Mark 12:20 (YLT)

Passage

`There were then seven brothers, and the first took a wife, and dying, he left no seed;

Nearby Context

Mark 12:18 And the Sadducees come unto him, who say there is not a rising again, and they questioned him, saying,

Mark 12:19 `Teacher, Moses wrote to us, that if any one's brother may die, and may leave a wife, and may leave no children, that his brother may take his wife, and raise up seed to his brother.

Mark 12:20 `There were then seven brothers, and the first took a wife, and dying, he left no seed;

Mark 12:21 and the second took her, and died, neither left he seed, and the third in like manner,

Mark 12:22 and the seven took her, and left no seed, last of all died also the woman;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "seven", "brothers", "first", "took", "wife", "dying", "left", and "seed". 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 that if..." into verse 21's "and the second took her and died...", 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.