saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Sadducees frame their question using Moses' law about levirate marriage, but their focus is entirely on the earthly, fleshly continuation of family lines. They highlight this earthly mandate to imply that resurrection would mean chaotic, multiplied marriages, completely missing how resurrection fundamentally changes human existence beyond earthly concerns.
saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’
English Standard Version (ESV)
A group called the Sadducees, who didn't believe in a resurrection or spirits, approach Jesus with a tricky question designed to catch him in his words. They present a hypothetical scenario based on the Mosaic law of levirate marriage, where a brother must marry a deceased relative's widow to continue his line, setting up a complex marital situation in their fabricated resurrection. This entire exchange is Jesus's final public teaching in Matthew, aimed at exposing the Sadducees' flawed understanding of Scripture and God's power concerning eternal life.
Ever wondered why ancient laws seem so strange today? The Sadducees used one of Moses' laws to try and trip Jesus up, but this law actually held a vital purpose for ancient Israel.
The Sadducees pointed to the law of the levirate marriage (found in Deuteronomy 25:5-6), which is quoted here in Matthew 22:24. This wasn't just a random rule; it had a specific goal:
The Sadducees twisted this law, trying to make it sound absurd in the context of the resurrection. They thought, 'If there's a resurrection, and this woman married seven brothers, who will she be married to in the next life?' They used a law meant for earthly continuity to question heavenly existence.
The Sadducees thought resurrection meant repeating earthly life, complete with marriage and family. Jesus had a radically different answer, pointing to a reality beyond our current understanding.
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Jesus' response to the Sadducees' tricky question is profound. He highlights a fundamental misunderstanding they had about the resurrection and the nature of God's kingdom:
Understand the original words
didaskalos · Greek Noun
An authoritative instructor of the Law. While used here as a title for Jesus, it identifies one as a master of biblical interpretation and religious instruction.
Moyses · Greek Noun
The human mediator of the Old Covenant, the prophet and lawgiver through whom God delivered the Torah. His name is synonymous with the authority of the Law of God.
sperma · Greek Noun
Descendants or children; in a biblical and legal context (specifically levirate marriage), it refers to the continuation of a family line and the preservation of an inheritance.
c. 1400 BC
Levirate Marriage Law Instituted
The Law of Moses, recorded in Deuteronomy 25, is given to the Israelites, including the provision for a brother to marry a deceased brother's childless widow to perpetuate his family line.
c. 1st century BC - 1st century AD
Sadducees Deny Resurrection
The Sadducees, a prominent Jewish sect, emerge, known for their rejection of the resurrection and the existence of angels, focusing solely on the written Torah.
c. AD 30-33
Jesus' Ministry and Teaching
During Jesus' public ministry, he frequently taught about the Kingdom of God and the resurrection, challenging the traditions and interpretations of the religious leaders.
c. AD 30-33— this verse
Sadducees Challenge Jesus
The Sadducees, seeking to trap Jesus, pose a hypothetical scenario based on the levirate marriage law to argue against the possibility of a resurrection.
This is the direct source of the Old Testament law the Sadducees are referencing, which required a brother to marry a childless widow to preserve her deceased husband's name and lineage.
Ruth 4:5This passage provides a practical example of the levirate marriage law in action, where Boaz acts as a kinsman-redeemer to marry Ruth and raise up offspring for her deceased husband, Mahlon.
Luke 20:28This parallel account in Luke's Gospel presents the same question from the Sadducees, highlighting Jesus's skillful use of the Torah to dismantle their argument against the resurrection.
1 Corinthians 15:42While not directly related to marriage, this passage speaks to the transformed nature of the resurrected body, echoing Jesus's point that heavenly existence transcends earthly relationships like marriage.
Exodus 3:6Jesus directly uses this foundational verse, where God identifies Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to powerfully argue that God is God of the living, implying the patriarchs' continued existence and thus the resurrection.
bensonMatthew 22:24: "Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother."
Matthew 22:24-28 . Master, Moses said, If a man die, &c. — “The argument by which the Sadducees endeavoured to confute the notion of a future state was taken from the Jewish law of marriage, which, to give their objection the better colour, they observed was God’s law, delivered by Moses. As they believed the soul to be nothing but a more refined k…
calvinMatthew 22:23-33: "The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him,"
- The same day came to him the Sadducees, who say that there is no resurrection, and interrogated him, 24. Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, not having a child, [64] his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed to his brother. 25. Now there were amongst us seven brothers, and the first, having married a wife, died, and, having no seed, left his wife to his brother…
The Sadducees frame their question using Moses' law about levirate marriage, but their focus is entirely on the earthly, fleshly continuation of family lines. They highlight this earthly mandate to imply that resurrection would mean chaotic, multiplied marriages, completely missing how resurrection fundamentally changes human existence beyond earthly concerns.
A group called the Sadducees, who didn't believe in a resurrection or spirits, approach Jesus with a tricky question designed to catch him in his words. They present a hypothetical scenario based on the Mosaic law of levirate marriage, where a brother must marry a deceased relative's widow to continue his line, setting up a complex marital situation in their fabricated resurrection. This entire exchange is Jesus's final public teaching in Matthew, aimed at exposing the Sadducees' flawed understanding of Scripture and God's power concerning eternal life.
A group called the Sadducees, who didn't believe in a resurrection or spirits, approach Jesus with a tricky question designed to catch him in his words. They present a hypothetical scenario based on the Mosaic law of levirate marriage, where a brother must marry a deceased relative's widow to continue his line, setting up a complex marital situation in their fabricated resurrection. This entire exchange is Jesus's final public teaching in Matthew, aimed at exposing the Sadducees' flawed understanding of Scripture and God's power concerning eternal life.
"saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’" — The Sadducees frame their question using Moses' law about levirate marriage, but their focus is entirely on the earthly, fleshly continuation of family lines. They highlight this earthly mandate to i…
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Last reviewed October 2026