MARK 12:21 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. καί
2. kai
3. and
4. but
5. 25320
6. C·······
7. and
8. and
9. -
10. Y33
11. 32873
1. ὁ
2. ho
3. the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····NMS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y33
11. 32874
1. δεύτερος
2. deuteros
3. second
4. second
5. 12080
6. S····NMS
7. second
8. second
9. -
10. Y33; F32879
11. 32875
1. ἔλαβεν
2. lambanō
3. took
4. took
5. 29830
6. VIAA3··S
7. took
8. took
9. -
10. Y33
11. 32876
1. αὐτήν
2. autos
3. her
4. her
5. 8460
6. R···3AFS
7. her
8. her
9. -
10. Y33; R32865
11. 32877
1. καί
2. kai
3. and
4. -
5. 25320
6. C·······
7. and
8. and
9. -
10. Y33
11. 32878
1. ἀπέθανεν
2. apothnēskō
3. died off
4. died
5. 5990
6. VIAA3··S
7. died_off
8. died_off
9. -
10. Y33; R32875
11. 32879
1. καί
2. kai
3. -
4. -
5. 25320
6. C·······
7. and
8. and
9. -
10. -
11. 32880
1. οὐδέ
2. oude
3. -
4. -
5. 37610
6. D·······
7. neither
8. neither
9. -
10. -
11. 32881
1. αὐτός
2. autos
3. -
4. -
5. 8460
6. R···3NMS
7. he
8. he
9. -
10. -
11. 32882
1. μή
2. mē
3. not
4. -
5. 33610
6. D·······
7. not
8. not
9. -
10. Y33
11. 32883
1. οὐκ
2. ou
3. -
4. -
5. 37560
6. D·······
7. not
8. not
9. -
10. -
11. 32884
1. καταλιπών
2. kataleipō
3. having left
4. -
5. 26410
6. VPAA·NMS
7. ˓having˒ left
8. ˓having˒ left
9. -
10. Y33
11. 32885
1. ἀφῆκεν
2. afiēmi
3. -
4. -
5. 8630
6. VIAA3··S
7. left
8. left
9. -
10. -
11. 32886
1. σπέρμα
2. sperma
3. seed
4. -
5. 46900
6. N····ANS
7. seed
8. seed
9. -
10. Y33
11. 32887
1. καί
2. kai
3. and
4. -
5. 25320
6. C·······
7. and
8. and
9. -
10. Y33
11. 32888
1. ὁ
2. ho
3. the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····NMS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y33
11. 32889
1. τρίτος
2. tritos
3. third
4. third
5. 51540
6. S····NMS
7. third
8. third
9. -
10. Y33
11. 32890
1. ὡσαύτως
2. hōsautōs
3. likewise
4. -
5. 56150
6. D·······
7. likewise
8. likewise
9. -
10. Y33
11. 32891

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.

12:21a

Then the second one married the widow,

The second brother married his dead brother’s widow,
Then the next oldest sibling married his/the widow,

Then the second one married the widow: The second oldest brother then married his dead brother’s widow. Some languages distinguish between older brothers and younger brothers. If that is true in your language, you may specify that this brother was younger than the brother who had died.

If your language does not normally use the word second to refer to a brother, you can say:

The next brother married the widow

12:21b

but he also died and left no children.

but he also died without having any children.
but that brother died too and fathered no children.

but he also died and left no children: This second brother died also without having any children.

12:21c

And the third did likewise.

The same thing happened with the third brother
The third/next brother also married her and died without having any children.

And the third did likewise: Then the third oldest brother married the widow but also died without having any children.

If your language does not normally use the word third to refer to a brother, you can say:

And the next brother did likewise.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / nominaladj

ὁ δεύτερος

the second

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

Note 2 topic: translate-ordinal

ὁ δεύτερος

the second

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

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

ἔλαβεν αὐτήν

took her

Here, the phrase took her indicates that the man married his brother’s widow. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a comparable phrase or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [got married to her] or [married her]

Note 4 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]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

καὶ ὁ τρίτος ὡσαύτως

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: καί ὁ δεύτερος ἔλαβεν αὐτήν καί ἀπέθανεν μή καταλιπών σπέρμα καί ὁ τρίτος ὡσαύτως)

The Sadducees are leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You could supply these words from earlier in the sentence if it would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: [and the third likewise took her and died, not having left seed] or [and the third likewise experienced the same things]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / nominaladj

ὁ τρίτος

the the third

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

Note 7 topic: translate-ordinal

ὁ τρίτος

the the third

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

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. and
2. but
3. 25320
5. kai
6. C-·······
7. and
8. and
9. -
10. Y33
11. 32873
1. the
2. -
3. 35880
5. ho
6. E-····NMS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y33
11. 32874
1. second
2. second
3. 12080
5. deuteros
6. S-····NMS
7. second
8. second
9. -
10. Y33; F32879
11. 32875
1. took
2. took
3. 29830
5. lambanō
6. V-IAA3··S
7. took
8. took
9. -
10. Y33
11. 32876
1. her
2. her
3. 8460
5. autos
6. R-···3AFS
7. her
8. her
9. -
10. Y33; R32865
11. 32877
1. and
2. -
3. 25320
5. kai
6. C-·······
7. and
8. and
9. -
10. Y33
11. 32878
1. died off
2. died
3. 5990
5. apothnēskō
6. V-IAA3··S
7. died_off
8. died_off
9. -
10. Y33; R32875
11. 32879
1. not
2. -
3. 33610
5. mē
6. D-·······
7. not
8. not
9. -
10. Y33
11. 32883
1. having left
2. -
3. 26410
5. kataleipō
6. V-PAA·NMS
7. ˓having˒ left
8. ˓having˒ left
9. -
10. Y33
11. 32885
1. seed
2. -
3. 46900
5. sperma
6. N-····ANS
7. seed
8. seed
9. -
10. Y33
11. 32887
1. and
2. -
3. 25320
5. kai
6. C-·······
7. and
8. and
9. -
10. Y33
11. 32888
1. the
2. -
3. 35880
5. ho
6. E-····NMS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y33
11. 32889
1. third
2. third
3. 51540
5. tritos
6. S-····NMS
7. third
8. third
9. -
10. Y33
11. 32890
1. likewise
2. -
3. 56150
5. hōsautōs
6. D-·······
7. likewise
8. likewise
9. -
10. Y33
11. 32891

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.