Chizuk Emunah (Pt 2) Under the Microscope: Chapter 87

1 Corinthians 15:54, 55, "So, when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory; O Death, where is thy sting! grave, where is thy victory"! This passage is not a true quotation from our Scripture, being a mixture of two unconnected verses. Isaiah, chapter 25:8, says only, "He has swallowed up Death to perpetuity"; and Hosea, chapter 13:14, says, "Where are thy pestilences, O Death? Where are thy destructions, O grave? 

 1 Corinthians 15 is the height of the letter. Paul addresses to his congregation regarding the resurrection of the dead. Will there be a resurrection? Paul begins his case by relaying a piece of oral tradition that Paul received from the early followers of Jesus.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received:
that Messiah died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,
that he was buried,
that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
and that he appeared to Cephas,
then to the twelve.
Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time,
most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.
Then he appeared to James,
 then to all the apostles.
Last of all, as to one untimely born,
 he appeared also to me. (1 Corinthians 15:3-8)

Paul uses this tradition to argue that if the dead are not raised, then Messiah has not been raised. If Messiah has not been raised, then this whole movement is in vain.

It's trivial at this point to mention that rabbinic literature uses partial quotes as well, as we to to this day. The Talmud repeatedly makes brief references to Scriptural passages by quoting the first few words, and most people need the help of the might Artscroll to find the reference. People who live in glass houses can't see the forest and all that.

I have read articles about how 1 Corinthians 15 gives an accurate rendering of Isaiah 25 and Hosea 13, but I am just not convinced that this is literally a quote from Scripture. Let's look at the possible sources.

He will swallow up death forever;
and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces,
and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,
 for the LORD has spoken. (Isaiah 25:8)

And from Hosea:

Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol?
Shall I redeem them from Death?
O Death, where are your plagues?
O Sheol, where is your sting?
Compassion is hidden from my eyes. (Hosea 13:14) 

The biblical imagery is there, but it doesn't follow that Paul is quoting Scripture directly, but a saying from his time. In English, many of our expressions come from the King James Bible, but the fact that we use such expressions does not mean that we are consciously quoting Scripture, nor does it mean that we are in error when we modify the expressions for our own use.

If you have ever had a broken heart, bit the dust, had a drop in the bucket, went the extra mile, been nothing but skin and bones, saw eye to eye, or been at your wit's end, then you have lived out an expression brought into English by the King James Bible.