Luke 20:28 kjv
Saying, Master, Moses wrote unto us, If any man's brother die, having a wife, and he die without children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.
Luke 20:28 nkjv
saying: "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife, and he dies without children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.
Luke 20:28 niv
"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.
Luke 20:28 esv
and they asked him a question, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.
Luke 20:28 nlt
They posed this question: "Teacher, Moses gave us a law that if a man dies, leaving a wife but no children, his brother should marry the widow and have a child who will carry on the brother's name.
Luke 20 28 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Deut 25:5-6 | If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child... her husband's brother shall go in unto her... and raise up unto his brother | The core levirate marriage law quoted. |
| Mk 12:18-27 | Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection... | Parallel account of the Sadducees' challenge to Jesus. |
| Matt 22:23-33 | The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection... | Another parallel account, confirming the core issue. |
| Lk 20:27 | Then came to him certain of the Sadducees, which deny that there is any resurrection... | Immediate preceding verse, stating Sadducees' belief. |
| Lk 20:34-36 | Jesus answered and said unto them, The children of this world marry... but they which shall be accounted worthy... neither marry, nor are given... | Jesus' direct response explaining the nature of resurrection. |
| Gen 38:8 | And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother. | Practical example of levirate principle before Mosaic Law. |
| Ruth 4:5-10 | ...I must redeem it, and take Ruth the Moabitess... to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance... | Redemption and preserving lineage, echoing levirate intent. |
| Num 27:8-11 | If a man die, and have no son, then ye shall cause his inheritance to pass unto his daughter... | Laws of inheritance preserving family name and property. |
| Lk 20:40 | And after that they durst not ask him any question at all. | Outcome of Jesus' authoritative response to Sadducees. |
| 1 Cor 15:35-49 | But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? | Paul's comprehensive teaching on resurrection bodies. |
| Heb 11:13-16 | These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them... | Faith in a future, heavenly dwelling and resurrection. |
| Act 23:8 | For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both. | Confirms Sadducees' theological denial of resurrection. |
| Lk 20:19 | And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him; for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them. | Jesus facing opposition from various religious groups. |
| Lk 20:21 | And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly... | The pattern of addressing Jesus with 'Master' while seeking to trap Him. |
| Isa 26:19 | Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. | Old Testament prophecy indicating future resurrection. |
| Dan 12:2 | And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. | Clear Old Testament teaching on resurrection. |
| Hos 13:14 | I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues... | Prophetic promise of redemption from death and grave. |
| Lk 18:27 | And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. | Theme of God's power transcending human limitations. |
| Eph 1:19-20 | And what is the exceeding greatness of his power... when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places. | God's power demonstrated in Christ's resurrection. |
| Deut 5:1 | And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day... | General reference to Moses writing laws for Israel. |
| Rom 1:3-4 | Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord... declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection. | Resurrection central to Christ's identity and power. |
| Acts 4:2 | Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. | Apostles preached resurrection, opposing Sadducean views. |
Luke 20 verses
Luke 20 28 Meaning
Luke 20:28 records the Sadducees' statement to Jesus, introducing their challenge concerning the resurrection. They cite the Mosaic Law of levirate marriage, as found in Deut 25:5-6, which stipulates that if a man dies childless and leaves a widow, his brother is obligated to marry the widow and raise offspring (seed) for the deceased brother. This verse sets the stage for their elaborate hypothetical scenario of a woman successively marrying seven brothers who all die without children, posing a "problem" for the resurrection in their limited, earthly understanding.
Luke 20 28 Context
Luke 20:28 is part of a series of confrontations between Jesus and various religious leaders in Jerusalem during His final week before His crucifixion. Following questions about His authority (Lk 20:1-8) and a parable warning the leaders (Lk 20:9-18), the Sadducees approach Jesus. Unlike the Pharisees who believed in resurrection and angels, the Sadducees held to a strict, literal interpretation of the Pentateuch (the first five books of Moses) and denied any afterlife, resurrection, angels, or spirits. Their question in this verse, stemming from the law of levirate marriage, was not a genuine inquiry but a cynical attempt to expose what they believed was a logical absurdity in the concept of resurrection, thereby discrediting Jesus and His teaching, particularly as He had spoken much about the kingdom and future life. The practice of levirate marriage (Deut 25:5-6) was established to preserve a deceased brother's name and inheritance by providing him with an heir through his surviving brother. The Sadducees exploited this earthly legal framework to construct a seemingly unsolvable marital dilemma in the resurrection, revealing their limited, materialistic understanding of the spiritual realities.
