1 Corinthians 15 4

1 Corinthians 15:4 kjv

And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

1 Corinthians 15:4 nkjv

and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,

1 Corinthians 15:4 niv

that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

1 Corinthians 15:4 esv

that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,

1 Corinthians 15:4 nlt

He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.

1 Corinthians 15 verses

1 Corinthians 15 4 meaning

This verse encapsulates two pivotal facts of the Christian gospel: the historical reality of Jesus' burial, unequivocally confirming His death, and His miraculous resurrection on the third day. These events are presented not as isolated occurrences, but as divinely orchestrated fulfilments of ancient biblical prophecies, forming the bedrock of Christian faith and hope.

1 Corinthians 15 4 Context

First Corinthians chapter 15 stands as the definitive biblical exposition on the resurrection of the dead. Paul wrote this letter to address various issues within the Corinthian church, including internal divisions, moral laxity, and doctrinal errors. Crucially, a segment of the Corinthian believers denied the resurrection of the dead (1 Cor 15:12). This denial, potentially influenced by prevalent Greek philosophical views that disdained the body and considered physical resurrection impossible or undesirable, threatened the entire Christian message.

To counter this, Paul begins by reiterating the foundational gospel he previously delivered to them (1 Cor 15:1-3), asserting that Christ's resurrection is a historical fact, witnessed by many, and central to the faith. Verse 4 is an integral part of this foundational proclamation. The historical context shows that denying the future resurrection of believers would undermine the power and significance of Christ's own resurrection, effectively rendering the gospel void. Paul’s strategy is to firmly establish the undisputed truth of Christ’s bodily resurrection as the paradigm and guarantee for the future resurrection of all believers.

1 Corinthians 15 4 Word analysis

• and: (καὶ - kai) A conjunctive particle, linking the burial and resurrection as sequential, integral parts of the same cohesive gospel message previously stated in verse 3.

• that He was buried: (ὅτι ἐτάφη - hoti etaphē)

  • ὅτι (hoti): Introduces a factual statement, affirming the certainty of the burial.
  • ἐτάφη (etaphē): "He was buried," a verb in the aorist passive indicative form of thaptō (to bury).
    • Significance:
      • Confirmed Death: A crucial point. Burial serves as indisputable evidence that Jesus had truly died. It explicitly refutes any notion that He merely fainted or revived spontaneously.
      • Historicity: The act of burial was a public or known event, lending historical weight and physical reality to Christ's death. It involved others (Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus), further evidencing its historicity.
      • Preparation for Resurrection: Only a dead, buried body could undergo resurrection. This step is necessary to distinguish resurrection from resuscitation.
      • OT Foreshadowing: Fulfills prophecies such as Is 53:9 (his grave assigned with the wicked, yet He was with the rich).

• and: (καὶ - kai) Connects the burial directly to the resurrection, establishing a timeline and the logical progression of events crucial to the gospel.

• that He rose again: (ὅτι ἐγήγερται - hoti egēgertai)

  • ὅτι (hoti): Again, emphasizing the factual certainty of the resurrection.
  • ἐγήγερται (egēgertai): "He has been raised," a verb in the perfect passive indicative form of egeirō (to raise up, wake).
    • Significance:
      • Divine Action: The passive voice strongly implies God the Father as the agent. It underscores that God Himself, not human effort or Jesus' self-resuscitation, powerfully intervened to raise Him. This attributes divine power and endorsement to the resurrection.
      • Completed Action with Enduring Results: The perfect tense signifies an action completed in the past with ongoing, present effects. Christ's resurrection is not a past event that is now irrelevant; it is an accomplished fact with continuous impact, confirming His living state and its ongoing implications for salvation, hope, and the future.
      • Foundation of Faith: The resurrection of Christ is the cornerstone of Christian faith; without it, the gospel message is nullified (1 Cor 15:17).

• the third day: (τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ τρίτῃ - tē hēmera tē tritē)

  • Significance:
    • Precise Timing: This specificity adds a crucial historical detail, allowing for the corroboration of witnesses and establishing a definitive timeline for Christ's return to life.
    • Divine Plan & Prophecy: This timing was explicitly prophesied by Jesus Himself multiple times (e.g., Matt 16:21, Lk 24:46) and foreshadowed in Old Testament types and prophecies (e.g., Jonah 1:17, Hos 6:2). It underscores God's meticulous and sovereign control over human history and redemption.

• according to the Scriptures: (κατὰ τὰς γραφάς - kata tas graphas)

  • Significance:
    • Biblical Authority: Appeals to the divine authority of the Old Testament Scriptures, showing that Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection were not accidental or unexpected but part of God's revealed plan from eternity past.
    • Messianic Fulfillment: This phrase validates Jesus' messianic claims. For Jewish audiences, this connection to the Tanakh was essential for understanding Jesus' role as the promised Messiah. For Gentile believers, it anchored the new covenant firmly within God's continuous, ancient plan.
    • Hermeneutical Key: Teaches that the Old Testament finds its ultimate interpretation and fulfillment in Christ. Many Old Testament passages regarding a suffering and triumphant Messiah only become fully clear in light of His resurrection.

• Words-group analysis:

  • "He was buried, and that He rose again": This grouping directly challenges Hellenistic disdain for the physical body. By asserting a real burial followed by a real, bodily resurrection, Paul grounds the spiritual hope in tangible historical events. The juxtaposition emphasizes the power of God over death, as a genuinely deceased person was raised.
  • "rose again the third day according to the Scriptures": These combined phrases demonstrate the profound interweaving of history and theology. The historical detail of "the third day" is given divine warrant and interpretive framework by the phrase "according to the Scriptures," affirming that this extraordinary event aligns perfectly with God’s unchanging word and eternal purposes.

1 Corinthians 15 4 Bonus section

The consistent apostolic emphasis on "the third day" (not merely "after three days") highlights a specific divine timing rather than simply an extended period. This precision serves to counter any ambiguity and aligns with ancient Hebrew reckoning where part of a day could be counted as a full day, hence Friday death, Saturday in tomb, Sunday resurrection covering parts of three distinct days. The "according to the Scriptures" clause positions the resurrection not as a novel concept, but as the culmination and explication of Old Testament hope and expectation concerning a triumphant Messiah. This demonstrates a seamless unity across testaments, with the Old Testament prophetically pointing towards Christ's redemptive work. Early Christian evangelism, particularly to Jewish audiences, heavily relied on this very proof from prophecy and fulfillment.

1 Corinthians 15 4 Commentary

First Corinthians 15:4 delivers the core components of the gospel—Christ's verifiable death and His glorious, physical resurrection—emphasizing both their historicity and their rootedness in divine prophecy. His burial was critical proof of His actual demise, dispelling any notion of survival. Then, on the specific "third day," as both He foretold and ancient Scriptures intimated, God raised Him, triumphing over death. This wasn't a spiritual apparition but a bodily raising from the grave, affirming Jesus as the Living Lord. This specific timing and scriptural validation testify to God's precise plan unfolding, not randomly, but as predetermined and revealed through the prophets. For Paul, Christ's resurrection on the third day according to the Scriptures is not just an event but the very anchor of hope for believers' own future resurrection and the foundation of all Christian doctrine, justification, and salvation.