Mark 12:20

20 Once there were seven brothers. The first brother married and died, leaving no children.

Mark 12:20 Meaning and Commentary

Mark 12:20

Now there were seven brethren
In a certain family, at a certain place; perhaps at Jerusalem, who were brethren by the father's side; for such only were reckoned so, and such only did this law oblige:

and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed:
no child: hence it is clear that the ancient Jews used the word seed, of a single person, as these Sadducees did; though modern ones deny such an use of it in our present controversies with them about the sense of ( Genesis 3:15 ) ( 22:18 ) ; (See Gill on Matthew 22:25).

Mark 12:20 In-Context

18 Then some Sadducees came to Jesus and asked him a question. (Sadducees believed that people would not rise from the dead.)

19 They said, "Teacher, Moses wrote that if a man's brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, then that man must marry the widow and have children for his brother.

20 Once there were seven brothers. The first brother married and died, leaving no children.

21 So the second brother married the widow, but he also died and had no children. The same thing happened with the third brother.

22 All seven brothers married her and died, and none of the brothers had any children. Finally the woman died too.