1 Corinthians 15:44

44 It is planted as a physical body. It comes back to life as a spiritual body. As there is a physical body, so there is also a spiritual body.

1 Corinthians 15:44 Meaning and Commentary

1 Corinthians 15:44

It is sown a natural body
Or an animal one, being generated as animals are, and supported with food as they be, and die at last as they do: see ( Ecclesiastes 3:19-21 ) .

It is raised a spiritual body;
not as to substance, but as to its quality; it will not be changed into a spirit; our Lord's risen body, to which ours will be conformed, was not a spirit, but, as before, consisted of flesh and bones: but the body will then be subject to the spirit and soul of man; it will be employed in spiritual service, for which it will be abundantly fitted and assisted by the Spirit of God; and it will be delighted with spiritual objects; it will be like the angels, those excellent spirits; it will live as spirits do, without natural helps and means, as meat, drink, clothes, sleep, and, as they, will never die:

there is a natural;
or "animal body", such as the first man's was, and those are that descend from him by ordinary generation; and

there is a spiritual body;
such as the body of Christ now is, and as will be the bodies of the risen saints; the phrase is Jewish, (ynxwrh) (Pwgh) , "the spiritual body" ^F25 and the flesh of the righteous, being (Mynxwr Mrvb) , "spiritual flesh" ^F26, are to be met with in their writings.

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FOOTNOTES:

F25 Nishmath Chayim. fol. 37. 1.
F26 Tzeror Hammor, fol. 9. 4.

1 Corinthians 15:44 In-Context

42 That is how it will be when the dead come back to life. When the body is planted, it decays. When it comes back to life, it cannot decay.

43 When the body is planted, it doesn't have any splendor and is weak. When it comes back to life, it has splendor and is strong.

44 It is planted as a physical body. It comes back to life as a spiritual body. As there is a physical body, so there is also a spiritual body.

45 This is what Scripture says: "The first man, Adam, became a living being." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

46 The spiritual does not come first, but the physical and then the spiritual.