Luke 20:29

There were therefore seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and died without children.

Luke 20:29 (KJV)

Context

This verse belongs to a larger exchange in Luke 20:27-40, where the Sadducees, a Jewish religious group that denied the resurrection, question Jesus. They present a hypothetical case built on the levirate law from Deuteronomy 25:5-10, which required a brother to marry his deceased brother’s widow to raise up offspring for him. In verse 29, the first of seven brothers marries and dies without children, setting the stage for their challenge.

Meaning

The phrase “without children” means the first brother left no son or daughter to carry on his name or inherit his property. The Sadducees use this detail to create a chain of seven brothers, each marrying the widow and dying childless. Their question, posed in the following verses, is meant to mock the idea of resurrection by asking whose wife the woman would be in the age to come.

Biblical connections

Jesus responds in Luke 20:34-36, explaining that those counted worthy of the resurrection neither marry nor are given in marriage, for they cannot die anymore and are equal to the angels as children of God. His answer affirms the reality of the resurrection and corrects the Sadducees’ misunderstanding. The parallel accounts in Mark 12:20 and Matthew 22:25 present the same scenario, confirming the consistency of the Gospel records.

Application

This passage teaches that the resurrection brings a transformed state of existence. While marriage is a vital institution in this present world, it will not continue in the eternal kingdom. The focus of the resurrection is on being children of God and sharing in the glorious life that comes with it. Believers can take comfort that God’s purposes extend beyond this life, and that the resurrection is a real and certain hope.

Reflection

Luke 20:29 is not a standalone moral lesson but a narrative element in a theological debate about the afterlife. It reminds readers that earthly institutions, though good, are temporary. The resurrection promises a new order where death no longer holds power, and where God’s children live in His presence forever.