1 Corinthians 15:21

New Testament Epistle (Pauline) ASV (1901)

What does 1 Corinthians 15:21 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “For since by man [came] death, by man [came] also the resurrection of the dead.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

For since by man [came] death, by man [came] also the resurrection of the dead.
1 Corinthians 15:21 — American Standard Version

Context — 1 Corinthians 15

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
21For since by man [came] death, by man [came] also the resurrection of the dead.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“For since by man came death, etc.] The first man, by sin, was the cause of death; of its coming into the world, and upon all men, by which corporeal death is here meant; though the first man also by sin brought a moral death, or a death in sin on all his posterity; and rendered them liable to an eternal death, which is the just wages of sin; but since the apostle is treating of the resurrection of the body, a bodily death seems only intended: by man came also the resurrection of the dead; so God, in his great goodness and infinite wisdom has thought fit, and he has so ordered it, that it should be, that as the first man was the cause of, and brought death into the world, the second man…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“by man . . . by man--The first-fruits are of the same nature as the rest of the harvest; so Christ, the bringer of life, is of the same nature as the race of men to whom He brings it; just as Adam, the bringer of death, was of the same nature as the men on whom he brought it.”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“For since by man came death - By Adam, or by means of his transgression; see 1 Corinthians 15:22. The sense is, evidently, that in consequence of the sin of Adam all people die, or are subjected to temporal death. Or, in other words, man would not have died had it not been for the crime of the first man; see the note on Romans 5:12. This passage may be regarded as proof that death would not have entered the world had it not been for transgression; or, in other words, if man had not sinned, he would have remained immortal on the earth, or would have been translated to heaven, as Enoch and Elijah were, without seeing death. The apostle here, by “man,” undoubtedly refers to Adam; but the…”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“15:21-23 Adam’s sin contrasts with Christ’s resurrection (cp. 15:45-49).”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“by man came death: Co1 15:22; Rom 5:12-17 by man came also: Joh 11:25; Rom 6:23 1 Corinthians 15:22”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification