Acts 2:24 · Bible study
Acts 2:24 Commentary: Why Death Could Not Hold Jesus
Greek · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
God raised Jesus from the dead, freeing Him from death's power because it was impossible for the Author of Life to be held captive.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God raised Jesus from the dead, freeing him from death’s power because it was impossible for the Author of Life to be held captive.
- Key words: λύσας (loosed), ὠδῖνας (pains/birth pangs or cords), δυνατόν (possible), κρατεῖσθαι (to be held).
- Main debate: Whether ‘pains of death’ refers to Christ’s suffering (Calvin, Wesley) or to the bonds of death from Hebrew poetry (Barnes, Gill).
- Theological theme: Resurrection as divine vindication and victory over death; the necessity of Christ’s triumph.
- Best use: Easter sermons, apologetics, teaching on the necessity of the resurrection, and comfort in the face of death.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
But God raised Him from the dead, releasing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for Him to be held in its clutches.
WEB World English Bible 2000
whom God raised up, having freed him from the agony of death, because it was not possible that he should be held by it.
KJV King James Version 1769
Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
whom God raised up, having loosed the pangs of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
whom God did raise up, having loosed the pains of the death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it,
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Whom God has raised up, having loosed the pains of death, inasmuch as it was not possible that he should be held by its power;
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the sorrows of hell, as it was impossible that he should be holden by it.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Al cual Dios levantó, sueltos los dolores de la muerte, por cuanto era imposible|strong="G3756, G1415" ser detenido de ella.
Ao qual Deus ressuscitou, tendo soltado as dores da morte; porque não era possível ele ser retido por ela;
Dieu l’ a ressuscité, en le délivrant des liens de la mort, parce qu’ il n’ était pas possible qu’ il fût retenu par elle.
Den hat Gott auferweckt, und aufgelöst die Schmerzen des Todes, wie es denn unmöglich war, daß er sollte von ihm gehalten werden.
Welken God opgewekt heeft, de smarten des doods ontbonden hebbende, alzo het niet mogelijk was, dat Hij van denzelven dood zou gehouden worden.
ma Dio lo risuscitò, avendo sciolto gli angosciosi legami della morte, perché non era possibile ch’egli fosse da essa ritenuto.
Którego Bóg wzbudził, rozwiązawszy boleści śmierci, jakoż było to niepodobne, aby od niej miał być zatrzymany.
но Бог воскресил Его, расторгнув узы смерти, потому что ей невозможно было удержать Его.
神 卻將死 的痛苦 解釋了，叫他 復活，因為 他原不 能 被 死 拘禁。
But God gave him back to life, having made him free from the pains of death because it was not possible for him to be overcome by it.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · Acts 2:24
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 Acts 2:24 announces God’s decisive vindication of Jesus. The verb anestēsen (raised up) places God as the subject, contrasting with the human act of crucifixion in verse 23. The participle lusas (having loosed) describes the action that freed Jesus from the realm of death. Debate clusters on the word ōdinas (pains). Barnes and Gill point to the Hebrew chebel in Psalm 18:5 and Psalm 116:3, where it means ‘cords’ or ‘snares’, the image is of a hunter’s trap that God breaks. Calvin and Wesley understand it as the literal birth pangs of Christ’s suffering, emphasizing the agony he endured. Both readings agree that death’s hold was released. The reason given, ouk ēn dunaton (it was not possible), is read by JFB and Lange as prophetic necessity: Scripture foretold he would not see corruption. Gill and Calvin ground it in Christ’s identity: the Author of Life cannot be held by death. The shared foundation is that the resurrection is a divine act and that death had no rightful claim on the Holy One.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Literal suffering pangs: Calvin and Wesley read ωδῖνας as the actual pains of Christ’s crucifixion and spiritual agony, leading to freedom.
- Cords/bonds of death: Barnes and Gill argue the word echoes Hebrew chebel in Psalms, meaning snares that God broke.
- Prophetic necessity: JFB and Lange emphasize the phrase ‘it was not possible’ as grounded in the prophetic word that the Holy One would not see decay.
