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Name of God’s Son

Quotes in 2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians quotes from the Old Testament 11 times.

2 Corinthians 4:6 quoting Genesis 1:3

2 Corinthians 4:6

‘Then The God spoke, and He said:
‘May the light come to be.’
So, the light came to be,’

Genesis 1:3

Greek Septuagint (our translation):

‘And The God said:

‘Let there be light,’

‘And light came to be.’

✅ Match

Note: This is a literal translation, not our current very poetic translation of Genesis 1.

Hebrew Masoretic Text (JPS):

‘And God said: ‘Let there be light.’ And there was light.’

✅ Match

Dead Sea Scrolls (WEB):

‘God said, ‘Let there be light,'…’ — Scroll 4Q2 Genesis B

✅ Match

Our comments:

A slightly paraphrased match of all sources.

2 Corinthians 4:13 quoting Psalm 116:10 (MT and DSS)

2 Corinthians 4:13

‘Because I had faith, I spoke.’

Psalm 116:10 (115:1 in LXX numbering)

Greek Septuagint:

‘I was too proud and that’s why I spoke;
But thereafter, I learned to be humble.’

❌ Differs

Hebrew Masoretic Text (JPS):

‘I trusted even when I spoke: […]‘

✅ Matches with some explanation

Dead Sea Scrolls (WEB):

‘I believed… I said…’ — Scroll 4Q96 Psalms O

✅ Match

Our comments:

The Septuagint differs in meaning, focusing on pride leading to speaking, whereas the New Testament quote is about speaking due to ‘faith’ (the word for faith and trust are the same).

The Masoretic Text and Dead Sea Scrolls align with the idea of ‘speaking’ due to ‘trusting’ or ‘believing’.

2 Corinthians 6:2 quoting Isaiah 49:8

2 Corinthians 6:2

‘In [an acceptable] time, I heard you,
And in a day of salvation, I came to your aid.’

Isaiah 49:8

Greek Septuagint (our translation):

‘In an acceptable time, I heard you,
And on the Day of Salvation, I helped you.’

✅ Match

Hebrew Masoretic Text (JPS):

‘In an acceptable time have I answered thee,
And in a day of salvation have I helped thee.’

✅ Match

Dead Sea Scrolls (WEB):

‘Yahweh says, ‘In an acceptable time I will answer you, and in a day of salvation I will help you.’ — Scroll 1Q Isaiah A

✅ Match

Our comments:

All sources match well, however our source of 2 Corinthians (Codex Sinaiticus) doesn’t include ‘acceptable’ in the quote, but other sources do.

2 Corinthians 6:16 quoting Leviticus 26:11-12

2 Corinthians 6:16

‘I’ll live and walk among them… I’ll be their God and they’ll be My people.’

Leviticus 26:11-12

Greek Septuagint (our translation):

‘So… I will set up My Tent among you… And in My heart, there’ll be no hatred of you. I’ll walk among you and be your God, and you’ll be My people!‘

✅ Matches as a paraphrase

Hebrew Masoretic Text (JPS):

‘And I will set My tabernacle among you, and My soul shall not abhor you.
And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be My people.’

✅ Matches as a paraphrase

Dead Sea Scrolls (WEB):

‘…and won’t abhor you. I will be … and you will be my people.’ — Scroll 4Q119 Septuagint Leviticus A

✅ What survives matches as a paraphrase

Our comments:

A paraphrase of what God said rather than a direct quote. Similar expressions appear in Jeremiah 32:3 and Ezekiel 37:27, but Leviticus 26:12 is the only one that contains the word for walk.

2 Corinthians 6:17 quoting Isaiah 52:11 (none)

2 Corinthians 6:17

‘Come out from among them and separate yourselves…
Stop touching unclean things, and I’ll take you in.’

Isaiah 52:11

Greek Septuagint (our translation):

‘So, leave… Get out… Get away,
And stop touching the thing that’s unclean!’

❌ Differs

Hebrew Masoretic Text (JPS):

‘Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, Touch no unclean thing;’

❌ Differs

Dead Sea Scrolls (WEB):

‘Depart, depart, go out from there; touch no unclean thing!’ — Scroll 1Q Isaiah A

❌ Differs

‘Depart, … from there; touch no unclean thing!’ — Scroll 1Q Isaiah B

❌ Differs

‘…Cleanse yourselves, you who carry…’ — Scroll 4Q57 Isaiah C

❓ Unknown

Our comments:

The New Testament quote takes the initial commands from Isaiah 52:11 (to leave and not touch unclean things) but then adds a concluding promise (‘and I’ll take you in’) that is not found in Isaiah 52:11. Instead, Isaiah 52:11 concludes with a statement about those who bear or carry the Lord’s holy things. Thus, the meaning diverges significantly at the end.

The next verse in Isaiah does talk about Yahweh being the ‘rear guard’ of His people, but that’s still a very different thought.

Perhaps Paul is quoting a now-lost version of the verse of Isaiah. Otherwise, he must be paraphrasing it and perhaps combining it with another verse or two. We simply don’t know.

2 Corinthians 6:18 possibly quoting 2 Samuel 7:14, or Isaiah 43:6?

2 Corinthians 6:18

‘Then I’ll be your Father, and you’ll be My sons and My daughters’ says [Jehovah], the Almighty.’

