John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Mark 12:20
Now there were seven brethren ,.... In a certain family, at a certain place; perhaps at Jerusalem, who were brethren by the father's side; for such only were reckoned so, and such only did this law oblige: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed : no child: hence it is clear that the ancient Jews used the word seed, of a single person, as these Sadducees did; though modern ones deny such an use of it in our present controversies with them about the sense of Genesis 3:15 ; See... read more
John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Mark 12:19
Master, Moses wrote unto us ,.... Has left in writing for us the following precept to observe; for they acknowledged the writings of Moses, and indeed all the Scriptures of the Old Testament; adhering to the literal sense of them, and rejecting the traditional interpretation of them by the Rabbins: if a man's brother die, and leave no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother ; which is the sense of the law in Deuteronomy 25:5 ; See Gill on ... read more