Bible Strands
1 Corinthians 15:39
Not all flesh is the same: Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another, and fish another.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Paul addresses the Corinthian congregation to clarify the nature of the resurrected body, using earthly creation as a comparative framework. He speaks during a broader discussion on resurrection, immediately following his explanation of God designing specific bodies for each seed.
The words — The Greek σὰρξ (sarx) recurs throughout the verse to denote physical substance, while ἄλλη (allē) marks the distinction between the different kinds. These terms ground the passage in observable biological categories before moving to theological application.
The thread — The verse establishes a progression from varied earthly flesh to the contrast between heavenly and earthly bodies in 1 Corinthians 15:40. It also echoes the creation narrative in Genesis 1:20, where God commands waters to teem and birds to fly above the earth.
Why it lands — The text states that physical forms differ by category before drawing any inference about resurrection bodies, requiring the reader to acknowledge deliberate design in created kinds. It asks the reader to accept that diversity in physical form is intentional rather than random.
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
All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.
Cross-references
- Genesis 1:20 And God said, “Let the waters teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the sky.”