The Sadducees follow the pattern of the Pharisees in addressing Jesus as Teacher (see verse 16). Their question reflects the Jewish law according to which the brother of a dead man would marry his brother’s widow, if the man had died without having any children. This law was instituted in Israel to provide the dead man with offspring, so that his name would continue after him.

Moses said may also be translated “The Law of Moses teaches.” What follows can be either direct discourse, as in the Revised Standard Version text, or indirect, as in Good News Translation. Translators should do what is more natural in their own language.

If a man dies … for his brother represents a somewhat free adaptation of the Septuagint rendering of Deuteronomy 25.5-6, and it differs slightly from each of the two other forms of the quotation (Mark 12.19; Luke 20.28). Because of the similarity in sound between the Greek noun for “resurrection” (anastasin) and the Greek verb for raise up (anastēsei) in this verse, some scholars conclude that Matthew even intends a play on words. But the evidence is rather meager, since the two words are at a distance from one another in the Greek text. Moreover, it is extremely doubtful if such a wordplay could be effectively transferred in translation.

Good News Translation has significantly restructured raise up children for his brother so as to convey clearly the meaning: “so that they can have children who will be considered the dead man’s children.” Barclay has a somewhat simpler rendering: “raise a family for his brother.” In any case it will be necessary in some languages to have a footnote briefly explaining the Jewish custom.

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .