Matthew 22 26

Matthew 22:26 kjv

Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh.

Matthew 22:26 nkjv

Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh.

Matthew 22:26 niv

The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh.

Matthew 22:26 esv

So too the second and third, down to the seventh.

Matthew 22:26 nlt

But the second brother also died, and the third brother married her. This continued with all seven of them.

Matthew 22 verses

Matthew 22 26 Meaning

Matthew 22:26 continues the hypothetical scenario presented by the Sadducees to Jesus regarding resurrection and marriage. It states that, just like the first brother, the second, third, and subsequent brothers, "unto the seventh," all similarly married the same woman and died childless. This verse serves to progressively intensify the complexity and perceived absurdity of their illustrative case, aiming to highlight a supposed logical inconsistency in the belief of a future resurrection, especially concerning earthly relationships like marriage.

Matthew 22 26 Context

Matthew 22:26 is part of a series of confrontations between Jesus and various Jewish groups (Pharisees, Sadducees, a lawyer) in Jerusalem leading up to His crucifixion. Specifically, this verse occurs within the challenge posed by the Sadducees in Matthew 22:23-33. The Sadducees were a prominent aristocratic and priestly sect within Judaism who accepted only the written Torah (the first five books of Moses) as authoritative, denying the resurrection of the dead, the existence of angels, and an afterlife. They present a hypothetical situation involving a woman who marries seven brothers consecutively under the Levirate marriage law (Deut 25:5-10), each dying childless. Their aim is to expose what they perceived as the illogical outcome of a belief in resurrection, believing that if such a scenario occurred in the resurrected state, it would create an unsolvable problem regarding whose wife the woman would be. The verse 22:26 emphasizes the extent of this succession of marriages, underscoring their "fool-proof" argument before Jesus delivers His refutation in the subsequent verses.

Matthew 22 26 Word analysis

• Likewise (Ὡσαύτως - Hōsautōs):

  • Meaning: In the same way, similarly, just so.
  • Significance: This word emphasizes the continuing pattern. Each brother followed the exact same path as the first: marrying the widow of his deceased brother and subsequently dying childless. It underscores the systematic failure of all seven attempts to produce offspring according to the Levirate law.

• the second (καὶ ὁ δεύτερος - kai ho deuteros):

  • Meaning: And the second.
  • Significance: Continues the enumeration of the brothers involved. It contributes to the building up of the intricate, multi-layered problem the Sadducees are constructing.

• also (καὶ - kai):

  • Meaning: And.
  • Significance: Simple conjunction, but here it functions to add the next person in sequence, showing continuity in the repeated unfortunate circumstance.

• and the third (καὶ ὁ τρίτος - kai ho tritos):

  • Meaning: And the third.
  • Significance: Further extends the sequence, making the situation progressively more convoluted. The deliberate repetition stresses the pattern.

• unto (ἕως - heōs):

  • Meaning: Until, up to, as far as.
  • Significance: This prepositions marks the endpoint of the series. It conveys the exhaustive nature of their hypothetical situation, implying that every possible male heir in that immediate family line followed the same trajectory.

• the seventh (τῶν ἑπτά - tōn heptá):

  • Meaning: Of the seven.
  • Significance: "Seven" in biblical numerology often signifies completeness or perfection. Here, it denotes that the sequence of unfortunate marriages was fully exhausted. It emphasizes that all available brothers followed the tradition and failed to produce an heir, maximizing the supposed absurdity of their problem in the resurrection. It paints a picture of a thoroughly inescapable predicament, or so the Sadducees believed.

Words-Group Analysis

• "Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh": This phrase works to escalate the Sadducees' contrived scenario. It transforms a singular event into a recurring, systematic one, amplifying the complexity and perceived "insolvability" of the marital relationship in the resurrection. By listing multiple brothers, they are not merely presenting a single, unusual case but rather a seemingly comprehensive and utterly entangled situation that they think conclusively disproves the very concept of resurrection by making it seem utterly illogical if earthly institutions like marriage persist. Their method is to build a wall of complexity, believing no one, not even Jesus, could dismantle it without conceding that the resurrection would create unbearable relational chaos.

Matthew 22 26 Bonus section

The Sadducees' strict adherence only to the Torah meant they placed considerable weight on maintaining lineage and land inheritance within Israel. The Levirate marriage was designed to protect a deceased brother's name and ensure his inheritance continued through a son. This underlying concern highlights their focus on earthly, physical continuity, which blinded them to a spiritual reality. Their query, while seemingly about marriage, was fundamentally an attack on the doctrine of resurrection itself, which they viewed as an invention outside of Moses' Law and thus an unacceptable innovation. Jesus' masterful reply addresses not just the specific scenario but also the Sadducees' theological deficiency, showing that they fundamentally misunderstood the power of God and the ultimate meaning of scripture by applying finite earthly categories to infinite, heavenly realities.

Matthew 22 26 Commentary

Matthew 22:26 is not significant for its profound theological content on its own, but rather for its role as a crucial brick in the wall of a challenge to Jesus. The Sadducees' argument hinges on the extension of earthly conventions into a resurrected state, failing to grasp the transformed reality of resurrected existence. They apply a literal, earthly legal code (Levirate marriage) to a future spiritual state that transcends human constructs, exposing their own limited understanding of God's power and His ultimate design for humanity beyond this present age. This verse, by meticulously detailing the multiple, successive marriages, magnifies the supposed absurdity of their argument. They present the most extreme and convoluted case they could imagine—seven brothers—to seal their case against resurrection. However, this meticulously constructed premise is what Jesus precisely and powerfully dismantles in the verses that follow (Matthew 22:29-32) by demonstrating their error in understanding both the Scriptures and the power of God, correcting their earthly paradigm with a heavenly one.