Mark 12:20 (WEB)

Passage

There were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and dying left no offspring.

Nearby Context

Mark 12:18 There came to him Sadducees, who say that there is no resurrection. They asked him, saying,

Mark 12:19 “Teacher, Moses wrote to us, ‘If a man’s brother dies, and leaves a wife behind him, and leaves no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up offspring for his brother.’

Mark 12:20 There were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and dying left no offspring.

Mark 12:21 The second took her, and died, leaving no children behind him. The third likewise;

Mark 12:22 and the seven took her and left no children. Last of all the woman also died.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "seven", "brothers", "first", "took", "wife", "dying", "left", and "offspring". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "seven" and "brothers", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "Teacher Moses wrote to us If a..." into verse 21's "The second took her and died leaving...", so "seven" and "brothers" belong inside that flow. In Mark context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

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