Mark 12:19 kjv
Master, Moses wrote unto us, If a man's brother die, and leave his wife behind him, and leave no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.
Mark 12:19 nkjv
"Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, and leaves his wife behind, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.
Mark 12:19 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.
Mark 12:19 esv
"Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.
Mark 12:19 nlt
"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.
Mark 12 19 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Deut 25:5-6 | "If brothers dwell together...if one dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man...brother shall take her..." | Original Mosaic Levirate law. |
| Ruth 4:5, 10 | Boaz taking Ruth "to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance..." | Application of similar law for name preservation. |
| Gen 38:8 | "Then Judah said to Onan, 'Go in to your brother’s wife and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her...' " | Earlier patriarchal custom predating Mosaic law. |
| Matt 22:23-33 | "The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him..." | Parallel account of this encounter in Matthew. |
| Luke 20:27-40 | "There came to him some Sadducees, those who deny that there is any resurrection..." | Parallel account of this encounter in Luke. |
| Lev 18:16 | "You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife..." | General prohibition contrasted by Levirate rule. |
| Lev 20:21 | "If a man takes his brother’s wife, it is impurity..." | Reinforces the general prohibition. |
| Gen 4:25 | "Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, 'God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel...' " | Emphasis on offspring for continuation of lineage. |
| Num 27:8-11 | Law of inheritance for daughters when no son is available. | Laws pertaining to family inheritance and name. |
| Deut 7:14 | "There shall not be male or female barren among you or among your livestock." | Covenant blessing often included fertility. |
| Ps 127:3 | "Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward." | Offspring as blessing and continuation. |
| John 5:39 | "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me." | Scriptures pointing to eternal life. |
| Acts 23:8 | "For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and no angel or spirit..." | Confirmation of Sadducee belief against resurrection. |
| Isa 48:1 | "...who swear by the name of the LORD and invoke the God of Israel..." | Importance of preserving a "name" (reputation, lineage). |
| 1 Chr 2:20-22 | Genealogy and continuation of lines. | Examples of preserving family names. |
| Eph 2:19-20 | "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone..." | Authority of Old Testament scripture and its fulfillment. |
| Gal 3:16 | "Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, 'And to seeds,' as of many, but as of one, 'And to your Seed,' who is Christ." | Broader theological meaning of "seed." |
| 2 Sam 7:12 | "When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom." | God establishing "offspring" for David's line. |
| Gen 15:5 | God promising Abraham countless "offspring." | Covenant promise related to "seed." |
| 1 Tim 2:13-14 | Women "saved through childbearing" often linked to perpetuation/faith. | New Testament views on procreation/family. |
| Gen 2:24 | "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." | Marital union context within Old Testament. |
Mark 12 verses
Mark 12 19 Meaning
Mark 12:19 records the Sadducees’ initial statement to Jesus, presenting a premise based on a specific Mosaic law found in the Pentateuch. They begin by respectfully addressing Jesus as "Teacher," then cite the Levirate marriage law, which mandated that if a man died childless, his brother was to marry the widow to raise offspring for the deceased brother, ensuring the continuation of the family line and inheritance. This verse serves to establish the Sadducees' legalistic foundation for the intricate question they are about to pose regarding the resurrection.
Mark 12 19 Context
Mark 12:19 is part of a larger pericope (Mark 12:18-27) detailing Jesus' encounter with the Sadducees in Jerusalem during His final week before His crucifixion. The Sadducees, unlike the Pharisees, accepted only the written Torah (the first five books of Moses) as authoritative and denied the resurrection of the dead, the existence of angels, and any afterlife. They often challenged Jesus to discredit His teachings and His popularity. Their question regarding Levirate marriage was a rhetorical trap designed to expose what they believed to be the absurdity of resurrection: if a woman had been married to seven brothers sequentially (as in their ensuing hypothetical scenario), whose wife would she be in the resurrection? Verse 19 explicitly sets up their premise, rooted in a very specific Mosaic law, before they unfold their complex hypothetical case to corner Jesus.
