Matthew 22:27

KJV

And last of all the woman died also.

KJV (with Strong's)

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

Complete Jewish Bible

After them all, the woman died.

Berean Standard Bible

And last of all, the woman died.

American Standard Version

And after them all, the woman died.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Matthew 22:27 concludes the Sadducees' elaborate, hypothetical scenario presented to Jesus, serving as the final, seemingly unassailable premise in their attempt to discredit the concept of resurrection. This brief statement, "And last of all the woman died also," marks the end of the earthly lives of all seven brothers and their shared wife, setting the stage for their pivotal question regarding marital status in the afterlife, which Jesus masterfully refutes by revealing profound truths about the nature of resurrected existence and God's power.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** This verse is the culmination of a challenge posed by the Sadducees to Jesus, recorded in [Matthew 22:23-33](/matthew/22-23-33 "Matthew 22:23-33 - The Sadducees' Question About the Resurrection"). Immediately preceding [Matthew 22:27](/matthew/22-27 "Matthew 22:27 - The Woman's Death"), the Sadducees detail a levirate marriage scenario where seven brothers sequentially marry the same woman, each dying childless ([Matthew 22:25-26](/matthew/22-25-26 "Matthew 22:25-26 - The Sadducees' Hypothetical Scenario")). The death of the woman in [Matthew 22:27](/matthew/22-27 "Matthew 22:27 - The Woman's Death") completes their setup, leading directly to their "whose wife shall she be of the seven?" question in [Matthew 22:28](/matthew/22-28 "Matthew 22:28 - The Sadducees' Question"). Jesus' subsequent response, beginning in [Matthew 22:29](/matthew/22-29 "Matthew 22:29 - Jesus' Response to the Sadducees"), directly addresses their flawed understanding of God's power and the nature of the resurrection, making this verse a critical narrative pivot.
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** The Sadducees were a prominent Jewish sect during the Second Temple period, known for their strict adherence to the written Torah and their rejection of oral traditions, the resurrection of the dead, the existence of angels, and spirits (as noted in [Acts 23:8](/acts/23-8 "Acts 23:8 - Sadducee Beliefs")). Their challenge to Jesus was rooted in their theological opposition to the resurrection, which they considered an absurdity. The "levirate marriage" law, central to their hypothetical, is found in [Deuteronomy 25:5-10](/deuteronomy/25-5-10 "Deuteronomy 25:5-10 - The Law of Levirate Marriage"), which mandated that a brother marry his deceased, childless brother's widow to raise up offspring for the deceased. The Sadducees' elaborate story was designed to expose what they perceived as a logical inconsistency or even a moral dilemma if resurrection were true, believing that the concept of eternal life would lead to an untenable continuation of earthly institutions like marriage.
* **Key Themes:** This verse, though brief, contributes to several key themes within [Matthew 22](/matthew/22 "Matthew 22 - Parables, Challenges, and Prophecies") and the broader Gospels. Firstly, it underscores the **universality of death**, a stark reality for all mortals, which the Sadducees implicitly acknowledge even as they deny life beyond it. Secondly, it highlights the **Sadducean misconception** of the afterlife; they attempted to apply earthly, procreative institutions and limitations to a spiritual, eternal state, demonstrating their profound misunderstanding of God's power and the transformed nature of resurrected existence, a point Jesus directly corrects in [Matthew 22:29-30](/matthew/22-29-30 "Matthew 22:29-30 - Jesus' Teaching on Resurrection and Marriage"). Finally, the verse serves to **set the stage for divine revelation**, as the Sadducees' flawed premise inadvertently provides Jesus with the perfect opportunity to articulate profound truths about the resurrection, the nature of angels, and the eternal covenant relationship with God, as seen in [Matthew 22:31-32](/matthew/22-31-32 "Matthew 22:31-32 - God of the Living").

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

#### Key Word Analysis
* **last (Greek, _hýsteron'_):** This adverb means "more lately" or "eventually," indicating a sequence in time. In the context of the Sadducees' story, it emphasizes that the woman's death was the final event in the series of deaths, completing the earthly narrative before their question about the resurrection. It underscores the chronological end of the human life cycle within their presented scenario.
* **woman (Greek, _gynḗ'_):** This term refers to a female, specifically a wife in this context. The Sadducees' use of "the woman" (with the definite article) highlights her as the central figure around whom the levirate marriage dilemma revolves, having been married to all seven brothers. Her individual identity, though central to the problem, is subsumed by her role in the Sadducees' theological trap.
* **died (Greek, _apothnḗskō'_):** Derived from "away from" and "to die," this verb signifies "to die off" or "to be slain." It denotes the physical cessation of life. In this verse, it confirms the finality of her earthly existence, mirroring the deaths of her seven husbands, and thus completing the Sadducees' setup for their question about the state of individuals in the resurrection.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"And last of all":** This phrase establishes the chronological conclusion of the Sadducees' hypothetical narrative. It emphasizes that the woman's death was the final event in the sequence of deaths, creating the complete scenario upon which their challenge to Jesus' teaching on the resurrection would be based. It highlights the exhaustive nature of their example.
* **"the woman":** This refers to the central figure of the Sadducees' elaborate story, the widow who, according to the levirate marriage law, was married sequentially to seven brothers, each of whom died childless. Her identity is defined by her role in this complex, hypothetical family tree, which is designed to expose a perceived absurdity in the concept of resurrection.
* **"died also":** This clause confirms the physical death of the woman, mirroring the deaths of her seven husbands. The word "also" (Greek: _kai_) signifies that her death was a parallel and equally final event in the earthly realm, completing the Sadducees' setup and leading directly to their question about her marital status in the resurrection. It underscores the universality of death within their premise.

