What Does 1 Corinthians 15:7 Mean?
Then he was perceived by James, then by all the sent ones.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.THE KEY
The Greek verb holds seeing and appearing together: the risen Jesus is encountered first by James, then by the whole apostolic circle.
THE MEANING
The risen Jesus is perceptible in encounter, first to James and then to all the apostles. What one witness sees becomes shared testimony.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The risen one appears only to a single, isolated witness.
THE ROOT
ὤφθη
ōphthē
GROWS FROM
ὁράω
horaō
To see or perceive; in this form, to be seen or appear.
“perceived” in this verse is ōphthē. The English phrase foregrounds the witnesses’ sight, while the Greek form can also mean “appeared.” One event holds both sides: the risen Jesus becomes perceptible, and witnesses see him.
ALSO GROWS
horama: Vision; what is seen
ὅραμα
This branch names what comes into view, widening “was seen” to include the appearance itself.
horatos: Visible; able to be seen
ὁρατός
This branch makes explicit the quality of the encounter: the risen one is perceptible.
ἀποστόλοις
apostolois
GROWS FROM
ἀποστέλλω
apostellō
To send away or send forth.
“sent ones” in this verse is apostolois. An apostle is a sent one, so the verse names these witnesses by the movement that carries their testimony outward. The circle widens from seeing toward sending.
ALSO GROWS
apostellō: Send out; dispatch
ἀποστέλλω
The verb supplies the sending contained in the apostles’ name.
apostolē: Sending; commission
ἀποστολή
This noun links the apostles’ identity with testimony that travels beyond the encounter.
THE PATTERN
The risen Jesus is encountered by named witnesses, and each encounter enlarges the shared testimony.
Saying, The Lord has truly been raised, and was seen by Simon.Mary Magdalene came and brought word to the disciples that she had perceived the Lord, and that he had said these things to her.Not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen beforehand by God, even to us, who ate and drank together with him after he rose from the dead.THE THREAD
Saying, The Lord has truly been raised, and was seen by Simon.Luke uses the same Greek verb, ὤφθη (ōphthē), for the Lord’s appearance to Simon. James’s encounter belongs to this repeated pattern: the risen Jesus becomes perceptible to named witnesses, one after another.
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