Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Corinthians 15:55

"O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?" — 1 Corinthians 15:55 (ASV)

O death, where is your sting? In the prophet Hosea, where these words originally occur, the passage reads as follows: “Where is your victory, O death? Where is your sting, O hell?”—the word “hell” referring not to the place of torment, but to the Hades of departed spirits. This difference between Saint Paul’s words and those of the prophet has given rise to a variety of readings in the Greek text here. The weight of evidence is in favor of the reading, “Where is your sting, O death? Where is your victory, O death?” the word “Hades,” or “grave,” not being introduced at all. The passage is not a quotation, but the adaptation of the form of a familiar Old Testament phrase.