ris3n's Apologetics Codex

Passage

1 Corinthians 15.54-55

Book: 1 Corinthians · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

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ASV

52. in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

54. But when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55. O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?

  1. The sting of death is sin; and the power of sin is the law: 57. but thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:52-57, ASV)
WEB

52. in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed. 53. For this perishable body must become imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.

54. But when this perishable body will have become imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then what is written will happen: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55. “Death, where is your sting? Hades, where is your victory?”

  1. The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:52-57, WEB)
KJV

52. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

54. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? grave: or, hell

  1. The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:52-57, KJV)
YLT

52. in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, in the last trumpet, for it shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we, we shall be changed: 53. for it behoveth this corruptible to put on incorruption, and this mortal to put on immortality;

54. and when this corruptible may have put on incorruption, and this mortal may have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the word that hath been written, 'The Death was swallowed up, to victory; 55. where, O Death, thy sting? where, O Hades, thy victory?'

  1. and the sting of the death [is] the sin, and the power of the sin the law; 57. and to God, thanks, to Him who is giving us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ; (1 Corinthians 15:52-57, YLT)

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Setting

  • Speaker: Paul the Apostle, with Sosthenes named as co-sender
  • Audience: the church at Corinth, a divided congregation in a wealthy Roman colony
  • Location: written from Ephesus during the third missionary journey
  • Time period: c. AD 53-55

Theological reading

Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?

The chapter's climax, and Paul reaches it by quoting Scripture: Isaiah 25:8 on death swallowed up, and Hosea 13:14 on death's plagues and Sheol's sting.

The taunt form is deliberate. Having argued the case for the resurrection body across thirty verses, Paul finishes not with a proposition but with a mockery addressed to death itself.

The next verse supplies the mechanism, which is easily missed: the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. So the victory is not over mortality considered biologically but over the moral situation that gives death its power, which is why the passage ends in thanks for victory through Jesus Christ rather than in a claim about biology.

The practical conclusion follows immediately and is characteristic: therefore be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.

Key words

Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word; see Lexicon Roadmap.

Quoted in

Arguments and defeaters:

Concepts:

People:

Lexicon:

Guides:

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

  • ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
  • WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
  • KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
  • YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.