1 Corinthians 15:20

 1 Corinthians 15:20

But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

a. ASV: But now hath Christ been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of them that are asleep.   [Thomas Nelson & Sons first published the American Standard Version in 1901. This translation of the Bible is in the public domain.]

b. YLT: And now, Christ hath risen out of the dead -- the first-fruits of those sleeping he became,  [The Young's Literal Translation was translated by Robert Young, who believed in a strictly literal translation of God's word. This version of the Bible is in the public domain.]

c. Classic Amplified: But the fact is that Christ (the Messiah) has been raised from the dead, and He became the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep [in death]. [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

d. Peshitta Eastern Text: But now we know Christ is risen from the dead and become the first-fruits of those who have died.  [HOLY BIBLE FROM THE ANCIENT EASTERN TEXT. Copyright  Ⓒ 1933 by A.J. Holmon Co.; copyright  Ⓒ renewed 1968 by A.J. Holmon Co.; All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. HarperCollins Publishers, 195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007.]

e. NLT: But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.  [Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.]

Wuest Translation: But now Christ has been raised out from among the dead, a firstfruit of those who have fallen asleep  [The New Testament: An Expanded Translation by Kenneth S. Euest. © Copyright Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 1961. All rights reserved.]

1. “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.”

a. But [Strong: 1161. de deh a primary particle (adversative or continuative); but, and, etc.:--also, and, but, moreover, now (often unexpressed in English).]

b. now [Strong: 3570. nuni noo-nee' a prolonged form of 3568 for emphasis; just now:--now.]

c. [is] Christ [Strong: 5547. Christos khris-tos' from 5548; anointed, i.e. the Messiah, an epithet of Jesus:--Christ.]

d. risen [Strong: 1453. egeiro eg-i'-ro probably akin to the base of 58 (through the idea of collecting one's faculties); to waken (transitively or intransitively), i.e. rouse (literally, from sleep, from sitting or lying, from disease, from death; or figuratively, from obscurity, inactivity, ruins, nonexistence):--awake, lift (up), raise (again, up), rear up, (a-)rise (again, up), stand, take up.] 

e. from Strong: 1537. ek ek or ex ex a primary preposition denoting origin (the point whence action or motion proceeds), from, out (of place, time, or cause; literal or figurative; direct or remote):--after, among, X are, at, betwixt(-yond), by (the means of), exceedingly, (+ abundantly above), for(- th), from (among, forth, up), + grudgingly, + heartily, X heavenly, X hereby, + very highly, in, ...ly, (because, by reason) of, off (from), on, out among (from, of), over, since, X thenceforth, through, X unto, X vehemently, with(-out). Often used in composition, with the same general import; often of completion.]

f. [the] dead [Strong: 3498. nekros nek-ros' from an apparently primary nekus (a corpse); dead (literally or figuratively; also as noun):--dead.]

g. [and] become [Strong: 1096. ginomai ghin'-om-ahee a prolongation and middle voice form of a primary verb; to cause to be ("gen"-erate), i.e. (reflexively) to become (come into being), used with great latitude (literal, figurative, intensive, etc.):--arise, be assembled, be(-come, -fall, -have self), be brought (to pass), (be) come (to pass), continue, be divided, draw, be ended, fall, be finished, follow, be found, be fulfilled, + God forbid, grow, happen, have, be kept, be made, be married, be ordained to be, partake, pass, be performed, be published, require, seem, be showed, X soon as it was, sound, be taken, be turned, use, wax, will, would, be wrought.]

h. [the] firstfruits [Strong: 536. aparche ap-ar-khay' from a compound of 575 and 756; a beginning of sacrifice, i.e. the (Jewish) first-fruit (figuratively):--first-fruits.] [Thayer: to offer firstlings or firstfruits, to take away the firstfruits of the productions of the earth which was offered to God. The first portion of the dough, from which sacred loaves were to be prepared. Hence term used of persons consecrated to God for all time, persons superior in excellence to others of the same class.]

i. [of] them [Strong: 3588. [tōn] ὁ ho ho, including the feminine he hay, and the neuter to to in all their inflections; the definite article; the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom):--the, this, that, one, he, she, it, etc.] [Thayer: [tōn] ὁ, ἡ, τό, originally τος, τῇ, τό (as is evident from the forms τοι, ται for οἱ, αἱ in Homer and the Ionic writings), corresponds to our definite article the (German der, die, das), which is properly a demonstrative pronoun, which we see in its full force in Homer, and of which we find certain indubitable traces also in all kinds of Greek prose, and hence also in the N. T.] [Additional variants: tē, hoi, oi, tēn, ta, tēs, tois, tais, tō, tōn, tou, Hē, hé  hē, hai, tas.]

j. [that] slept [Strong: 2837. koimao koy-mah'-o from 2749; to put to sleep, i.e. (passively or reflexively) to slumber; figuratively, to decease:--(be a-, fall a-, fall on) sleep, be dead.]

1).  Perry Stone Hebraic Prophetic Study Bible: The idea of Christ being the “firstfruits” refers to the fact that Christ was raised and seen by his disciples on the beginning of the Feast of Firstfruits. Christ was the first under the New Covenant to raise Himself from the dead, and He brought forth many of the saints from the Old Covenant from their graves when he arose see Matthew 27:52). Christ has defeated death and hell in the life of believers (see Revelation 1:18), but the last enemy to be destroyed will be death (1 Corinthians 15:26) which is a literal spirit that will be cast into the lake of fire (see Revelation 20:14). 

2). The Feasts of the Lord, Kevin Howard, Marvin Rosenthal: Firstfruits marked the beginning of the cereal grain harvests in Israel. Barley was the first grain to ripen of those sown in the winter months. For Firstfruits, a sheaf of barley was harvested and brought to the temple as a thanksgiving offering to the Lord for the harvest. It was representative of the barley harvest as a whole and served as a pledge or guarantee that the remainder of the harvest would be realized in the days that followed.