Mark 12:23

KJV

In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife.

KJV (with Strong's)

In {G1722} the resurrection {G386} therefore {G3767}, when {G3752} they shall rise {G450}, whose {G5101} wife {G1135} shall she be {G2071} of them {G846}? for {G1063} the seven {G2033} had {G2192} her {G846} to wife {G1135}.

Complete Jewish Bible

In the Resurrection, whose wife will she be? For all seven had her as wife."

Berean Standard Bible

In the resurrection, then, whose wife will she be? For all seven were married to her.”

American Standard Version

In the resurrection whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Mark 12:23 captures the Sadducees' challenging question to Jesus concerning the nature of resurrection life, specifically regarding marital status. They present a hypothetical scenario based on levirate marriage, where a woman sequentially marries seven brothers who all die childless. Their query, "In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife," is designed to expose what they perceive as an absurdity in the concept of a bodily resurrection, thereby undermining Jesus' teachings and the very doctrine of an afterlife.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** This verse is situated within a series of confrontations Jesus experiences in Jerusalem during the Passion Week, immediately following His parable of the wicked tenants and preceding His discourse on the greatest commandment. The Sadducees, a Jewish sect that rejected the resurrection, angels, and spirits (as noted in [Acts 23:8](/acts/23-8 "Acts 23:8 - Sadducees' Beliefs")), approach Jesus with a hypothetical case designed to ridicule the concept of resurrection. Their question in [Mark 12:23](/mark/12-23 "Mark 12:23 - Sadducees' Question on Resurrection") serves as the climax of their elaborate scenario, setting the stage for Jesus' profound and authoritative response in [Mark 12:24-27](/mark/12-24-27 "Mark 12:24-27 - Jesus' Answer on the Resurrection"), where He corrects their theological error by appealing to both the power of God and the Scriptures.

* **Historical & Cultural Context:** The Sadducees were a powerful priestly and aristocratic group in first-century Judaism, deeply entrenched in the Temple system. Unlike the Pharisees, they only accepted the Torah (the first five books of Moses) as authoritative Scripture and denied doctrines not explicitly stated within it, including the resurrection of the dead, angels, and the afterlife. Their question regarding the woman married to seven brothers is a direct application of the Mosaic Law of levirate marriage, found in [Deuteronomy 25:5-6](/deuteronomy/25-5-6 "Deuteronomy 25:5-6 - Law of Levirate Marriage"). This law stipulated that if a man died childless, his brother was obligated to marry the widow to raise up an heir for the deceased, thus preventing the family line and inheritance from dying out. The Sadducees' scenario, while extreme, was intended to highlight what they saw as an unresolvable problem if resurrection were true, thereby discrediting the doctrine and Jesus' affirmation of it.

* **Key Themes:** Mark 12:23 encapsulates several key themes central to the chapter and broader Gospel. Firstly, it highlights a profound **misunderstanding of the resurrection** by the Sadducees, who project earthly, temporal relationships onto an eternal, transformed reality. Their question reveals a limited view of God's power and the nature of future existence. Secondly, it underscores the **authority of Jesus** to interpret and reveal divine truth, as He masterfully dismantles their faulty premise. Thirdly, the verse directly precedes Jesus' teaching on the **transformed nature of resurrected life**, where earthly institutions like marriage do not carry over in the same form, as people "neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven" ([Mark 12:25](/mark/12-25 "Mark 12:25 - Nature of Resurrected Life")). This interaction also implicitly emphasizes the **importance of knowing and correctly interpreting Scripture** and the **power of God** ([Mark 12:24](/mark/12-24 "Mark 12:24 - Jesus' Rebuke to the Sadducees")), which the Sadducees evidently lacked.

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **resurrection (Greek, _anástasis'_):** (G386) Derived from `anístēmi` (G450), meaning "to stand up again" or "to rise up." In this context, it specifically refers to the rising of the dead, a central tenet of Jewish eschatology that the Sadducees rejected. The Sadducees' question hinges on their literal, earthly understanding of this "standing up again," failing to grasp the transformed nature of resurrected existence.
* **wife (Greek, _gynḗ'_):** (G1135) This term refers to a woman, specifically a wife. The Sadducees' entire argument revolves around the continuation of the marital relationship in the afterlife, assuming that the earthly institution of marriage, with its legal and social implications, would persist unchanged in the resurrection. Their question, "whose wife shall she be," directly challenges the logical coherence of resurrection if earthly marital bonds remain.
* **for (Greek, _gár'_):** (G1063) This particle introduces a reason or explanation. Here, it precedes the clause "the seven had her to wife," providing the justification or premise for the Sadducees' challenging question. It signals that the preceding query ("whose wife shall she be?") is directly necessitated by the complex marital history of the woman in their hypothetical scenario.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise":** This opening phrase sets the scene, explicitly stating the context of the Sadducees' inquiry. They are pressing Jesus on the very concept they deny – a future state of "standing up again" from death. The "therefore" (G3767, _oûn_) logically connects their question to the premise of resurrection, which Jesus taught. The phrase "when they shall rise" (G3752, _hótan_ and G450, _anístēmi_) emphasizes the future event of rising from the dead, which is the core of their theological dispute.
* **"whose wife shall she be of them?":** This is the Sadducees' direct question, framed as a dilemma. It highlights their fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of resurrected life. They assume that earthly relationships, particularly the legal and social bonds of marriage, would continue in the afterlife in the same form, creating an absurd situation where one woman would be simultaneously married to seven men. This question is designed to expose a perceived flaw in the doctrine of resurrection.
* **"for the seven had her to wife.":** This clause provides the justification for their question, detailing the hypothetical scenario. It explains that the woman in question had been married sequentially to all seven brothers according to the levirate marriage law, each dying without issue. This specific detail is crucial to their argument, as it creates the complex relational problem they believe the resurrection doctrine cannot resolve.