Mark 12 19 Word analysis
- Teacher (διδάσκαλε - didaskale): A common address for respected religious figures. While seemingly respectful, in this context, it is often a formal address preceding a challenge or trap, characteristic of those seeking to debate rather than genuinely learn.
- Moses wrote (Μωϋσῆς ἔγραψεν - Mōysēs egrapsen): The Sadducees’ explicit appeal to Mosaic authority underscores their limited canon (Pentateuch) and their confidence in the law as the unshakeable foundation for their argument. "Wrote" signifies divine revelation and legal codification.
- for us (ἡμῖν - hēmin): Emphasizes that this is a core tenet of their shared faith, foundational to their understanding of God's directives and a standard by which they judge.
- that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child: This sets the specific legal condition (Deut 25:5) for the Levirate marriage to apply: a man must die without male offspring to continue his lineage. "Child" here specifically refers to a male heir.
- his brother should take the wife (ἵνα λάβῃ ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ τὴν γυναῖκα): "Should take" (λάβῃ - labē) implies a legal and moral obligation or duty. The brother was legally compelled to marry his sister-in-law. This phrase initiates the act of levirate marriage itself.
- and raise up offspring for his brother (καὶ ἐξαναστήσῃ σπέρμα τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ): This is the crucial purpose of the Levirate law.
- raise up (ἐξαναστήσῃ - exanastēsē): To establish, cause to stand up, or bring forth. It carries the nuance of preserving or upholding, suggesting the continuation of a legacy or line.
- offspring (σπέρμα - sperma): Literally "seed," it refers to the male descendant, whose primary purpose was to perpetuate the deceased brother's name and inherit his land, preventing the blotting out of his memory and ensuring family continuity. It carries strong theological weight in the Old Testament, representing promises and lineage.
- for his brother (τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ - tō adelphō autou): Emphasizes that the child born from this union was legally considered the heir of the deceased brother, not the biological father, thereby maintaining the first brother's lineage and claim to inheritance.
Mark 12 19 Bonus section
The Sadducees, as a religious-political group, held several distinctive beliefs that contrast sharply with Jesus' teachings and the prevailing beliefs of other Jewish sects like the Pharisees. Crucially, they did not believe in:
- Resurrection of the dead: This is the direct target of their question to Jesus.
- Angels or spirits: They denied the existence of these supernatural beings.
- A predetermined future or divine intervention: They held a more humanistic view, emphasizing free will and personal responsibility, which might contribute to their focus on earthly, legalistic interpretations.
The Levirate law itself (Deut 25:5-6) was designed for specific circumstances to prevent the economic ruin of widows and ensure the deceased man's lineage and land inheritance remained within the family. While seemingly conflicting with other Mosaic laws prohibiting a man from marrying his brother's wife (Lev 18:16; 20:21), the Levirate rule was an exception activated by the lack of offspring, demonstrating the paramount importance placed on the continuation of the family 'name' and possession of ancestral land in ancient Israel. The Sadducees' focus on this very specific earthly stipulation, devoid of any consideration for God's power beyond death, reveals their narrow, materialistic theology.
Mark 12 19 Commentary
Mark 12:19 acts as the preamble to the Sadducees' infamous challenge to Jesus concerning the resurrection. By carefully citing the Mosaic Levirate law, they underscore their authority, which for them lay exclusively in the Pentateuch, the only scripture they fully accepted. The verse highlights their adherence to a law primarily designed to secure property rights and perpetuate family names in an earthly sense. Their precise recitation of the law sets the stage for their elaborate, yet flawed, hypothetical scenario intended to expose the perceived absurdity of resurrection through a seemingly unresolvable social dilemma from their earthly perspective. This exchange illuminates their reductionist view of God's power and future life, contrasting sharply with Jesus' profound understanding of divine power and the nature of resurrection life that transcends temporal arrangements.