What is clear: God raised Jesus from the dead, and death could not hold him because of who he is and what Scripture foretold.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of ‘pains of death’ (ὠδῖνας) | All agree the phrase describes what held Jesus in death’s power. | Some interpret it as literal suffering pangs (Calvin, Wesley), others as cords or snares from the Hebrew chebel (Barnes, Gill). |
| Reason for the impossibility of death holding Christ | All affirm that death could not hold Jesus because of who he is. | Some emphasize prophetic necessity (JFB, Lange: Scripture must be fulfilled), others emphasize Christ’s divine nature as the Author of Life (Gill, Calvin). |
| The role of the Father in the resurrection | The resurrection is presented as an act of God the Father. | Whether this excludes Christ’s own divine power in raising himself (Gill includes both; others stress the Father’s action here). |
| The nature of Christ’s suffering in death | Christ truly experienced death and its consequences. | Calvin stresses the spiritual agony of bearing the curse, while others focus on physical pain. All hold that suffering was redemptive. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Peter speaks on the day of Pentecost, fifty days after Passover. Jerusalem is crowded with Jewish pilgrims from across the Roman world. The Holy Spirit has just fallen, and the crowd is bewildered. Peter stands to explain that the promised outpouring of the Spirit (Joel 2) has begun because Jesus, whom they crucified, has been exalted to God’s right hand.
The phrase ‘pains of death’ echoes the language of the Psalms. In Psalm 116:3, the Hebrew chebley maveth means both ‘cords of death’ and ‘sorrows of death.’ The Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) translated it as ōdinas thanatou, giving the image of birth pangs. Jewish hearers would catch the double sense: death is like a hunter with snares, or like a woman in labor, painful but ultimately giving way to new life.
Crucifixion was the most shameful death in the Roman world, reserved for slaves and rebels. For Peter to claim that this executed criminal was raised by God was extraordinary. He presents the resurrection as the final divine verdict, overturning the human verdict of condemnation. The argument is forensic: God has given his approval by raising Jesus.
The clause ‘because it was not possible’ reflects a theological necessity rooted in who Jesus is. As Lange notes, the resurrection was not an accident or an afterthought but a necessary outcome of Christ’s person and the prophetic word. Peter will go on to quote Psalm 16:8-11, arguing that David foresaw the Messiah’s resurrection. Thus the historical context shows Peter building a case from Scripture and recent events to prove that Jesus is Lord and Christ.
Textual Notes
The verse is well-attested in the manuscript tradition, but a notable variant exists. In Codex Bezae (D), the Syriac Peshitta, Coptic versions, and the Latin Vulgate, the word ‘death’ (θανάτου, thanatou) is replaced with ‘hell’ or ‘Hades’ (Ἅιδου, Hádou). Adam Clarke notes that this reading may have influenced the clause ‘He descended into hell’ in the Apostles’ Creed. The majority of Greek manuscripts, however, read ‘death,’ and the external evidence supports that reading. The difference does not change the core meaning: Christ was freed from the realm of the dead.
Reception History
From the early church onward, Acts 2:24 has been a cornerstone for the doctrine of Christ’s victory over death. The variant reading with ‘hell’ contributed to the development of the descensus clause in the Apostles’ Creed, affirmed by many traditions as Christ’s descent to the realm of the dead. In the Reformation, Calvin used the verse to emphasize that Christ endured the full curse of death, including spiritual anguish, yet emerged victorious. Wesley and Methodist writers saw in it the triumph of grace over sin’s penalty. The verse appears in Easter liturgies across Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant traditions, often as a reading that declares death’s defeat. Hymnody reflects this theme: language of ‘loosing’ and ‘breaking bonds’ is common in resurrection songs.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God is the Author of the Resurrection. ‘Whom God raised up’ makes the Father the primary agent. The same God who allowed Jesus to be delivered up now brings him out of death. This is not a human act but a divine one.
- Death’s grip is released. ‘Having loosed the pains of death’ uses language of untying bonds. Whether we see the ‘pains’ as cords or suffering, the point is the same: what held Jesus is broken. The resurrection is not an escape from death but a victory over it.
- It was impossible for death to hold him. The reason is both theological and scriptural. Jesus is the Holy One, the Author of Life, and the fulfillment of prophecy. Death has no authority over him.
Five-point outline
- The resurrection is a divine act of vindication.
- Christ’s suffering was real and complete, but it was not the final word.
- Death’s power is broken, it cannot bind the Prince of Life.
- The resurrection fulfills Old Testament prophecy (Psalm 16, 116).
- Because death could not hold Jesus, those who trust him share in his victory.
Illustration hooks
- Birth pangs: A mother’s labor is intense, but it brings new life. Jesus’ death pangs were real, yet they led to resurrection. The pain was not the end.
