O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
From Hosea 13:14 substantially, but freely quoted by the warrant of the Spirit. The Hebrew may be translated, 'O death, where are thy plagues? where, O hades, is thy destruction?' The Septuagint, 'Where is thy victory х dikee (G1349)] (literally, in a lawsuit), O death? where is thy sting, O hades?' "Sting," the cause, answers to the Hebrew, 'plagues,' the effect. Appropriate as to the old serpent (Genesis 3:1-24; Numbers 21:6). Thou who hast stung with plagues others, shalt be stung thyself. "Victory" answers to the Hebrew, 'destruction.' Compare Isaiah 25:7, "destroy ... veil ... over all nations" - namely, victoriously destroy it-and to "in victory" (1 Corinthians 15:54), which he triumphantly repeats. The "where" implies their past victorious destroying power and sting, now gone forever; obtained through Satan's triumph over man in Eden, which enlisted God's law on Satan's side against man (Romans 5:12; Romans 5:17; Romans 5:21). The souls in Hades being freed out of it by the resurrection, death's sting and victory are gone. For "O grave" (so C, literally, Hades; 'Aleph (') B Delta G f g, Vulgate, Irenaeus, Cyprian) read "O death," the second time.