Luke 20:30

What does Luke 20:30 mean?

A plain-English look at Luke 20:30 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.

What Luke 20:30 means

The elaborate hypothetical continued without interruption. Following the first brother's death, the second brother married the same woman. This action was in accordance with the levirate law previously cited by the Sadducees, aiming to address the issue of childlessness. The brevity of this verse implies that the second brother also died without leaving any children, continuing the tragic pattern and further complicating their scenario. This sustained narrative is designed to build the impossibility of the situation in their minds, setting up their question about the resurrection.

Parallel translations

WEB

World English Bible · 2000

and the second:

KJV

King James Version · 1611

And the second took her to wife, and he died childless.

ASV

American Standard Version · 1901

and the second:

BBE

Bible in Basic English · 1949

And the second;

YLT

Young's Literal Translation · 1862

and the second took the wife, and he died childless,

DRA

Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752

And the next took her to wife: and he also died childless.

DBY

Darby Bible · 1890

and the second [took the woman, and he died childless];

Context

This verse continues the Sadducees' elaborate story, describing the second brother marrying the widow. It builds on the previous verse, extending the series of childless marriages. This repetition further reinforces the problem the Sadducees are attempting to create, setting up the prolonged dilemma that will be resolved as each of the seven brothers marries the same woman.

v.29There were therefore seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and died childless;

v.30This passage

v.31and the third took her; and likewise the seven also left no children, and died.

Related questions readers ask

Keep exploring

Follow this verse across Scripture

Topics, devotionals, original-language word studies, and figures connected to Luke 20:30.