OT in NT: 1 Corinthians 15.4 and “On the Third Day”

Jason G. Andersen
Introduction

1 Corinthians 15.4 is one of those curious passages in the New Testament where Paul asserts a truth and says that this truth is in accordance with the scriptures. The problem is that not one biblical text can bear the burden that Paul quoted directly from that place. The problem part of the passage says τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ τρίτῃ, “on the third day.” There is one passage in Hosea that is mentioned often as being a referent to this passage, but the context of that chapter does not allow an interpreter to easily cite this passage as the single or main referent. This paper will outline different Old Testament passages which speak of a “third day” and will draw a conclusion as to the similar nature of the themes presented in each Old Testament passage concerning the third day. In light of the survey, “on the third day” in 1 Corinthians 15.4 is easily understood as a biblical theme which is present throughout the whole Bible as it looks forward to Christ.

OT Contexts

Genesis 22.4

“On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar.”

Abraham is traveling with Isaac, his son, in order to offer him up as an offering. It was “on the third day” that Abraham found the place that God had appointed for this sacrifice. The significance of the third day is not greatly expounded by any one commentator. To be noted is what happened on the third day. First, Abraham accomplishes the task that God had appointed for him. Second, Abraham’s stated purpose was worshiping God. Abraham was going to slay his son trusting that God would raise him to life. The author to the Hebrews makes the point clear that Abraham trusted God to raise Isaac from the dead because God had said, “Through Isaac your offspring shall be named.” It might even be possible to say that Abraham indeed did slay his son, metaphorically, whom A.W. Tozer says was the idol of his heart (24), so that God might raise Isaac as the heir of the promise. Thus, this passage shows God bringing life to Isaac after Abraham had committed to offer him up as a sacrifice.

Genesis 42.18

“On the third day Joseph said to them, "Do this and you will live, for I fear God:”

This passage occurs when Joseph is providing for his family by God’s appointment. He is doing that which God had brought him to Egypt to do. It was on the third day that he initiates conversation with his brothers and begins to leave his past behind. Although he is not completely reconciled with his brothers until he reveals himself, Joseph initiates this reconciliation on the third day. A simpler note about the passage is that Joseph gives his brothers a directive, “Do this and live.” This directive contains a promise of salvation. In addition to this, Joseph is going to be brought back to life in the eyes of his father. He was once dead to him, and at the end of this ordeal, begun on the third day, Joseph will be alive to him.

Exodus 19.16

“On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled.”

The third day in this passage is the event when Yahweh descended onto Mount Sinai to meet with the Israelites. This event precedes the giving of the Ten Commandments. God intends to meet with the whole congregation of Israel and demanded that the congregation be consecrated. This great event initiates the giving of the law to the Israelite congregation. Deuteronomy expounds more after the presentation of the Ten Commandments. Moses says concerning the Law in Deuteronomy 5.33, “That it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land that you shall posses.” He is saying that God will bestow upon the Israelites life if they followed God’s commands. Thus, the third day initiates God’s divine bestowal of the law that provides life if followed.

2 Kings 20.5

"Turn back, and say to Hezekiah the leader of my people, Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD,

In the verses previous this passage, Hezekiah pleads with Yahweh for his life because the prophet Isaiah proclaimed Yahweh’s oracle concerning Hezekiah: he will die because of his sickness. God changes the oracle of death into a statement of salvation. God accomplishes this salvation in a few ways. First, he promises to save Judah from the Assyrians through Hezekiah. Second, God not only does this for his own glory but also for the sake of David’s line. He promises to preserve David’s covenant through Hezekiah. Hezekiah’s heir was born during the fifteen extra years that he lived. Thus, God provided an heir to continue the lineage of David. We see this preservation in Matthew 1.10. This miraculous healing in order to preserve David’s line and save Judah from the Assyrians occurred on the third day.

Esther 5.1

“On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king's palace, in front of the king's quarters, while the king was sitting on his royal throne inside the throne room opposite the entrance to the palace.”

This event in Esther, which occurs on the third day, also contains the idea of preserving life. Esther goes to the King to initiate her request that the lives of her people be spared. It was after three days of fasting. Mordecai also hints at some sort of divine intervention when he says, “Who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this.” Yahweh had anointed Esther for this task as he did with Joseph. God provides salvation through Esther, and the salvation is inaugurated on the third day.

Hosea 6.2

“After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him.”

This passage in Hosea is a call for the people of Israel to return to Yahweh (Smith 109). The mention of the third day refers to restoration of life. The verb חיה is used in the Hiphil denoting the preservation of life. The ultimate purpose is stated in the text, “That we may live before him.” Although Hosea portrays Israel as saying this, they expect something to happen on the third day even though God ultimately expects Israel to fail. It is possible that the third day follows the themes that are found in the previous surveys of the passages. It was on the third day the god initiated the salvation of Israel and sons through Joseph. It was on the third day that God began to save the Jews through Esther. It was on the third day that Hezekiah’s salvation was wrought. Therefore, Hosea may be saying, “So much as life was preserved on the third day in the past, may you do it again here in our own time.”

The sign of Jonah

In addition to these phrasal parallels to 1 Corinthians 15.4b, there is also the sign of Jonah, which Jesus notes in Matthew 12.39. In the story of Jonah, the three days in the belly of the fish are Jonah’s salvation. God brings this fish as a tool of salvation. It is possible that Jonah’s third day corresponds with the consistent witness about the third day surveyed above.

