Cornelius a Lapide

The sting of death is sin. Theophylact says that the sting by which death chiefly hurts and pierces us is like the sting of the scorpion, which, though a tiny animal, slays by its sting. So death slays all by sin, and would be powerless without sin. Moreover, death stings and pierces us by sin and by knowledge of sin as his sting, saying to the soul, as it were : “ You die; you suffer deservedly, because you have sinned.” The strength of sin is the law. Sin gains its strength chiefly through the law. The prohibitions of the law are the occasions of sin, for we always strive after what is forbidden and long for what is denied us Cf. notes to Rom. viii. 8 and 13. Cf. also Theodoret, Theophylact, Ambrose, Anselm