2 Samuel 7:14, and Isaiah 43:6

Greek Septuagint (our translation):

‘I’ll be a father to him, and he will be a son to Me.’ (2 Samuel 7:14)

✅ Matches as a paraphrase

‘Return My sons from your faraway lands,
And My daughters from the ends of the earth…’ (Isaiah 43:6)

❌ Differs

Hebrew Masoretic Text (JPS):

‘I will be to him for a father, and he shall be to Me for a son’ (2 Samuel 7:14)

✅ Matches as a paraphrase

‘Bring My sons from far,
And My daughters from the end of the earth’ (Isaiah 43:6)

❌ Differs

Dead Sea Scrolls (WEB):

2 Samuel 7:14:

(None of the surviving Dead Sea Scrolls contain 2 Samuel 7:14.)

Isaiah 43:6:

‘Bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth’ — Scroll 1Q Isaiah A

❌ Differs

‘Bring your sons from far, and daughters from the ends of the earth’ — Scroll 4Q57 Isaiah B

❌ Differs

Our comments:

We can find no verse worded like the words Paul used in 2 Corinthians 6:18. Why is this? There are three possible explanations:

  • Perhaps Paul got it wrong.
  • Or perhaps Paul’s Bible texts were older than ours and contained a verse worded this way, but lost to our copies.
  • Or perhaps Paul is combining several texts into one and paraphrasing them to make a point.

It’s quite possible that Paul is combining several texts on a similar theme into one, and then producing a paraphrase of the entire collection. These verses may have included the two listed above, but these are just guesses.

The quote in 2 Corinthians combines the idea of God being a father to his children (found in 2 Samuel 7:14) with the presence of both sons and daughters (found in Isaiah 43:6), but no single source contains the full statement.

Also, given that we no longer have access to all the Bible manuscripts that were available to Paul, it’s also possible that his Septuagint (or Hebrew or Aramaic Bible that reads like the Septuagint) contained a verse worded this way which was later lost. We simply don’t know.

After all, you can already see a discrepency between the wording of Isaiah 43:6 (above) between two different Dead Sea Scrolls; one says ‘my sons’ while the other says ‘your sons’! So yes, this possibility is quite reasonable.

2 Corinthians 8:15 quoting Exodus 16:18

2 Corinthians 8:15

‘Those who gathered more didn’t have too much, and the rest that gathered little didn’t lack.’

Exodus 16:18

Greek Septuagint (our translation):

‘the ones who gathered the full 1/3 of a bushel didn’t have any leftovers, and those who gathered less never went hungry.’

✅ Matches as a paraphrase

Hebrew Masoretic Text (JPS):

‘he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack;’

✅ Matches as a paraphrase

Dead Sea Scrolls (WEB):

‘…he who gathered much had nothing over,…’ – Scroll 4Q11 PaleoGenesis-Exodus

✅ Match

Our comments:

The New Testament quote is a paraphrase that succinctly captures the core idea present in all sources.

2 Corinthians 9:7 quoting Proverbs 22:8 (LXX)

2 Corinthians 9:7

‘God loves a cheerful giver.’

Proverbs 22:8

Greek Septuagint (our translation):

‘God loves those who are cheerful givers,
And overlooks the foolish things that they do.’

✅ Matches as a paraphrase

Hebrew Masoretic Text (JPS):

‘He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity;
And the rod of his wrath shall fail.’

❌ Differs

Dead Sea Scrolls (WEB):

(None of the surviving Dead Sea Scrolls contain this verse.)

Our comments:

The New Testament quote perfectly matches the first part of the Septuagint’s rendering of Proverbs 22:8. The Masoretic Text, however, has a completely different meaning for this verse.

2 Corinthians 9:9 quoting Psalm 112:9

2 Corinthians 9:9

‘He contributed to those who are needy,
And throughout the ages, his righteousness remains.’

Psalm 112:9

Greek Septuagint (our translation):

‘For, he contributed to the needy,
And throughout the ages, his righteousness remains. […]‘

✅ Match

Hebrew Masoretic Text (JPS):

פ
‘He hath scattered abroad, he hath given to the needy;
צ
‘His righteousness endureth for ever […]‘

✅ Match

Dead Sea Scrolls (WEB):

‘…His righteousness endures…’ — Scroll 4Q98f Psalms W

❓ Unknown

Our comments:

Matches all sources well, although not much remains in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

2 Corinthians 10:17 quoting Jeremiah 9:24

2 Corinthians 10:17

‘Let those who boast, boast in [Jehovah].’

Jeremiah 9:24

Greek Septuagint (our translation):

‘For when they boast, let them brag about this: That they perceive Me and know Me […]‘

✅ Matches as a paraphrase

Hebrew Masoretic Text (JPS):

‘But let him that glorieth glory in this, That he understandeth, and knoweth Me, […]‘

✅ Matches as a paraphrase

Dead Sea Scrolls (WEB):

‘…in his wisdom. Don’t let… glory…’ — Scroll 4Q71 Jeremiah B

❓ Unknown

Our comments:

Paul quotes a significantly shortened and paraphrased version of Jeremiah 9:24. Both the LXX and MT contain the core idea of boasting in the knowledge of God, which Paul distills into a very concise statement.

The DSS fragment is too incomplete to determine a match.

2 Corinthians 13:1 quoting Deuteronomy 19:15

2 Corinthians 13:1

‘From the mouths of two or three witnesses everything is proven’

Deuteronomy 19:15

Greek Septuagint (our translation):

‘It requires two or three witnesses to prove anything.’

✅ Match

Hebrew Masoretic Text (JPS):

‘[…] at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall a matter be establishment.’

✅ Matches as a paraphrase

Dead Sea Scrolls (WEB):

(None of the surviving Dead Sea Scrolls contain these words.)

Our comments:

Both sources match.

Quotes Index

Or return to the introduction to this series.