BODY in OT represents various Heb. words, especially that for ‘flesh.’ In Exodus 24:10 it means, by a common idiom, ‘the framework of heaven’; there is no personification. In NT, though the body may be the seat of sin and death ( Romans 6:6; Romans 7:24 ), it is never treated with contempt ( Romans 12:1 , 1 Corinthians 6:13; 1 Corinthians 6:19 ); Philippians 3:21 is a well-known mistranslation. Accordingly it could be used metaphorically of the Church, Christ being sometimes the Head, sometimes the Body itself.
C. W. Emmet.