, thereby intensifying the dramatic tension and preparing the audience for Jesus' subsequent, divinely inspired wisdom. Jesus' response in [Mark 12:24-27](/mark/12-24-27 "Mark 12:24-27 - Jesus' Answer on the Resurrection") directly addresses their error, revealing their ignorance of both the scriptures and the power of God.

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

#### Key Word Analysis
* **second (Greek, _deúteros'_):** This word, derived from the comparative of "two," signifies the ordinal position in a sequence. In Mark 12:21, it precisely marks the progression of the Sadducees' hypothetical, indicating the next brother in line to marry the widow after the first has died. Its use emphasizes the sequential nature of the tragedy within their contrived scenario, building the cumulative effect of the seven brothers.
* **died (Greek, _apothnḗskō'_):** This verb, meaning "to die off," refers to the cessation of physical life. In this context, it highlights the repeated and tragic demise of each brother, central to the Sadducees' argument. The consistent outcome of death without offspring is the linchpin of their "problem," as it necessitates the next brother's marriage under the Levirate law, thereby escalating the perceived marital complication in the resurrection.
* **seed (Greek, _spérma'_):** Literally "something sown," this term implies offspring or progeny. The phrase "neither left he any seed" is crucial, as it directly references the condition that triggers the Levirate marriage law in [Deuteronomy 25:5](/deuteronomy/25-5 "Deuteronomy 25:5 - The Condition for Levirate Marriage"). The repeated failure to produce offspring is the driving force behind the Sadducees' escalating hypothetical, making the woman a widow multiple times over and intensifying the "problem" they present to Jesus regarding her status in the resurrection.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"And the second took her, and died,"**: This clause continues the narrative established in the preceding verse, where the first brother married the woman and died childless. Here, the "second" brother fulfills the Levirate duty by marrying the widow. The immediate mention of his death underscores the tragic and repetitive nature of the Sadducees' hypothetical, quickly moving the story forward to set up their intended dilemma.
* **"neither left he any seed:"**: This phrase is critical, as it reiterates the specific condition that necessitates the continuation of the Levirate marriage chain. Just like the first brother, the second brother also dies without producing an heir. This detail is essential for the Sadducees' argument, as it justifies the subsequent marriages and builds the cumulative "problem" of the woman having been married to multiple men.
* **"and the third likewise."**: This concise statement efficiently advances the narrative, indicating that the third brother followed the same pattern as the first two. He also married the widow and, implicitly, died without leaving any offspring, mirroring the identical fate of his predecessors. The use of "likewise" (Greek, _hōsaútōs'_) signals the continuation of the pattern, emphasizing the escalating number of brothers involved in this childless sequence, which is central to the Sadducees' attempt to create an unresolvable dilemma for Jesus regarding the resurrection.

#### Literary Devices
Mark 12:21, as part of the Sadducees' larger question, effectively employs several literary devices to achieve its rhetorical purpose. The primary device is the **Hypothetical Scenario**, as the Sadducees construct an elaborate, albeit fictional, situation to challenge Jesus. Within this scenario, **Repetition** is evident in the recurring pattern of brothers marrying the same woman and dying childless, which serves to build the cumulative effect and emphasize the perceived absurdity of the situation if marriage were to continue in the afterlife. Furthermore, the entire account, particularly the involvement of seven brothers, utilizes **Exaggeration** or **Hyperbole**. While the Levirate law was real, a scenario involving seven successive childless deaths is highly improbable, designed to push the boundaries of the law to an extreme and highlight what the Sadducees believed was a logical flaw in the doctrine of resurrection.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Mark 12:21, in its continuation of the Sadducees' flawed hypothetical, highlights a crucial theological point: the danger of limiting God's power and the realities of the afterlife to human understanding and earthly conventions. The Sadducees, bound by their literalistic interpretation of the Law and their denial of resurrection, could not conceive of an existence beyond the physical and procreative aspects of marriage. Their question, epitomized by the escalating dilemma in this verse, reveals a profound misunderstanding of the nature of resurrected life, which Jesus corrects by stating that in the resurrection, people "neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven" ([Mark 12:25](/mark/12-25 "Mark 12:25 - Marriage in the Resurrection")). This passage thus serves as a powerful reminder that God's future kingdom transcends our present earthly paradigms, operating on a different, divinely ordained order.

