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Matthew 22:25
ESV Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother.
NIV Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother.
NASB Now there were seven brothers among us; and the first married and died, and having no children, he left his wife to his brother.
CSB Now there were seven brothers among us. The first got married and died. Having no offspring, he left his wife to his brother.
NLT Well, suppose there were seven brothers. The oldest one married and then died without children, so his brother married the widow.
KJV Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother:
NKJV Now there were with us seven brothers. The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother.

What does Matthew 22:25 mean?

A group of Sadducees have approached Jesus with a question (Matthew 22:23–24). Unlike the Pharisees, their intention does not seem to be to get Jesus arrested or accuse Him of blasphemy (Matthew 22:17). Instead, they are presenting a scenario they think illustrates absurdity in the idea of resurrection. This group was known for believing that there was no afterlife or spirit world. Death was the end, according to the Sadducees.

In this question, they have pointed to a law in Deuteronomy defining Levirate marriage. This applied to the brother of man who died married but childless. The surviving brother was obligated to marry the widow and have a son with her to continue his late brother's family line (Deuteronomy 25:5–10). The Sadducees suggest a scenario in which there are seven brothers. The first gets married and then dies without having children, leaving his widow to the next brother in line. Then the pattern repeats, resulting in the woman having seven earthly husbands (Matthew 22:26).

When Jesus replies, He will begin by correcting the Sadducees' mistaken beliefs about both marriage and the afterlife (Matthew 22:29–32).
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