#### Literary Devices
The Sadducees employ a **Hypothetical Question** or **Case Study** as a primary literary device. They construct an elaborate, albeit extreme, scenario involving levirate marriage to create a perceived theological paradox. This is then presented as a **Rhetorical Question** ("whose wife shall she be?") which they believe has no satisfactory answer, thus intending to discredit the doctrine of resurrection and Jesus' teaching. There is also an element of **Irony**, as the Sadducees, who pride themselves on their knowledge of the Law, are about to be exposed by Jesus for their profound ignorance, not only of the Scriptures they claim to uphold but also of the very power of God. Their attempt to trap Jesus ultimately serves to illuminate their own theological blindness.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Mark 12:23, though a question from Jesus' adversaries, profoundly contributes to the New Testament's understanding of resurrection. It highlights that the Sadducees' error stemmed from a limited view of God's power and a misinterpretation of Scripture, failing to grasp that resurrected life transcends earthly limitations and relationships. The passage teaches that while marriage is a sacred institution in this life, it is a temporal covenant that serves purposes related to the present age, such as procreation and companionship. In the resurrection, existence is transformed, characterized by a direct, unmediated relationship with God, akin to angels, where the need for earthly marital bonds ceases, not because they are diminished, but because they are superseded by a greater, eternal reality. This understanding corrects anthropocentric projections onto divine eschatology, emphasizing God's transformative power.

* [1 Corinthians 15:35-49](/1_corinthians/15-35-49 "The Resurrected Body")
* [Luke 20:34-36](/luke/20-34-36 "Jesus' Teaching on Resurrection Marriage")
* [Acts 23:6-8](/acts/23-6-8 "Paul and the Sadducees/Pharisees")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
The Sadducees' misguided question in Mark 12:23 serves as a powerful reminder for believers today to avoid imposing human limitations and earthly paradigms onto divine truth. We are often tempted to confine God's plans and future realities within the boundaries of our current understanding or experience. This passage challenges us to expand our vision of God's power and the glorious, transformed nature of the life to come. While earthly relationships, including marriage, are precious gifts from God and vital for this present age, they are not ultimate. Our ultimate hope and joy lie in a direct, perfected relationship with God in eternity, a reality that will transcend and fulfill all earthly longings. This should encourage us to hold earthly blessings with an open hand, prioritizing our eternal citizenship and the spiritual realities revealed in Scripture. Furthermore, Jesus' rebuke to the Sadducees for not knowing the Scriptures or the power of God underscores the critical importance of diligent and humble engagement with God's Word, allowing it to shape our understanding of foundational doctrines like the resurrection, rather than relying on human logic or skepticism.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **In what ways might I be limiting God's power or His future plans by projecting my current, earthly understanding onto them?**
* **How does the understanding of a transformed existence in the resurrection impact my perspective on earthly relationships and priorities?**
* **Am I diligently studying God's Word to ensure my beliefs about eternal realities are grounded in divine revelation, or am I relying on assumptions or human reasoning?**

### FAQ
**What was the Sadducees' primary theological error in asking this question?**

Answer: The Sadducees' primary error was twofold, as Jesus points out in [Mark 12:24](/mark/12-24 "Jesus' Rebuke"): they did not know the Scriptures and they did not know the power of God. They failed to grasp that God's power is sufficient to raise the dead into a transformed state, and they misinterpreted the Scriptures by projecting earthly marital customs onto the eternal, spiritual reality of the resurrection, assuming that human institutions would persist unchanged in the afterlife.

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

Answer: They presented this extreme scenario, involving a woman married to seven brothers under the law of [levirate marriage](/deuteronomy/25-5-6 "Deuteronomy 25:5-6 - Law of Levirate Marriage"), to expose what they considered an absurdity in the doctrine of resurrection. Their intention was to trap Jesus in a logical dilemma that would discredit His teachings on the afterlife and the very concept of a bodily resurrection, which they vehemently denied. They believed their convoluted case would prove the resurrection to be an illogical and impractical idea.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Mark 12:23, though a question posed by skeptics, ultimately points to the profound reality of Christ's victory over death and His centrality to the doctrine of resurrection. The Sadducees' flawed understanding of resurrection is definitively corrected by Jesus, who Himself is the embodiment of resurrection life. His own triumph over the grave, as described in [Mark 16:6](/mark/16-6 "The Empty Tomb"), fundamentally validates the concept of a bodily resurrection and demonstrates God's limitless power. Jesus declares, "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live" ([John 11:25](/john/11-25 "Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life")). The transformed nature of resurrected life, where earthly marital bonds are superseded, finds its ultimate fulfillment in our eternal union with Christ. In Him, believers are promised a future resurrection into a glorious, imperishable body, free from the limitations and sorrows of this age ([1 Corinthians 15:42-44](/1_corinthians/15-42-44 "The Resurrected Body's Nature")). Our ultimate identity and relationships in eternity will be perfectly centered on Christ, the Lamb of God, and our participation in His eternal kingdom, a reality far grander than any earthly institution could contain ([Revelation 21:3-4](/revelation/21-3-4 "God Dwells with His People")).

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.