Matthew 22:24

“saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If someone dies not having children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.’”

Matthew 22:24 · direct translation from the Greek
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24

Quotation · Deuteronomy 25:5-6

Go to Deuteronomy 25:5-6

The Sadducees sum up the law of the brother of the deceased: the brother takes the widow to raise up offspring for the dead man.

Formula: Μωϋσῆς εἶπεν “Moses said” (Matthew 22:24)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: λέγοντες Διδάσκαλε Μωϋσῆς εἶπεν Ἐάν τις ἀποθάνῃ μὴ ἔχων τέκνα ἐπιγαμβρεύσει ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀναστήσει σπέρμα τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ

Hebrew (Masoretic text): כִּי יֵשְׁבוּ אַחִים יַחְדָּו וּמֵת אַחַד מֵהֶם וּבֵן אֵין לוֹ לֹא תִהְיֶה אֵשֶׁת הַמֵּת הַחוּצָה לְאִישׁ זָר יְבָמָהּ יָבֹא עָלֶיהָ וּלְקָחָהּ לוֹ לְאִשָּׁה וְיִבְּמָהּ וְהָיָה הַבְּכוֹר אֲשֶׁר תֵּלֵד יָקוּם עַל שֵׁם אָחִיו הַמֵּת וְלֹא יִמָּחֶה שְׁמוֹ מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל

Septuagint (Deuteronomy 25:7 in the Septuagint numbering): ἐὸν δὲ μὴ βούληται ὁ ἄνθρωπος λαβεῖν τὴν γυναῖκα τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀναβήσεται ἡ γυνὴ ἐπὶ τὴν πύλην ἐπὶ τὴν γερουσίαν καὶ ἐρεῖ Οὐ θέλει ὁ τοῦ ἀνδρός μου ἀναστῆσαι τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐν Ἴ’ οὐκ ἠθέλησεν ὁ ἀδελφὸς τοῦ ἀνδρός μου.

In the Septuagint verse that most resembles it, at most 2 consecutive words match the Greek of the NT. The transcription has reading errors, so a match may not show.

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

Matthew 22:24, word by word

sayingλέγοντεςlegontes

say

To express something in words to others.

Where else “legontes” appears
“TeacherΔιδάσκαλεDidaskale

teacher

Teacher, one who teaches.

Where else “Didaskale” appears
MosesΜωϋσῆςMōysēs

Moses

Moses, who led Israel out of Egypt and received God's law.

Where else “Mōysēs” appears
diesἀποθάνῃapothanēi

die

To stop living: the end of life in the body.

Where else “apothanēi” appears
havingἔχωνechōn

have

To count something or someone as one's own: goods, family, faith, power.

Where else “echōn” appears
childrenτέκναtekna

child

Someone born of parents, or of a family or people.

Where else “tekna” appears
his brotherἀδελφὸςadelphos

brother

A man born of the same parents as another, or of the same family.

Where else “adelphos” appears
shall marryἐπιγαμβρεύσειepigambreusei

marry as brother-in-law

Marry one's brother's widow to give him descendants.

Where else “epigambreusei” appears
his wifeγυναῖκαgynaika

wife

A married woman, joined to her husband.

Where else “gynaika” appears
raise upἀναστήσειanastēsei

raise up

To bring someone forward: God sends a prophet.

Where else “anastēsei” appears
offspringσπέρμαsperma

offspring

Someone's children and descendants.

Where else “sperma” appears

Translation note

The law of the brother-in-law (Deuteronomy 25:5-6): the brother married the widow to give offspring to the one who died.

Parallel passages

Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.

The Sadducees and the resurrection

Mark 12:18-27Luke 20:27-40

See them side by side

Matthew 22:23-33

23On that day Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him, and they questioned him, 24saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If someone dies not having children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.’ 25Now there were among us seven brothers; and the first married and died, and not having offspring, he left his wife to his brother; 26likewise also the second and the third, up to the seven. 27And last of all the woman died. 28In the resurrection, then, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her.” 29But Jesus answered them, “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven. 31But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 32‘I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” 33And when the crowds heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.

Mark 12:18-27

18And Sadducees come to him, who say there is no resurrection, and they were questioning him, saying, 19“Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves behind a wife and does not leave a child, his brother should take the wife and raise up offspring for his brother. 20There were seven brothers; and the first took a wife, and when he died he left no offspring; 21and the second took her, and died, leaving no offspring; and the third likewise; 22and the seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman also died. 23In the resurrection, when they rise, which of them will she be wife to? For the seven had her as wife.” 24Jesus said to them, “Is it not for this reason that you are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God? 25For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26But concerning the dead, that they are raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, at the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob’? 27He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are greatly mistaken.”

Luke 20:27-40

27And some of the Sadducees, those who contend that there is no resurrection, came up and asked him, 28saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if someone’s brother dies having a wife, and he is childless, his brother should take the wife and raise up offspring for his brother. 29Now there were seven brothers; and the first took a wife and died childless; 30and the second, 31and the third took her; and likewise also the seven left no children and died. 32Finally the woman also died. 33The woman, then, in the resurrection, of which of them does she become wife? For the seven had her as wife.” 34And Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, 35but those who are considered worthy to attain that age and the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage; 36for neither can they die anymore, for they are equal to angels, and they are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. 37But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, when he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. 38Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him.” 39And some of the scribes answered and said, “Teacher, you have spoken well.” 40For they no longer dared to ask him anything.

Quotation · Deuteronomy 25:5-6

The Sadducees sum up the law of the brother of the deceased: the brother takes the widow to raise up offspring for the dead man.

See them side by side

Matthew 22:24

24saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If someone dies not having children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.’

Deuteronomy 25:5-6

5If brothers live together and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not belong, outside the family, to a strange man. Her brother-in-law shall go in to her and take her for himself as a wife and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her.

The context

23On that day Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him, and they questioned him,

24 · This verse (above)

25Now there were among us seven brothers; and the first married and died, and not having offspring, he left his wife to his brother;

Read all of Matthew 22

To study Matthew 22 in a group

  1. 1. What it says

    Which commandment did Jesus say is the greatest, and which is the second (vv. 37–39)?

  2. 2. What it means

    Why does Jesus say that all the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments (v. 40)?

  3. 3. How I live it

    Jesus joined loving God with loving your neighbor (vv. 37–39). What will make your love for someone near you concrete today?

How to use it