I Corinthians 15:26 · Bible study
1 Corinthians 15:26 Commentary: Death, the Last Enemy
Greek · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Exegetical study on 1 Corinthians 15:26: death as the final enemy defeated by Christ's resurrection, its order, and hope for believers.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Death is the final enemy that Christ will fully destroy at the resurrection, guaranteeing that believers will live forever.
- Key words: Eschatos (last), echthros (enemy), katargeitai (is being abolished). The present passive verb emphasizes the certainty and process of death’s destruction.
- Main debate: Whether death’s destruction is entirely future or already underway. Most traditions see it as both: Christ’s resurrection began the process, the general resurrection will complete it.
- Theological theme: Christ’s victory over all enemies, the necessity of the resurrection, and the hope of eternal life.
- Best use: Funerals, comfort for the grieving, preaching on the resurrection, teaching on the order of Christ’s reign.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
WEB World English Bible 2000
The last enemy that will be abolished is death.
KJV King James Version 1769
The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
The last enemy that shall be abolished is death.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
the last enemy is done away--death;
Darby Darby Bible 1890
[The] last enemy [that] is annulled [is] death.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And the enemy, death, shall be destroyed last: For he hath put all things under his feet. And whereas he saith:
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y el postrer enemigo que será deshecho, será la muerte.
O último inimigo, que será aniquilado, é a morte.
Le dernier ennemi qui sera détruit, c’ est la mort.
Der letzte Feind, der aufgehoben wird, ist der Tod.
De laatste vijand, die te niet gedaan wordt, is de dood.
L’ultimo nemico che sarà distrutto, sarà la morte.
A ostatni nieprzyjaciel, który będzie zniszczony, jest śmierć.
Последний же враг истребится — смерть,
儘末了 所毀滅 的仇敵 就是死。
The last power to come to an end is death.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · I Corinthians 15:26
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that “the last enemy” is death, and that its destruction is the final act in Christ’s victory over all opposition. The Greek verb katargeitai (present passive indicative) conveys a process already underway yet awaiting completion: death is being rendered inoperative, and will be fully abolished at the resurrection. Adam Clarke insists that death can only be “counter-worked, subverted, and finally overturned” by a general resurrection. Barnes adds that all other enemies, Satan, sin, false religions, are subdued first; death is the last tyrant because it is the ultimate consequence of sin. Gill distinguishes physical death from eternal death, noting that for believers death has become a friend, yet its power will be destroyed when the saints are raised. The Cambridge Bible observes that death must continue until sin ends, then it “shall henceforth cease to be.” Together, these voices confirm that verse 26 not only promises the end of death but grounds that hope in the certainty of the resurrection.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: Death is the last enemy and will be destroyed; its destruction is tied to the resurrection of the dead and the full establishment of Christ's reign.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of 'last enemy' | All traditions agree that death is the final foe to be defeated in the cosmic order. | Some emphasize that death is personified as a tyrant; others focus on its nature as separation from God or physical decay. |
| Timing of death's destruction | All affirm that death will be fully abolished at the general resurrection. | Some see the present tense 'is abolished' as indicating an already-accomplished victory in Christ (already/not-yet), while others read it as a prophetic future (shall be destroyed). |
| Scope of death defeated | All agree that physical death ends for believers. | Some include eternal death (second death) as part of this defeat; others limit it to physical death, noting that wicked experience eternal death. |
| Relation to the resurrection | The destruction of death is impossible without the resurrection of the dead. | Clarke and others argue that resurrection is the only way death is destroyed; some note that Christ's resurrection is the guarantee, but the full destruction is at the end. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Paul writes this chapter to counter a specific error in Corinth: some believers denied the resurrection of the dead (1 Corinthians 15:12). In the Greco-Roman world, many philosophers accepted the immortality of the soul but rejected bodily resurrection as unthinkable. Paul grounds his argument in the resurrection of Christ, which he calls the “firstfruits” (v. 20). The passage from verse 23 onward outlines an order: Christ first, then those who belong to him at his coming, then the end when he delivers the kingdom to the Father.
Verse 26 sits within that order. Paul draws on the language of Psalm 8:6 (cited in v. 27) to picture Christ reigning until every enemy is under his feet. In Jewish apocalyptic thought, death was often personified as a tyrant or demonic power. Paul calls death an “enemy” because it separates soul from body, brings suffering, and stands between creation and the full reign of God. Yet death is not the first enemy to fall. The sequence matters: Satan brought sin, sin brought death. So Christ deals with them in reverse order, first Satan, then sin, then finally death (see Hebrews 2:14; 1 Corinthians 15:56).
The destruction of death is tied to the general resurrection. As Clarke notes, if there is no resurrection, death keeps its empire. But because Christ rose, death’s defeat is certain. This verse echoes Old Testament promises: Isaiah 25:8 declares that God “will swallow up death forever,” and Hosea 13:14 taunts death’s power. Paul later quotes these in his triumphal hymn (v. 55). The historical context, then, is a church struggling to grasp the full scope of Christ’s victory. Paul insists that victory is not complete until the last enemy, death itself, is gone.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant variants for this verse. The Greek text is stable across major manuscripts. The verb katargeitai appears consistently in the present tense, though many translations render it with a future sense (“shall be destroyed”) to reflect the eschatological context.
