Commentary on the Epistles to the Corinthians John Calvin (continued)
John Calvin
a complete victory over it. 1036
As to the second clause, in which he triumphs over death and the grave, it is not certain whether he speaks of himself, or whether he meant there also to quote the words of the Prophet. For where we render it, "I will be thy destruction, O death! — thy ruin, O grave!" the Greeks have translated it, "Where, O death, is thy suit? 1037 where, O grave, thy sting?" Now although this mistake of the Greeks is excusable from the near resemblance of the words, 1038 yet if any one will attentively examine the context, he will see that they have gone quite away from the Prophet's intention. The true meaning, then, will be this — that the Lord will put an end to death, and destroy the grave. It is possible, however, that, as the Greek translation was in common use, Paul alluded to it, and in that there is nothing inconsistent, though he has not quoted literally, for instead of victory he has used the term action, or law-suit. 1039 I am certainly of opinion, that the Apostle did not deliberately intend to call in the Prophet as a witness, with the view of making a wrong use of his authority, but simply accommodated, in passing, to his own use a sentiment that had come into common use, as being, independently of this, of a pious nature. 1040 The main thing is this — that Paul, by an exclamation of a spirited nature, designed to rouse up the minds of the Corinthians, and lead them on, as it were, to a near view of the resurrection. Now, although we do not as yet behold the victory with our eyes, and the day of triumph has not yet arrived, (nay more, the dangers of war must every day be encountered,) yet the assurance of faith, as we shall have occasion to observe ere long, is not at all thereby diminished.
56. The sting of death is sin In other words, "Death has no dart with which to wound us except sin, since death proceeds from the anger of God. Now it is only with our sins that God is angry. Take away sin, therefore, and death will no more be able to harm us." This agrees with what he said in Romans 6:23, that the wages of sin is death. Here, however, he makes use of another metaphor, for he compared sin to a sting, with which alone death is armed for inflicting upon us a deadly wound. Let that be taken away, and
1036"En sorte que nons aurons plene et parfaite victoire a Pencontre d'elle;" — "So that we shall have a full and complete victory over it."
1037"Ou est ton plaid, c'est a dire, le proces que tu intentes contre nons, o mort?" — "O death, where is thy suit — that is to say, the process that thou carriest on against us?"
1038"The passage (says Dr. Bloomfield) is from Hosea 13:14, and the Apostle's words differ only by the transposition of {νῖκος} (victory) and {κέντρον}, (sting,) from the ancient versions; except that for {νῖκος} the Sept. has {δίκν} (law-suit.)'' It is noticed, however, by Granville Penn, that ``in the most ancient of all the existing MSS. (Vat. and Ephr.) there is no transposition of {θανατος} (death) and {κεντρον}, (sting;) and the Apostle's sentence preserves the same order as in the Greek of Hosea; so that the transposition lies wholly at the door of those MSS. which are more recent than those ancient copies.'' The Vat. version has {νεικος}; instead of {νικος}, but from the circumstance that in that version {νεικος} is used in the 54th verse manifestly instead of {νικος}, it abundantly appears that it is a mere difference of spelling. The words to which Calvin refers, as having been mistaken for each other from their near resemblance, are, {δικη} (law-suit) and {νικος}, (or {νικη},) victory. --- Ed.
1039"Car en lieu du mot {δίκη}, qui signifie plaid ou proces, il a mis {νῖκος}, qui signifie victoire;'' --- ``For in place of the word {δίκη}, which signifies an action or law-suit, they have used {νῖκος}, which signifies victory.''
1040"Bonne et saincte;" — "Good and holy,"