Third Day of Creation

In addition to these parallels, Jens Christensen suggests that the the third day of creation holds some theological meaning (112). God created the greenery on the earth on the third day, which included the Tree of life. This tree, according to Christensen, is a metaphor to the messianic king and the root of Jesse (111). The tree of life is a picture of the resurrected Christ who brought forth the ultimate life on the third day. Therefore, on the third day of creation, God brought forth the life giving tree.

Old Testament Conclusion

All of these Old Testament passages here except Jonah and the Garden of Eden share the phrase τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ τρίτῃ with 1 Corinthians 15.4b. That being said, the specific wording may not be as important as the idea of the theological idea of the third day and God’s bringing forth life. Given the select passages above, it is possible that the third day was a common theme that represented life and restoration in the same manner that the number forty represents a full life in the Bible. In each of these passages, there is the idea of bringing someone back to life and in some cases, there is reconciliation between two parties. It is possible in keeping with this theme that Paul understood the third day in the same light. It was to him, and to the other New Testament authors who focus on the third day, a day that God traditionally revives and reconciles. Therefore, Christ’s dying on the third day represents the greatest act of reviving since he initiated our resurrection by his being raised from the dead and reconciliation since he has reconciled us to God through the completed act.

New Testament Context

1 Corinthians 15.4

“that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,”

Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15, is reminding the Corinthian Church what he had preached to them. A pastor of mine called this section the “gospel in a nutshell” because it boils down the gospel into a very short section about Christ’s redeeming act. This gospel is Christ’s death, burial, resurrection and apparitions, after he rose from the dead, to the disciples. This is the proof of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Verse 4 is one of the parts of the gospel. It is parallel in structure with verse three. Verse 4 says that he was buried and raised on the third day according to the scriptures.

The quotation of scripture is followed by κατὰ τὰς γραφάς, which does not indicate that the content refers to any specific passage in the Old Testament although some, such as Albert Barnes, have suggested that Paul was quoting directly from Hosea 6.2. Bruce Metzger suggests that, in fact, “on the third day” is not being modified by “according to the scriptures” at all; instead, both “on the third day” and “according to the scriptures” qualify “he was raised” (120, 121). This seems to be an attractive alternative. However, he does not consider the phrase “he was buried” seeing that this is conjoined by “and” to “he was raised.” This makes it seem more likely that κατὰ τὰς γραφάς modifies both “he was buried” and “he was raised.” “On the third day” would simply modify “he was raised.” Christensen adds, “Christ died for our sins and. . . he rose again the third day. . .must be scripturally documented” (101). Surely, “on the third day” is not a direct quotation, but there are many parallels, which have already been discussed above. Instead, κατὰ τὰς γραφάς calls to mind a common theme attested broadly throughout scripture. It was natural, therefore, for Paul to have placed “on the third day” in this section because it does carry a theme that the Old Testament demonstrates. The core of the theme of the third day includes the preservation and restoration of life.

In Bock’s terms, this passage would most closely compare to his “ideas or summaries” category. This “third day” is a constant witness throughout the Old Testament, but Paul does not quote it from any specific passage. Paul may have used the same wording as all of the Old Testament narratives where this is found in order to conjure up thoughts about the different passages in the Old Testament that use the phrase. The use may also partially fall into his TYPOLOGICAL-Prophetic category. Each one of the Old Testament stories discussed above partially foreshadow Jesus’ resurrection on the third day, but none explicitly prophesy into the future concerning the Messiah.

Paul presupposes that Christ is the center of the witness of the Old Testament. Paul uses this focus on Christ in saying that he rose again on the third day according to the scriptures. God had Christ’s death in mind when he created the tree of life on the third day of creation. This can be said also, for example, when God descended on Mount Sinai “on the third day.” Paul also presupposes the fact that these are the days of fulfillment. This is simply seen in the fact that he shows that Christ has fulfilled things in 1 Corinthians 15.3, 4 according to the scriptures. Paul also presupposes the authority of God’s word. He uses the uniform Old Testament witness to prove the authority of the Gospel of Christ. Paul also presupposes a typology, if my interpretation is correct, of “the third day.” The third day was the day of life, which Christ ultimately consummated when he was raised from the dead.

“On the third day” represents a key scriptural truth that is prevalent in the Old Testament and fulfilled ultimately in Christ’s resurrection on the third day. Some examples of the passages that lay the foundation include Genesis 22.4, 42.18, Exodus 19.16, 2 Kings 20.5, Hosea 6.2 and Esther 5.1. This scriptural truth displays life and reconciliation on the third day that was begun at creation and accomplished when Christ raised from the dead.

Works Cited

Christensen, Jens. “And The He Rose on the Third Day According to the Scriptures.” Scandinavian Journal of Theology. 2 (1990): 101-113.
Metzger, Bruce Manning. “A Suggestion Concerning the Meaning of 1 Cor. XV. 4b.” Journal of Theological Studies. 8.1 (1957): 118-123.
Smith, Gary V. Hosea, Amos, Micah: The NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001.
Tozer, A.W. The Pursuit of God. Harrisburg: Christian Publications.