Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Mark 12:23 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 23. 23In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
This verse develops the unit at Mark 12:23 in “The Living God's Power Exceeds a Resurrection Trap”: “In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife”.
The living God is not trapped by a riddle about seven husbands
This verse is one part of that explanation in Mark 12:18-27. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- Mark 12:18-27
Read Mark 12:23 with 12:18-27. This verse develops the unit at Mark 12:23 in “The Living God's Power Exceeds a Resurrection Trap”: “In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife”. The complete unit's controlling movement is: Sadducees pose a seven-husband case against resurrection; Jesus challenges their grasp of Scripture and God's power, reframes resurrected life beyond current marriage, and appeals to the living God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
What Remains True
Jesus answers a resurrection trap with Scripture and the power of the living God, not with possession of a woman across seven men. At Mark 12:23, develops the unit at Mark 12:23 in “The Living God's Power Exceeds a Resurrection Trap”: “In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife”.
Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read Mark 12:18-27 — The Living God's Power Exceeds a Resurrection TrapSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact KJV wording, paragraph flags, supplied-word markup, and coverage.
Exact location: Mark 12:18-27, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: Greek wording, sentence relations, and material variants checked independently of the KJV.
Exact location: Faithlife SBLGNT official repository, data/sblgnt/text/Mark.txt, 12:18-27
Open the Mark Greek text file ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Mark with translators' and textual notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2005–2026 online edition
Supports: Verse-level translation, syntax, older-English clarification, variants, background, and alternatives.
Exact location: NET Bible Mark PDF, printed pp. 1868–1901, 12:18-27 and attached translator/textual notes
Open the official NET Mark PDF ↗