Reception History
This verse has been a cornerstone of Christian hope across the centuries. Lange notes that it forms part of the burial service in nearly every Christian church. Early Christian theologians appealed to it in defending the bodily resurrection against those who denied it. During the Reformation, commentators emphasized Christ’s complete victory over the last enemy. In modern times, it continues to be read at funerals and sung in hymns celebrating the defeat of death. The verse assures the church that all suffering will end and that the resurrection is not a distant hope but a certain promise.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Death is an enemy. Paul personifies death as a foe. It is not a natural end but the wages of sin (Romans 6:23). It separates, wounds, and terrifies.
- Death is the last enemy. It entered last and will be destroyed last. Every other enemy, Satan, sin, oppressive systems, will be dealt with before death is finally abolished.
- Death is a defeated enemy. The present tense “is abolished” points to a certainty already accomplished in principle. The resurrection of Christ guarantees it. The general resurrection will complete it.
Five-point outline
- The order of Christ’s reign: he must reign until all enemies are under his feet (v. 25).
- The identity of death as an enemy: not merely a biological event but a spiritual tyranny.
- The place of death in the sequence: last because it is the deepest consequence of sin.
- The means of its destruction: the resurrection of the dead, as Clarke emphasizes.
- The result: “Death will be no more” (Revelation 21:4). Believers will live forever.
Illustration hooks
- The final fortress. In a military campaign, a commander takes all territory except one stronghold. That last fortress must fall for victory to be complete. Death is that last fortress.
- A terminal diagnosis reversed. Imagine a patient told they have weeks to live, then a cure is found. The fear of death still lingers, but the cure changes everything. Christ’s resurrection is that cure, and one day it will be fully applied.
- A locked door. Death is like a door that has only opened one way, out of life. Christ has unlocked it from the other side. One day it will swing open and never close again.
Questions your congregation is asking
- “If death is destroyed, why do Christians still die?”
- “Does ‘the last enemy’ mean that death is worse than sin or Satan?”
- “How does the destruction of death give me hope now, while I still grieve?”
Leading a Discussion
This verse is a promise that feels almost too good to be true. Paul places it in the middle of a careful argument for the resurrection. As you discuss, notice how he connects the defeat of death to the resurrection of believers. This is not wishful thinking; it is grounded in Christ’s victory.
Discussion questions
- Read 1 Corinthians 15:20, 28. What do you notice about the order Paul describes?
- In what ways is death an “enemy”? How does the Bible speak about death differently from the world around us?
- Why does Paul call death the last enemy? What does its place in the sequence tell us about God’s plan?
- How does the destruction of death depend on the resurrection of the dead? (Consider Clarke’s point that death is only abolished by a general resurrection.)
- What difference does it make that the verb “is abolished” is in the present tense? How does that affect our confidence?
- How does this verse shape the way we face our own mortality or the death of a loved one?
- What practical hope does the defeat of death give to your daily life?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Isaiah 25:8 | He has swallowed up death forever! The Lord Yahweh will wipe away tears from off all faces. He will take the reproach of his people away from off all the earth, for Yahweh has spoken it. |
| Hosea 13:14 | I will ransom them from the power of Sheol. I will redeem them from death! Death, where are your plagues? Sheol, where is your destruction? “Compassion will be hidden from my eyes. |
| Luke 20:36 | For they can’t die any more, for they are like the angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection. |
| I Corinthians 15:55 | “Death, where is your sting? Hades, where is your victory?” |
| II Timothy 1:10 | but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the Good News. |
| Hebrews 2:14 | Since then the children have shared in flesh and blood, he also himself in the same way partook of the same, that through death he might bring to nothing him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, |
| Revelation of John 20:14 | Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. |
| Revelation of John 21:4 | He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain any more. The first things have passed away.” |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke argues that death cannot be destroyed simply by no further deaths occurring; it is only truly overthrown through a general resurrection. The promise that death will be destroyed therefore guarantees that a resurrection must happen, after which death will have no more power at all.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes stresses that death is subdued only after the gospel conquers all other enemies of God. He personifies death as a tyrant whose desp
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible notes that death must be the final enemy destroyed because it is the direct consequence of sin. Until sin itself is fully removed, death continues. Only when sin ends will the separation of soul and body that we call death finally cease to exist.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The last enemie that shalbe destroyed, is death.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill distinguishes between eternal death and physical death, specifying that only the latter is the last enemy destroyed at the resurrection. He notes that death is the final enemy both in its origin, arriving after Satan and sin, and in its duration, since believers still die even after being freed from sin and Satan until the resurrection abolishes it entirely.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB stresses that the abolition of death applies first and foremost to believers through Christ's victory, but even for unbelievers death is undone by the general resurrection. They note the Greek verb means "is done away with" as a present reality, following the order by which Satan introduced sin, sin brought death, and all three are finally destroyed together.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry emphasizes that Christ's resurrection is not an isolated miracle but the firstfruits of the harvest, meaning his rising guarantees and patterns the resurrection of all who belong to him. Because death came through one man, Adam, life also comes through one man, Christ, and believers will be raised in their proper order at his coming.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley highlights a precise sequence: death is conquered last, after Satan and sin, because that matches the order in which they entered the world and the order in which Christ overcame them. Satan brought sin, sin brought death, so Christ first defeated Satan, then sin in his own death, and finally death in his resurrection. He delivers believers in that same sequence and will ultimately destroy each enemy completely.