Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
Whom God hath raised up - thus augustly reversing their sentence of condemnation upon Him;
Having loosed the pains of death. The word rendered "pains" х oodinas (G5604)], which signifies 'travail-pangs,' is used here to express 'the throes of death,' which in this case gave birth to a new life; and, as the apostle doubtless had in his eye such passages as Psalms 18:4; Psalms 116:3, and the word there used is rendered by the Septuagint "sorrows," but in some other places "cords" or "bands," it is probable that the apostle has here combined both ideas, representing, by an unusual figure, this agonizing death of the Son of God-bitter, yet brief, like the pains of labour, and issuing like them in a new life-as "cords" or "bands" vainly binding Him, since God so speedily dissolved them.
Because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. Glorious saying! It was impossible, indeed, that "the Living One" should remain among the dead (see the note at Luke 24:5); but here the impossibility refers (as appears from what follows) to the prophetic assurance that in point of fact He should not see corruption.