Matthew 22:28
What does Matthew 22:28 mean?
A plain-English look at Matthew 22:28 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Matthew 22:28 means
The Sadducees finally pose their trap question: 'In the resurrection therefore whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.' Their intent is to force Jesus to acknowledge what they consider a fundamental absurdity if the resurrection were true. They assume that resurrected life will be a mere continuation of earthly existence, including its marital arrangements, thus revealing their fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of the resurrected state and God's power. They believe this scenario renders resurrection impossible.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000In the resurrection therefore whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.
KJV
King James Version · 1611Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901In the resurrection therefore whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949When they come back from the dead, then, whose wife will she be of the seven? because they all had her.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862therefore in the rising again, of which of the seven shall she be wife--for all had her?'
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752At the resurrection therefore, whose wife of the seven shall she be? For they all had her.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890In the resurrection therefore of which of the seven shall she be wife, for all had her?
Context
This verse presents the culmination of the Sadducees' elaborate hypothetical, directly asking whose wife the woman will be in the resurrection. This question is the central challenge they pose to Jesus, designed to expose what they perceive as the logical flaw in the doctrine of resurrection. It directly precedes Jesus’ dismantling of their flawed assumptions and their deficient understanding of scripture and God’s power.
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