Bible Strands
1 Corinthians 15:31
I face death every day, brothers, as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Paul addresses the Corinthian believers while defending the doctrine of bodily resurrection in chapter 15. He speaks during a rhetorical argument about the practical implications of denying the resurrection.
The words — καθ᾽ ἡμέραν (kath’ hēmeran) literally means "according to day" or "every day," and ἀποθνῄσκω (apothnēskō) means "I die." Paul pairs these with νὴ (nē), an oath particle meaning "as surely as," to ground his claim in divine certainty.
The thread — The theme of daily mortality runs through 1 Corinthians 4:9, where apostles appear as condemned prisoners, and Romans 8:36, which quotes Psalm 44:22 about being "slaughtered all day long." Paul echoes this pattern in 2 Corinthians 4:10 by describing the ongoing manifestation of Jesus’ death in his own body.
Why it lands — The text asserts that Paul’s daily confrontation with mortality is as certain as his boasting in the Corinthians. It requires the reader to accept that commitment to the resurrection message necessitates accepting constant risk, not merely future reward.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
Cross-references
- 2 Corinthians 4:10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
- Romans 8:36 As it is written: “For Your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
- 1 Corinthians 4:9 For it seems to me that God has displayed us apostles at the end of the procession, like prisoners appointed for death. We have become a spectacle to the whole world, to angels as well as to men.
- Philippians 3:3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh—
- 1 Thessalonians 3:9 How can we adequately thank God for you in return for our great joy over you in His presence?
- Jeremiah 11:7 For from the time I brought your fathers out of the land of Egypt until today, I strongly warned them again and again, saying, ‘Obey My voice.’
- Acts 20:23 I only know that in town after town the Holy Spirit warns me that chains and afflictions await me.
- 2 Corinthians 11:23 Are they servants of Christ? (I am speaking as if I were out of my mind.) I am so much more: in harder labor, in more imprisonments, in worse beatings, in frequent danger of death.
- 2 Corinthians 1:12 For this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in relation to you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God—not in worldly wisdom, but in the grace of God.
- 1 Samuel 8:9 Now listen to their voice; but you must solemnly warn them and show them the manner of the king who will reign over them.”