MARK 12:20 Interlinear View

1. Greek word
2. Greek lemma
3. OET-LV words
4. OET-RV words
5. Strongs
6. Role/Morphology
7. OET Gloss
8. VLT Gloss
9. CAPS codes
10. Confidence
11. OET tags
12. OET word #
1. Ἦσαν
2. eimi
3. -
4. -
5. 15100
6. VIIA3··P
7. ˱there˲ were
8. ˱there˲ were
9. S
10. -
11. 32850
1. οὖν
2. oun
3. -
4. -
5. 37670
6. C·······
7. therefore
8. therefore
9. -
10. -
11. 32851
1. πάρʼ
2. para
3. -
4. -
5. 38440
6. P·······
7. among
8. among
9. -
10. -
11. 32852
1. ἡμῖν
2. egō
3. -
4. -
5. 14730
6. R···1D·P
7. us
8. us
9. -
10. -
11. 32853
1. ἑπτά
2. hepta
3. seven
4. seven
5. 20330
6. E····NMP
7. seven
8. seven
9. -
10. Y33
11. 32854
1. οὖν
2. oun
3. -
4. -
5. 37670
6. C·······
7. therefore
8. therefore
9. -
10. -
11. 32855
1. ἀδελφοί
2. adelfos
3. brothers
4. brothers
5. 800
6. N····NMP
7. brothers
8. brothers
9. -
10. Y33
11. 32856
1. Ἦσαν
2. eimi
3. There were
4. -
5. 15100
6. VIIA3··P
7. ˱there˲ were
8. ˱there˲ were
9. S
10. Y33
11. 32857
1. πάρʼ
2. para
3. -
4. -
5. 38440
6. P·······
7. among
8. among
9. -
10. -
11. 32858
1. ἡμῖν
2. egō
3. -
4. -
5. 14730
6. R···1D·P
7. us
8. us
9. -
10. -
11. 32859
1. καί
2. kai
3. and
4. -
5. 25320
6. C·······
7. and
8. and
9. -
10. Y33
11. 32860
1. ὁ
2. ho
3. the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····NMS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y33
11. 32861
1. εἱς
2. heis
3. -
4. -
5. 15200
6. S····NMS
7. one
8. one
9. -
10. -
11. 32862
1. πρῶτος
2. prōtos
3. first
4. first
5. 44130
6. S····NMS
7. first
8. first
9. -
10. Y33; F32867; F32871
11. 32863
1. ἔλαβεν
2. lambanō
3. took
4. -
5. 29830
6. VIAA3··S
7. took
8. took
9. -
10. Y33
11. 32864
1. γυναῖκα
2. gunē
3. +a wife
4. -
5. 11350
6. N····AFS
7. ˓a˒ wife
8. ˓a˒ wife
9. -
10. Y33; F32877
11. 32865
1. καί
2. kai
3. and
4. -
5. 25320
6. C·······
7. and
8. and
9. -
10. Y33
11. 32866
1. ἀποθνῄσκων
2. apothnēskō
3. dying off
4. -
5. 5990
6. VPPA·NMS
7. dying_off
8. dying_off
9. -
10. Y33; R32863
11. 32867
1. ἀπέθανεν
2. apothnēskō
3. -
4. -
5. 5990
6. VIAA3··S
7. died_off
8. died_off
9. -
10. -
11. 32868
1. καί
2. kai
3. -
4. -
5. 25320
6. C·······
7. and
8. and
9. -
10. -
11. 32869
1. οὐκ
2. ou
3. not
4. -
5. 37560
6. D·······
7. not
8. not
9. -
10. Y33
11. 32870
1. ἀφῆκεν
2. afiēmi
3. left
4. -
5. 8630
6. VIAA3··S
7. left
8. left
9. -
10. Y33; R32863
11. 32871
1. σπέρμα
2. sperma
3. seed
4. -
5. 46900
6. N····ANS
7. seed
8. seed
9. -
10. Y33
11. 32872

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 12:18–27: Other leaders asked Jesus about people living again after they die

The Jewish leaders continued to challenge Jesus. In this section some Sadducees asked Jesus a question to try to show that the things he taught were wrong. Like the Pharisees, the Sadducees were a group of Jewish leaders with certain religious beliefs. Many of the Sadducees were priests. They did not believe that God would cause anyone who had died to live again.

Jesus believed and taught that God does cause people who have died to live again. The Sadducees tried to use this belief to trick Jesus in 12:18–27. They told a story to ridicule these beliefs that Jesus taught. The story was not true, but they used it to ask a question. They thought that if a person believed that people who died could live again, there was no sensible answer to the question.

The Sadducees based their story on the Jewish custom that is described in Deuteronomy 25:5–6. This Scripture teaches that if a woman did not have any children by her husband before he died, his brother was required to marry her. Their first child would have the name of his dead brother and would be his heir.This custom was called the levirate. Jewish people considered the first son that the widow bore after marrying the brother of her dead husband to be the son of her dead husband, not the son of the man who was now her husband. This meant that this son and his descendants would carry on the dead man’s family and family name through future generations. Any sons born after this to the woman and her living husband would carry on the name of the living husband for future generations. In that way, the dead man’s family and family name could continue through future generations. Since the Scripture taught this custom, the Sadducees believed that they could prove from Scripture that Jesus was wrong.

It is good to translate this section before you decide on a heading for it.

