John Calvin Commentary Acts 2:24

"whom God raised up, having loosed the pangs of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it." — Acts 2:24 (ASV)

Having loosed the sorrows of death. By the sorrows of death I understand something further than the bodily sense or feeling. For those who duly consider the nature of death, because they hear that it is the curse of God, must necessarily conceive that God is angry in death.

Hence comes marvelous horror, in which there is greater misery than in death itself. Furthermore, Christ died for this reason, that he might take upon himself our guilt. That inward fear of conscience, which made him so afraid that he sweat blood when he presented himself before the throne and tribunal seat of God, vexed him more, and brought upon him greater horror, than all the torments of the flesh.

And since Peter says that Christ wrestled with such sorrows, and also declares that he had the victory, thus it comes to pass that the faithful should not now be afraid of death. For death does not now have the same quality that it had in Adam, because by the victory of Christ the curse is swallowed up (1 Corinthians 15:54).

We indeed still feel the pricking of sorrows, but such as do not wound us completely, while we hold up the shield of faith against them. He added a reason: because it was impossible that Christ, who is the author of life, should be oppressed by death.