Translations
F.O.G.MPrimary
F.O.G MessageIf I fought wild beasts at Ephesus for merely human reasons, what did I gain? If the dead are not raised, then 'Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!'
F.O.GSecondary
The F.O.GIf I fought wild beasts at Ephesos in a merely human reckoning, what does it profit me? If the dead are not raised, 'Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!'
KJV
King James VersionIf after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die.
BSB
Berean Standard BibleIf I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for human motives, what did I gain? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”
Footnotes
ἐθηριομάχησα / φάγωμεν καὶ πίωμεν — 'Fought wild beasts' is almost certainly metaphorical — as a Roman citizen Sha'ul could not be condemned to the arena, and he mentions no such literal ordeal elsewhere. The image likely describes the ferocity of opposition he faced in Ephesos (cf. Acts 19; 2 Cor 1:8–9). The final quotation is from Isaiah 22:13, where YHWH condemns Jerusalem's leaders for their nihilistic fatalism in the face of coming judgment — Sha'ul deploys it as the logical conclusion of a resurrection-denying worldview.
