Mark 12:20

20 Well, suppose there were seven brothers. The oldest one married and then died without 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 Jesus was approached by some Sadducees—religious leaders who say there is no resurrection from the dead. They posed this question:

19 “Teacher, Moses gave us a law that if a man dies, leaving a wife without children, his brother should marry the widow and have a child who will carry on the brother’s name.

20 Well, suppose there were seven brothers. The oldest one married and then died without children.

21 So the second brother married the widow, but he also died without children. Then the third brother married her.

22 This continued with all seven of them, and still there were no children. Last of all, the woman also died.