Text:

Instead of kai hoi hepta ‘and the seven’ of most modern editions of the Greek text, Textus Receptus and Kilpatrick have kai elabon autēn hoi hepta kai ‘and the seven took her and.’

Exegesis:

kai hoi hepta ‘and the seven’: this phrase summarizes the whole story, meaning ‘and thus all seven’ (cf. O Novo Testamento de Nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo. Revisdo Autorizada de sorte que, Lagrange ainsi).

eschaton is an adverb ‘lastly,’ ‘last of all.’

Translation:

The shift to the seven left no children may not convey all the meaning, since in the previous verse what happened to the third brother is stated, though elliptically, but there is no specific indication that all seven were married to the woman. This is implied, but not stated. Because of the fact that the levirate practice may seem exceptionally strange – if not downright immoral to some peoples – it is important that the details be at least correctly stated. Accordingly, in Tzeltal this verse contains ‘she passed from one to another, the seven, and none of them had children by her.’

Last of all is translated as ‘after all the rest had died, the woman died.’

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of Mark. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1961. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .