Mark 12:18-27
Lexham English Bible
A Question About Marriage and the Resurrection
18 And Sadducees—who say there is no resurrection—came up to him and began to ask[a] him, saying, 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if someone’s brother dies and he leaves behind a wife and does not leave a child, that his brother should take the wife and father[b] descendants for his brother. 20 There were seven brothers, and the first took a wife. And when he[c] died, he did not leave descendants. 21 And the second took her, and he died without leaving descendants. And the third likewise. 22 And the seven did not leave descendants. Last of all the woman also died. 23 In the resurrection, when they rise, whose[d] wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife. 24 Jesus said to them, “Are you not deceived because of this, because you[e] do not know the scriptures or the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26 Now concerning the dead, that they are raised, have you not read in the book of Moses in the passage about the bush[f] how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob’?[g] 27 He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are very much mistaken!”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Mark 12:18 The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began to ask”)
- Mark 12:19 Literally “raise up”
- Mark 12:20 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“died”) which is understood as temporal
- Mark 12:23 Literally “who of them”
- Mark 12:24 Here “because” is supplied as a component of the participle (“know”) which is understood as causal
- Mark 12:26 Literally “at the bush”
- Mark 12:26 A quotation from Exod 3:6
Mark 12:18-27
New International Version
Marriage at the Resurrection(A)
18 Then the Sadducees,(B) who say there is no resurrection,(C) came to him with a question. 19 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.(D) 20 Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children. 21 The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third. 22 In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too. 23 At the resurrection[a] whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?”
24 Jesus replied, “Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures(E) or the power of God? 25 When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.(F) 26 Now about the dead rising—have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the account of the burning bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’[b]?(G) 27 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!”
Footnotes
- Mark 12:23 Some manuscripts resurrection, when people rise from the dead,
- Mark 12:26 Exodus 3:6
Mark 12:18-27
New Living Translation
Discussion about Resurrection
18 Then Jesus was approached by some Sadducees—religious leaders who say there is no resurrection from the dead. They posed this question: 19 “Teacher, Moses gave us a law that if a man dies, leaving a wife without children, his brother should marry the widow and have a child who will carry on the brother’s name.[a] 20 Well, suppose there were seven brothers. The oldest one married and then died without children. 21 So the second brother married the widow, but he also died without children. Then the third brother married her. 22 This continued with all seven of them, and still there were no children. Last of all, the woman also died. 23 So tell us, whose wife will she be in the resurrection? For all seven were married to her.”
24 Jesus replied, “Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God. 25 For when the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage. In this respect they will be like the angels in heaven.
26 “But now, as to whether the dead will be raised—haven’t you ever read about this in the writings of Moses, in the story of the burning bush? Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, God said to Moses,[b] ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’[c] 27 So he is the God of the living, not the dead. You have made a serious error.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 12:19 See Deut 25:5-6.
- 12:26a Greek in the story of the bush? God said to him.
- 12:26b Exod 3:6.
2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.