Bible Strands
1 Corinthians 15:40
There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies. But the splendor of the heavenly bodies is of one degree, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is of another.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Paul addresses the Corinthian church to clarify the nature of resurrected bodies within his broader resurrection argument. He places this statement immediately after noting that earthly creatures possess different kinds of flesh (1 Corinthians 15:39) and immediately before describing the varying brightness of celestial objects (1 Corinthians 15:41).
The words — The passage distinguishes ἐπουράνια (epourania) as "heavenly" and ἐπίγεια (epigeia) as "earthly" to categorize the two types of bodies. It employs ἑτέρα (hetera) for "another" to specify that each category possesses a distinct measure of splendor.
The thread — The contrast between earthly and heavenly bodies recurs in Pauline literature, such as 1 Corinthians 15:49 and Philippians 3:21. The principle of graded splendor follows the pattern established in 1 Corinthians 15:41 regarding the sun, moon, and stars.
Why it lands — The text states that physical existence operates on different levels of glory, with heavenly and earthly bodies each possessing their own fixed degree of radiance. It requires the reader to accept that uniformity is not a prerequisite for resurrection, but rather that transformation involves a specific, ordered change in glory.
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
There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.