Verse 32
One example of facing death occurred in Ephesus where Paul was when he wrote this epistle. His fight with "wild beasts" was not with wild animals. This expression describes his conflict with very hostile human adversaries. The phrase kata anthropon ("from human motives" or "for . . . human reasons," lit. according to man) identifies Paul’s words as figurative language. Furthermore Roman citizens did not participate in hand to hand combat with animals in the arenas. [Note: Bruce, 1 and 2 Corinthians, p. 149; Robertson and Plummer, p. 362.] Perhaps Demetrius and or Alexander were Paul’s antagonists (Acts 19:24-41; 2 Timothy 4:14).
Paul quoted Isaiah 22:13 to prove his point (cf. Ecclesiastes 2:24; Ecclesiastes 9:7-10). If there is no resurrection we may as well live only for the present.
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