Matthew 22:26 (LSB)

Passage

so also the second, and the third, down to the seventh.

Nearby Context

Matthew 22:24 saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother as next of kin shall marry his wife and raise up a seed for his brother.’

Matthew 22:25 Now there were seven brothers with us; and the first married and died, and having no seed, he left his wife to his brother;

Matthew 22:26 so also the second, and the third, down to the seventh.

Matthew 22:27 And last of all, the woman died.

Matthew 22:28 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had married her.”

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "second", "third", "down", and "seventh". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "second" and "third", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 25's "Now there were seven brothers with us..." into verse 27's "And last of all the woman died...", so "second" and "third" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "second" and "third" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.