1 Corinthians 15:16 (YLT)

Passage

for if dead persons do not rise, neither hath Christ risen,

Nearby Context

1 Corinthians 15:14 and if Christ hath not risen, then void <FI>is<Fi> our preaching, and void also your faith,

1 Corinthians 15:15 and we also are found false witnesses of God, because we did testify of God that He raised up the Christ, whom He did not raise if then dead persons do not rise;

1 Corinthians 15:16 for if dead persons do not rise, neither hath Christ risen,

1 Corinthians 15:17 and if Christ hath not risen, vain is your faith, ye are yet in your sins;

1 Corinthians 15:18 then, also, those having fallen asleep in Christ did perish;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "dead", "persons", "rise", "neither", "hath", "christ", and "risen". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "dead" and "persons", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "and we also are found false witnesses..." into verse 17's "and if Christ hath not risen vain...", so "dead" and "persons" 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 "dead" and "persons" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.