* [Matthew 22:23-33](/matthew/22-23-33 "Matthew 22:23-33 - The Sadducees' Question and Jesus' Reply")
* [Luke 20:27-40](/luke/20-27-40 "Luke 20:27-40 - The Sadducees and the Resurrection")
* [Deuteronomy 25:5-6](/deuteronomy/25-5-6 "Deuteronomy 25:5-6 - The Law of Levirate Marriage")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
The Sadducees' question in Mark 12:21 and its context offer profound lessons for contemporary believers. It challenges us to examine our own preconceptions about God's nature and the future. Are we, like the Sadducees, inadvertently limiting God's power by projecting our earthly experiences and logical frameworks onto divine realities? This passage encourages us to cultivate a faith that trusts in God's boundless power and wisdom, even when His ways transcend our full comprehension. It reminds us that the resurrected life will be fundamentally different, marked by a transformed existence that moves beyond the structures and needs of our current world. Rather than getting entangled in speculative dilemmas about the afterlife, we are called to focus on the revealed truths of Scripture concerning God's sovereignty, the promise of resurrection, and the eternal hope found in Him. Our hope is not in the continuation of earthly arrangements but in the glorious new creation God is bringing forth.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **In what ways might I be limiting God's power or understanding of heavenly realities based on my earthly experiences or logic?**
* **How does the promise of a transformed existence in the resurrection, where earthly norms like marriage are transcended, shape my current priorities and relationships?**
* **What specific truths about God's character and power, as revealed in this passage, can strengthen my faith when faced with doubts or complex theological questions?**

### FAQ

**Why did the Sadducees present such an extreme hypothetical scenario to Jesus?**

Answer: The Sadducees crafted this extreme scenario involving seven brothers to expose what they believed was a logical absurdity in the doctrine of the resurrection. Since they only accepted the Pentateuch and denied the resurrection, they used the Levirate marriage law ([Deuteronomy 25:5-6](/deuteronomy/25-5-6 "Deuteronomy 25:5-6 - The Law of Levirate Marriage")) as a legal precedent. By escalating the situation to seven brothers, they aimed to create an insurmountable problem: if there was a resurrection and marriage continued, to which of the seven brothers would the woman be married? Their goal was not to seek truth but to publicly discredit Jesus and the concept of resurrection, which was a core belief of the Pharisees and early Christians.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
While Mark 12:21 itself describes a human dilemma, its significance is fully realized in Jesus' response, which profoundly reorients our understanding of life, death, and the future through a Christ-centered lens. The Sadducees' question, rooted in their denial of resurrection, highlights humanity's inherent struggle to grasp existence beyond the grave. Jesus, however, is not merely a teacher of resurrection but the very embodiment of it. He declares, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live" ([John 11:25](/john/11-25 "John 11:25 - Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life")). His own resurrection from the dead, foretold and accomplished, utterly demolishes the Sadducees' earthly logic and provides the ultimate answer to their hypothetical. In Christ, the future is not a mere continuation of earthly arrangements but a glorious transformation. The "new creation" ([2_corinthians/5-17](/2_corinthians/5-17 "2 Corinthians 5:17 - The New Creation in Christ")) in Him transcends the limitations of sin and death, including the need for procreation to continue a lineage. Jesus' victory over death means that in the resurrection, believers will experience a glorified existence, "like angels in heaven" ([Mark 12:25](/mark/12-25 "Mark 12:25 - Marriage in the Resurrection")), not bound by earthly institutions but fully consumed by the eternal relationship with God, made possible through His atoning work and triumphant resurrection.

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.