The sun has one degree of splendor, the moon another, and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.
Parallel translations
- WEB There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory.
- KJV There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.
- NKJV There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory.
- NASB There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.
- NLT The sun has one kind of glory, while the moon and stars each have another kind. And even the stars differ from each other in their glory.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Sun, moon, and stars each differ in glory. It matters because it shows the manifold glory God can give to raised bodies.
Overview
Extending the heavenly imagery, Paul observes that even the sun, moon, and individual stars vary in brightness. The point is the rich diversity of glory in God's creation. By analogy, the resurrection body will shine with a glory far surpassing the present one.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Ps 148:3–5Praise Him, O sun and moon; praise Him, all you shining stars.
- Isa 24:23The moon will be confounded and the sun will be ashamed; for the LORD of Hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before His elders with great glory.
- Deut 4:19When you look to the heavens and see the sun and moon and stars—all the host of heaven—do not be enticed to bow down and worship what the LORD your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven.
- Ps 19:4–6their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens He has pitched a tent for the sun.
- Ps 8:3When I behold Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place—
- Gen 1:14And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to distinguish between the day and the night, and let them be signs to mark the seasons and days and years.
- Job 31:26if I have beheld the sun in its radiance or the moon moving in splendor,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Christ crucified is the wisdom and power of God; he is our Passover sacrificed for us, the firstfruits of resurrection, the foundation on which everything is built.
How 1 Corinthians 15:41 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.