1 Corinthians 15:55 (DBY)

Passage

Where, O death, [is] thy sting? where, O death, thy victory?

Nearby Context

1 Corinthians 15:53 For this corruptible must needs put on incorruptibility, and this mortal put on immortality.

1 Corinthians 15:54 But when this corruptible shall have put on incorruptibility, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall come to pass the word written: Death has been swallowed up in victory.

1 Corinthians 15:55 Where, O death, [is] thy sting? where, O death, thy victory?

1 Corinthians 15:56 Now the sting of death [is] sin, and the power of sin the law;

1 Corinthians 15:57 but thanks to God, who gives us the victory by our Lord Jesus Christ.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "where", "death", "sting", and "victory". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "where" and "death", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 54's "But when this corruptible shall have put..." into verse 56's "Now the sting of death is sin...", so "where" and "death" belong inside that flow. In 1 Corinthians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "where" and "death" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.