“Swallowed Up”

D. Kelly Ogden, Andrew C. Skinner

This verse contains perceptive comments on death, as viewed by those who are “perfectly honest and upright in all things” and “firm in the faith of Christ” (v. 27). “They never did look upon death with any degree of terror, for their hope and views of Christ and the resurrection; … death was swallowed up to them by the victory of Christ over it.” The concept of “swallowed up” appears rather frequently throughout the scriptures; for example, swallowed up in sorrow (2 Corinthians 2:7), swallowed up in pride (Alma 31:27), and swallowed up in joy (Alma 27:17; 31:38). The phrase means “overwhelmed” or “overcome.” In this case, the fear of death is totally overcome because of Christ’s triumph over it: “death is swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:54); “the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ” (Mosiah 16:8); “the sting of death should be swallowed up in the hopes of glory” (Alma 22:14).

Verse by Verse: The Book of Mormon: Vol. 1

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