#### Literary Devices
Matthew 22:27, though a simple declarative statement, functions as a crucial element within the Sadducees' **hypothetical narrative**, which is itself a form of **rhetorical device** designed to corner Jesus. The verse acts as the **climax** of their setup, bringing their elaborate, multi-layered scenario to its logical, earthly conclusion. There is a subtle **irony** in the Sadducees' use of this statement; by emphasizing the finality of death, they inadvertently provide Jesus with the perfect opportunity to articulate the transformative power of the resurrection, which transcends earthly limitations. The phrase "died also" serves as a **parallelism** to the repeated deaths of the brothers, reinforcing the inescapable reality of mortality within their earthly framework, thereby setting up the dramatic contrast with Jesus' teaching on eternal, transformed life.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Matthew 22:27, by completing the Sadducees' death-filled narrative, underscores the universal reality of human mortality, a truth that serves as the backdrop for the profound hope offered by the resurrection. The Sadducees' error lay in their inability to conceive of a transformed existence, attempting to impose earthly limitations and institutions onto the divine realm. Jesus' response to their challenge, prompted by this verse, reveals that God is not the God of the dead, but of the living, and that resurrection life transcends the procreative and social structures of this age, pointing to a spiritual reality where relationships are reconfigured in light of God's eternal purposes.

* [Mark 12:25](/mark/12-25 "Mark 12:25 - In the Resurrection, No Marriage") - Parallel account of Jesus' teaching that in the resurrection, people neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.
* [Luke 20:34-36](/luke/20-34-36 "Luke 20:34-36 - Children of the Resurrection") - Luke's parallel emphasizes that those counted worthy to attain the resurrection neither marry nor die, but are equal to angels and are children of God.
* [1 Corinthians 15:42-44](/1_corinthians/15-42-44 "1 Corinthians 15:42-44 - The Nature of the Resurrected Body") - Paul's teaching on the resurrection body, contrasting the perishable, dishonorable, and weak earthly body with the imperishable, glorious, and powerful spiritual body.

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
While a seemingly simple statement of fact within a larger narrative, Matthew 22:27 prompts us to consider the profound implications of our mortality and the nature of eternal life. The Sadducees' limited worldview, constrained by earthly logic, prevented them from grasping the expansive power of God and the transformed reality of the resurrection. For believers today, this serves as a powerful reminder not to confine God's wisdom or the spiritual realm to our finite understanding. We are called to live with an eternal perspective, acknowledging the certainty of death while clinging to the hope of resurrection that transcends earthly limitations and redefines human relationships in light of God's eternal purposes. It encourages us to trust in a God who is capable of far more than we can imagine, a God who brings life out of death and transforms our very being for an eternal, spiritual reality.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **How does the Sadducees' limited understanding of God's power challenge my own assumptions about the spiritual realm?**
* **In what ways might I be attempting to impose earthly limitations or expectations on God's divine plan for eternity?**
* **How does the certainty of death, as highlighted in this verse, inform my daily living and my preparation for eternity?**
* **What comfort and hope do I draw from Jesus' subsequent teaching about the transformed nature of relationships and life in the resurrection?**

### FAQ

**Why do the Sadducees present such a complex scenario involving seven brothers and one woman?**

Answer: The Sadducees, who denied the resurrection of the dead, constructed this elaborate hypothetical scenario to create a seemingly unresolvable dilemma for Jesus. Their intention was to expose what they perceived as an absurdity in the concept of resurrection, specifically how earthly institutions like levirate marriage (mandated in [Deuteronomy 25:5-10](/deuteronomy/25-5-10 "Deuteronomy 25:5-10 - The Law of Levirate Marriage")) would function in an afterlife. By having the woman marry seven brothers sequentially, all dying childless, they aimed to force Jesus into a corner regarding "whose wife she would be" in the resurrection, thereby discrediting his teaching and the very idea of a resurrected life.

**What is the significance of the woman dying "last of all"?**

Answer: The phrase "last of all" signifies the chronological culmination of the Sadducees' hypothetical narrative. It means that the woman's death was the final event in the series of deaths within their story, completing the earthly sequence for all eight individuals involved (the seven brothers and the woman). This final death sets the stage for their direct question about the woman's marital status in the resurrection, as all earthly ties have now been severed by death, making the "resurrection problem" acute for them.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Matthew 22:27, by concluding the Sadducees' death-centric narrative, inadvertently sets the stage for Jesus to reveal profound truths about the resurrection, which is ultimately fulfilled in His own person and work. The Sadducees' flawed premise, rooted in their inability to comprehend a transformed existence, highlights the very reason for Christ's coming: to conquer death and open the way to eternal life. Jesus' response in [Matthew 22:29-32](/matthew/22-29-32 "Matthew 22:29-32 - Jesus' Teaching on the Resurrection") declares that God is the God of the living, not the dead, a truth powerfully demonstrated by Christ's own resurrection from the grave ([Matthew 28:1-10](/matthew/28-1-10 "Matthew 28:1-10 - The Resurrection of Jesus")). His victory over death ([1 Corinthians 15:54-57](/1_corinthians/15-54-57 "1 Corinthians 15:54-57 - Victory Over Death")) transforms the very nature of human existence, demonstrating that in Him, believers are not merely resurrected to a continuation of earthly life but to a new, spiritual reality where the limitations of this age, including marriage, are transcended ([Romans 6:4](/romans/6-4 "Romans 6:4 - Newness of Life")). The woman's death in the Sadducees' story, while intended to expose a problem, ultimately foreshadows the need for a Savior who would conquer death itself and usher in a new creation where life is eternal and relationships are perfected in God's presence ([Revelation 21:4](/revelation/21-4 "Revelation 21:4 - No More Death or Sorrow")).

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.