Here are some other possible headings for this section:

The question about the resurrection

The Sadducees Ask About the Resurrection (ESV)

Do people rise from the dead?

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 22:23–33 and Luke 20:27–40.

Paragraph 12:18–23

In this paragraph the Sadducees explained a Jewish custom. Then they told a story and used it to ask Jesus a question about life after death. They hoped that the question would be too difficult for Jesus to answer. They planned to ridicule the idea of life after death.

12:20a

Now there were seven brothers.

Well, let’s^(incl) suppose there were seven men who were brothers.
Once there lived seven male siblings.

Now there were seven brothers: In this verse the Sadducees began to tell Jesus a story that described a situation that might have happened. It was not a true story about actual people. The Greek word that the BSB translates as Now introduces their story. It is not a time word here. Use a natural way in your language to begin a story that did not actually happen and to introduce the participants. For example:

Once there were seven brothers (GNT)

Well, suppose there were seven brothers (NLT)

seven brothers: The number seven was a favorite number with the Jews. The Sadducees probably used this number of brothers to make the story more interesting and to emphasize their point. They thought that if God caused all people to live again, the woman could not be married to all seven husbands at the same time. Therefore, they implied that God’s law which said that a man should marry his brother’s widow showed that people would not live again after they died.

12:20b

The first one married and died, leaving no children.

The first brother got married but died without having any children.
The oldest sibling married a woman and had no children when he died.

The first one married: The first one in this context implies the oldest brother, who would normally be the first one to marry.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

The first brother married/took a wife/woman

the oldest got married (GNT)

died, leaving no children: The husband died and his wife had no children by him.Again here, and in 12:21b and 12:22a, the Greek term that the BSB translates as children is literally “seed.” He died without fathering a child. There is nothing in the story that suggests why the man died. So your translation should not imply that the woman caused the husband to die.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / hypo

ἑπτὰ ἀδελφοὶ ἦσαν; καὶ ὁ πρῶτος

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἑπτά ἀδελφοί Ἦσαν καί ὁ πρῶτος ἔλαβεν γυναῖκα καί ἀποθνῄσκων οὐκ ἀφῆκεν σπέρμα)

Here the Sadducees use an imaginary situation to set up a question they want to ask Jesus. Use a natural method in your language for introducing an imaginary situation. Alternate translation: [Now imagine a family with seven brothers. The first]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / nominaladj

ὁ πρῶτος

the first

The Sadducees are using the number first as a noun to mean the first brother. Your language may use numbers in the same way. If not, you could translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: [the first brother] or [the oldest brother]

Note 3 topic: translate-ordinal

ὁ πρῶτος

the first

If your language does not use ordinal numbers, you can use a cardinal number here. Alternate translation: [brother number one]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

ἔλαβεν γυναῖκα

took ˓a˒_wife

Here, the phrase took a wife indicates that the man got married. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a comparable phrase or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [got married] or [married someone]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

σπέρμα

seed

Here, the Sadducees are speaking of offspring as if they were seed. See how you translated the similar use of this word in [12:19](../12/19.md). Alternate translation: [offspring]

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)

1. OET-LV words
2. OET-RV words
3. Strongs
4. Greek word
5. Greek lemma
6. Role/Morphology
7. OET Gloss
8. VLT Gloss
9. CAPS codes
10. Confidence
11. OET tags
12. OET word #
1. There were
2. -
3. 15100
4. S
5. eimi
6. V-IIA3··P
7. ˱there˲ were
8. ˱there˲ were
9. S
10. Y33
11. 32857
1. seven
2. seven
3. 20330
5. hepta
6. E-····NMP
7. seven
8. seven
9. -
10. Y33
11. 32854
1. brothers
2. brothers
3. 800
5. adelfos
6. N-····NMP
7. brothers
8. brothers
9. -
10. Y33
11. 32856
1. and
2. -
3. 25320
5. kai
6. C-·······
7. and
8. and
9. -
10. Y33
11. 32860
1. the
2. -
3. 35880
5. ho
6. E-····NMS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y33
11. 32861
1. first
2. first
3. 44130
5. prōtos
6. S-····NMS
7. first
8. first
9. -
10. Y33; F32867; F32871
11. 32863
1. took
2. -
3. 29830
5. lambanō
6. V-IAA3··S
7. took
8. took
9. -
10. Y33
11. 32864
1. +a wife
2. -
3. 11350
5. gunē
6. N-····AFS
7. ˓a˒ wife
8. ˓a˒ wife
9. -
10. Y33; F32877
11. 32865
1. and
2. -
3. 25320
5. kai
6. C-·······
7. and
8. and
9. -
10. Y33
11. 32866
1. dying off
2. -
3. 5990
5. apothnēskō
6. V-PPA·NMS
7. dying_off
8. dying_off
9. -
10. Y33; R32863
11. 32867
1. not
2. -
3. 37560
5. ou
6. D-·······
7. not
8. not
9. -
10. Y33
11. 32870
1. left
2. -
3. 8630
5. afiēmi
6. V-IAA3··S
7. left
8. left
9. -
10. Y33; R32863
11. 32871
1. seed
2. -
3. 46900
5. sperma
6. N-····ANS
7. seed
8. seed
9. -
10. Y33
11. 32872

Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.

Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.

OET interlinear MARK 12:20

SR Greek word order (including unused variant words in grey)

Section 12:18–27: Other leaders asked Jesus about people living again after they die

Paragraph 12:18–23

12:20a

12:20b

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)