1 Corinthians 15:20

1 Corinthians 15:20 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
• New International Version (NIV)But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
• English Standard Version (ESV)But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
• New King James Version (NKJV)But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

Context of 1 Corinthians 15:20

18Also, think about those people who believed in Christ but they have already died. If dead people do not rise to a new life, those people would have no life with God. 19As believers, we trust Christ to lead us into a new life after death. But if we only trust him to help us in this life, we should be very sad. Everybody should be very sorry for us, more than for anyone else. But it is really true that God raised Christ up after his death. He rose up to go to God in heaven. He was the first, so we know that believers who die will also rise up. 21All people die because of what one man did. That was Adam. And it is because of another man that people can rise up after death to a new life. That is Christ. 22As people, all of us belong to Adam's family. So all of us must die. But all people who belong to Christ will live again after death.

1 Corinthians 15:20 word by word

Νυνὶ δὲ Χριστὸς ἐγήγερται ἐκ νεκρῶν, ἀπαρχὴ τῶν κεκοιμημένωνRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Butδέde · thenG1161
• nowνυνίnuni · nowG3570
• is ChristΧριστόςChristos · ChristG5547
• risenἐγείρωegeirō · to ariseG1453
• fromἐκek ex · out fromG1537
• the deadνεκρόςnekros · deadG3498
• becomeγίνομαιginomai · to beG1096
• the firstfruitsἀπαρχήaparchē · firstfruitsG536
• of themὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• that sleptκοιμάωkoimaō · to sleepG2837

Cross-references for 1 Corinthians 15:20

• 1 Corinthians 15:4People buried his dead body. On the third day after that God raised him up to live again. The Bible already spoke about that too.
• 1 Corinthians 15:23It is like this: First of all, Christ died and then he became alive again. Then, when Christ returns, his people will live again too.
• Acts 26:23They said that God's special Messiah would have much pain and he would die. But God would raise him up to be alive again. He would be the first dead person to become alive and not die again. In that way, he would show God's message and bring light to people. He would save both Jewish people and Gentiles. That is what the prophets and Moses wrote. And I say the same thing.’
• Romans 8:11God raised Jesus, to make him alive again after his death. Now God's Spirit lives in you. So God, who raised Christ from death, will also cause your human bodies to live again. He will do that by his Spirit who lives in you.
• Colossians 1:18The church is like Christ's body and he is its head. He is where it all begins. As God's special Son, he was the first person who became alive again after death. As a result, Christ is first and most important in all things.
• 1 Peter 1:3We praise God, who is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! He is very kind to us, so that he has given us new life. This is possible because God raised Jesus Christ to new life after his death. Now, as we live, we are sure that we will receive good things from God.
• Revelation 1:5Jesus Christ will also help you. He always speaks a true message. He is the first person who became alive again after death. He rules the kings of the earth. Jesus loves us and he died for us. That is how he made us free. Because of Jesus, God will not punish us for the bad things that we have done.

Commentaries on 1 Corinthians 15:20

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20But now is Christ risen - On the contrary, Christ is raised from the dead, and is become the first fruits of them that slept. His resurrection has been demonstrated, and our resurrection necessarily follows; as sure as the first fruits are the proof that there is a harvest, so surely the resurrection of Christ is a proof of ours. The Judaizing teacher at Corinth would feel the force of this observation much sooner than we can, who are not much acquainted…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20But now is Christ risen … - This language is the bursting forth of a full heart and of overpowering conviction. It would seem as if Paul were impatient of the slow process of argument; weary of meeting objections, and of stating the consequences of a denial of the doctrine; and longing to give utterance to “what he knew,” that Christ was risen from the dead. That was a point on which he was certain. He had seen him after he was risen; and he could no more…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 20-34Verses 20-34 All that are by faith united to Christ, are by his resurrection assured of their own. As through the sin of the first Adam, all men became mortal, because all had from him the same sinful nature, so, through the resurrection of Christ, shall all who are made to partake of the Spirit, and the spiritual nature, revive, and live for ever. There will be an order in the resurrection. Christ himself has been the first-fruits; at his coming, his…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 20In the Old Testament, people dedicated the first crop to God (see Exodus 23:19). Christ’s resurrection is the first of many resurrections of God’s people (see Colossians 1:18).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. now--as the case really is. and become--omitted in the oldest manuscripts. the first-fruits--the earnest or pledge, that the whole resurrection harvest will follow, so that our faith is not vain, nor our hope limited to this life. The time of writing this Epistle was probably about the Passover (1Co 5:7); the day after the Passover sabbath was that for offering the first-fruits (Le 23:10, 11), and the same was the day of Christ's resurrection: whence…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Corinthians 15:20

• Body
• First Fruits
• Immortality
• Jesus Continued
• Resurrection
• Zeal, Religious

In the dictionaries

• Christ
• Christ, Messiah
• Awake
• Corrupt
• Corruptible
• Die
• Differ
• Flesh
• Immortality
• Incorruption

Commentaries on 1 Corinthians 15

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings