Luke 20 32

Luke 20:32 kjv

Last of all the woman died also.

Luke 20:32 nkjv

Last of all the woman died also.

Luke 20:32 niv

Finally, the woman died too.

Luke 20:32 esv

Afterward the woman also died.

Luke 20:32 nlt

Finally, the woman also died.

Luke 20 verses

Luke 20 32 Meaning

Luke 20:32 concludes the Sadducees' elaborate hypothetical scenario by stating that, following the seven brothers, the woman also died. This verse signifies the ultimate mortality of all individuals within their earthly premise, setting the stage for their question about her marital status in the resurrection and Jesus' subsequent revelation of the nature of the resurrected state.

Luke 20 32 Context

Luke 20:32 is part of Jesus' encounter with the Sadducees, recorded in Luke 20:27-40. The Sadducees, an aristocratic priestly group, accepted only the Pentateuch (the first five books of Moses) as authoritative Scripture and famously denied the resurrection of the dead, angels, and spirits (Acts 23:8). Their motive was to trick Jesus, and by extension, discredit the idea of resurrection, which they considered illogical.

They presented a hypothetical situation based on the Mosaic law of Levirate marriage (Deut 25:5-10), which required a man to marry his deceased brother's widow if he died childless, in order to raise up an heir for the deceased. Their riddle involved a woman marrying seven brothers sequentially, each dying without offspring. The final statement in their premise, "And last of all the woman died also" (Luke 20:32), brings the earthly part of their story to a close, setting up their seemingly unanswerable question: "Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven?" (Luke 20:33). Jesus' answer (Luke 20:34-38) transcends their earthly perspective, explaining that the resurrected state is profoundly different from life on earth.

Luke 20 32 Word analysis

• And (καί, kai): This conjunction links the woman's death to the preceding sequence of deaths of the seven brothers. It indicates a continuation or addition to the series of unfortunate events in the Sadducees' scenario, emphasizing that all individuals involved ultimately succumbed to mortality.
• last (ἔσχατον, eschaton): Signifies the final position in a series or sequence. In this context, it underscores that the woman's death is the culmination of the Sadducees' elaborate earthly scenario. This word implies a temporal finality regarding their constructed problem, preceding the inquiry about an eternal state. It highlights the completeness of mortality in their earthly example.
• of all (πάντων, pantōn): Means "of all" or "of everyone." It provides an all-encompassing scope, indicating that every individual in the Sadducees' narrative (the seven brothers and the woman) faced death. This detail reinforces the shared mortality of the characters within their presented earthly problem.
• the woman (ἡ γυνή, hē gynē): Refers to the central female figure in the Sadducees' convoluted story. She is the object of their legal and social dilemma, and her status in the afterlife forms the crux of their challenge to Jesus. Her specific mention emphasizes that her fate, like the men's, involves death.
• died (ἀπέθανεν, apethanen): This is the aorist active indicative form of the verb apothnēskō, meaning "to die" or "passed away." The aorist tense denotes a simple, completed past action, without specifying duration. It states a clear, undeniable fact—physical death—which is the prerequisite for the Sadducees' question about the resurrection, which they denied. This word highlights the common endpoint of earthly existence for all characters.
• also (καί, kai): Used again as an adverb, it signifies "in addition" or "likewise." It emphasizes that her death is consistent with, and an addition to, the deaths of the seven brothers, reinforcing the pervasive reality of death within their hypothetical setup.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• And last of all: This opening phrase dramatically marks the completion of the earthly tragedy, setting up the critical question about the afterlife. It underscores the temporal conclusion of their premise.
• the woman died also: This statement explicitly brings the story's main subject, the woman, to the same end as the brothers. It solidifies the universal mortality depicted, thereby making the question of what happens after death the only remaining logical inquiry. The phrase highlights the inevitable culmination of earthly life for everyone involved in their human-conceived dilemma, creating a contrast to the transcendent, divine reality Jesus will subsequently reveal.

Luke 20 32 Bonus section

• The Sadducees' skepticism about the resurrection was rooted in their focus solely on the written Torah, arguing that no clear proof of resurrection existed there. They resisted ideas prevalent among the Pharisees and common folk, likely viewing them as innovations or external influences. Jesus, by referencing Exodus 3:6 (God speaking to Moses about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob long after their deaths), proved resurrection from the Torah itself, directly countering their objection on their own chosen ground (Lk 20:37-38).
• This exchange between Jesus and the Sadducees underscores a fundamental difference between an earth-bound, human-logic perspective and a divinely revealed, eternal perspective. The Sadducees' error was projecting the temporal limitations and concerns of earthly life onto the limitless and transformed reality of the resurrection.
• Jesus' complete response in Luke 20:34-38 is often seen as a pivotal teaching on the nature of the resurrected body and the spiritual transformation that believers will undergo. It signifies freedom from earthly constraints and a new form of existence fully oriented towards God, mirroring angelic existence in not needing procreation.

Luke 20 32 Commentary

Luke 20:32, though a short and seemingly simple statement, serves a crucial role in the Sadducees' attempted theological trap. It acts as the final punchline of their contrived story, emphasizing that all participants in their scenario died, bringing the complex earthly marital entanglement to a conclusive end. This prepares the listener for their impending question: "Whose wife will she be?" The Sadducees assume that resurrected life would merely be a continuation of earthly existence, including marriage, social structures, and familial relationships, only complicated seven-fold by their example. Jesus, however, immediately after this verse, proceeds to dismantle their flawed premise by explaining that marriage is an institution of "this age" and not relevant to the "sons of the resurrection" (Lk 20:34-36), who are like angels and children of God, no longer subject to death. Thus, verse 32 is the final earthly setup before Jesus elevates the conversation to the profound truths of the eternal and spiritual realm, directly challenging their worldly, materialistic understanding of the resurrection.