Luke 20 28 Word analysis
- Saying: Introduces the direct quote of the Sadducees' challenge, indicating a verbal address.
- Master (Didaskale, διδάσκαλε): A respectful title meaning "teacher." The Sadducees use it to acknowledge Jesus' public role, even while seeking to trap Him, adding a layer of ironic politeness to their hostile intent.
- Moses (Mōysēs, Μωϋσῆς): The Lawgiver. The Sadducees emphasize Moses' authority because they only accepted the Pentateuch as divinely authoritative. Their argument rests solely on the Mosaic Law.
- wrote (egrapsen, ἔγραψεν): Refers to Moses' authorship of the Pentateuch, particularly Deut 25:5-6. It highlights their appeal to the written word of the Torah.
- unto us: Signifies the Law's direct applicability to Israel.
- If any man’s brother die: Establishes the specific condition triggering the levirate law. The core scenario is the death of a man.
- having a wife: Indicates the marital status of the deceased brother.
- he die without children (atekton, ἄτεκνος): A crucial condition for the levirate duty. "Children" (tekna, τέκνα) specifically refers to male heirs. The purpose of the law was to perpetuate the deceased's name through offspring. This highlights the focus on lineal descent and continuity.
- that his brother should take (lambanein, λαμβάνειν) his wife: The legal injunction for the surviving brother to marry his deceased brother's widow. This action was a duty, not merely an option.
- and raise up seed (sperma, σπέρμα) unto his brother: The primary purpose and legal requirement of the levirate marriage. "Seed" denotes offspring, specifically a male heir, to carry on the deceased brother's name and inheritance. This wasn't for the surviving brother's legacy, but to provide an heir to the dead man, showing a concern for family lineage and the continuity of inheritance in ancient Israelite society.
Words-group by words-group analysis
- "Saying, Master, Moses wrote unto us": This opening establishes the Sadducees' method. They address Jesus formally ("Master") but immediately appeal to their highest authority, Moses, framing their argument as rooted in divinely given law. This setup attempts to force Jesus into a corner: either contradict Moses (and lose credibility) or agree to an earthly conundrum that they believe would nullify the idea of resurrection.
- "If any man’s brother die, having a wife, and he die without children": This segment precisely outlines the prerequisites for applying the levirate law. The focus is on the absence of children for the deceased, which made the continuation of the family line, name, and inheritance critically dependent on the levirate duty. This emphasizes the Sadducees' attention to the law's details and their focus on earthly, biological continuation.
- "that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother": This is the core instruction of the levirate law. "Take his wife" denotes the required marriage, and "raise up seed unto his brother" highlights the explicit purpose: to ensure an heir for the deceased, thus preserving his lineage and inheritance. This provision existed solely for the purpose of continuity in this earthly life, a key point Jesus addresses in His response regarding the nature of the resurrection.
Luke 20 28 Bonus section
The Sadducees’ question was characteristic of their theological position. They were aristocratic priests who accepted only the Pentateuch as scripture and denied oral tradition, resurrection, angels, and spirits. They attempted to ridicule the concept of resurrection by extending an earthly law (levirate marriage, designed for earthly lineage) to a non-earthly reality. Their argument implied that God's law would become chaotic or contradictory in the resurrection if their interpretation of future life was correct. This hypothetical "seven brothers" scenario was a common method of rabbinic argumentation, taking a law to its logical (or absurd) extreme to test its limits. Jesus, however, masterfully disarms their trap by showing they misunderstood "both the scriptures and the power of God" (Matt 22:29). The true intention of the levirate law was to preserve a name, illustrating God’s faithfulness to perpetuate family lines in an earthly context, but in resurrection, this specific purpose becomes obsolete because life is eternal and new.
Luke 20 28 Commentary
Luke 20:28 serves as the premise for the Sadducees' famous challenge to Jesus regarding the resurrection. By quoting the Mosaic Law on levirate marriage from Deut 25:5-6, they aimed to create a paradoxical situation that, in their view, logically disproved the concept of resurrection. Their reasoning was strictly literal and bound by earthly concerns: if people marry in resurrection, how would multiple brothers sharing one wife work? This revealed their fundamental misunderstanding of the resurrected state, believing it to be merely an extension of earthly life and its social structures. Jesus' subsequent response (Lk 20:34-36) powerfully corrects their error, clarifying that marriage is an earthly institution for procreation and that resurrected life is different, akin to angels, where neither marriage nor death exists. This challenges their limited view of God's power and exposes their theological deficiency in denying the resurrection, despite hints of it even in the Mosaic Law (e.g., God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, indicating continued existence, Lk 20:38).