- The king in the prison: Imagine a rightful king thrown into a cell. The guards think they have him, but he holds the keys. Death thought it had Jesus contained, but he is the Lord of life.
- Broken chains: The word ‘loosed’ suggests ropes or chains that are undone. Think of strong ropes that seem unbreakable, but a greater force snaps them. God’s power broke the bonds of death.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Did Jesus really suffer in death, or was he just pretending? (The text says he experienced the ‘pains’, real agony.)
- Why did God go through the crucifixion if he was going to raise Jesus anyway? (It shows the seriousness of sin and the depth of God’s love.)
- How does the resurrection matter for my life right now? (Because death has been defeated, we can face our own mortality with hope.)
Leading a Discussion
This verse is the hinge of Peter's sermon at Pentecost. It declares that God raised Jesus, freeing him from the grip of death because death had no right to hold him. As you discuss, consider what it means that the resurrection was both a divine act and a necessary event.
Discussion questions
- What does the phrase ‘having loosed the pains of death’ suggest about the power of death over Jesus? How is that different from the power death has over us?
- Read Psalm 116:3 and Psalm 18:5. How do these verses help you understand the language Peter uses?
- Why does Peter say it was ‘not possible’ for death to hold Jesus? Is he talking about physical possibility or theological necessity?
- The word ōdinas can mean either ‘pains’ or ‘cords.’ How does each meaning change the mental picture you have of the resurrection?
- Peter emphasizes that God the Father raised Jesus. Why is it important that the resurrection is presented as an act of God rather than just a miracle Jesus performed for himself?
- How does this verse connect to the prophecy Peter quotes in verses 25-28? What does David’s psalm tell us about the Messiah’s resurrection?
- In what ways does Christ’s victory over death give you hope for your own life and death?
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)
| Psalms 116:3 | The cords of death surrounded me, the pains of Sheol got a hold of me. I found trouble and sorrow. |
| Psalms 116:4 | Then I called on Yahweh’s name: “Yahweh, I beg you, deliver my soul.” |
| Psalms 116:16 | Yahweh, truly I am your servant. I am your servant, the son of your servant girl. You have freed me from my chains. |
| 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. |
| Isaiah 26:19 | Your dead shall live. Their dead bodies shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust; for your dew is like the dew of herbs, and the earth will cast out the departed spirits. |
| Isaiah 53:10 | Yet it pleased Yahweh to bruise him. He has caused him to suffer. When you make his soul an offering for sin, he will see his offspring. He will prolong his days and Yahweh’s pleasure will prosper in his hand. |
| 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. |
| Matthew 27:63 | saying, “Sir, we remember what that deceiver said while he was still alive: ‘After three days I will rise again.’ |
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
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What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke argues that Christ’s resurrection involved removing the actual pains and sufferings of death, not merely releasing him from the grave’s bonds. He notes Christ faced death calmly because those pains had already been taken away. Clarke also dismisses the variant reading “of hell” as weak support for the creed’s descent clause.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes emphasizes the imagery of death as a tight cord or band that binds people. Peter's point is that God "loosed" these bonds from Jesus, freeing him from the grave. This happened because Scripture's promises and Christ's own power made it impossible for death to hold him permanently.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin distinguishes physical death from the deeper horror of facing God's anger as the curse behind it. Christ's real agony was inward terror of conscience before God's tribunal, far worse than bodily pain. Because Christ conquered this, believers need no longer fear death as a curse.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Note stresses that death could not possibly keep hold of Christ. God raised him and released him from death's painful grip, because it was utterly impossible for the grave to contain the Lord of life.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill argues that the "pains of death" refer not to Christ's suffering on the cross, which ended at death, but to death's binding power that held him in the grave. The resurrection loosed those cords, releasing Christ completely from death's dominion so that it would never claim him again.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB stresses that the impossibility
Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887
Vincent notes a dispute over the word "pains." Some argue it is a Septuagint mistranslation of "snares," while others see death in travail with the resurrection as the birth. He finds the birth-pangs view far-fetched and prefers the traditional sense, taking "pains of death" to mean death in general.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley notes that the Greek word for "pains" actually refers to the sharp labor pains of childbirth. He then observes that Christ could not remain under death's power because Scripture had to be fulfilled. The birth-pangs imagery subtly points to the deliverance that comes through suffering.