2 Corinthians 6:18

“and I will be a father to you, and you will be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.””
2 Corinthians 6:18 · direct translation from the Greek

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With the Greek beneath

andκαὶI will beἔσομαιa fatherεἰς πατέραto you,ὑμῖνandκαὶyouὑμεῖςwill beἔσεσθέsonsεἰς υἱοὺςandκαὶdaughtersθυγατέραςto me,μοιsaysλέγειthe LordκύριοςAlmighty.”παντοκράτωρ

Quotation · 2 Samuel 7:14

Go to 2 Samuel 7:14

Paul adapts the promise of 2 Samuel 7:14 to the plural (“you will be sons to me”) and adds “and daughters.”

Formula: λέγει κύριος παντοκράτωρ “says the Lord Almighty” (2 Corinthians 6:18)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: καὶ ἔσομαι ὑμῖν εἰς πατέρα καὶ ὑμεῖς ἔσεσθέ μοι εἰς υἱοὺς καὶ θυγατέρας λέγει κύριος παντοκράτωρ

Hebrew (Masoretic text): אֲנִי אֶהְיֶה לּוֹ לְאָב וְהוּא יִהְיֶה לִּי לְבֵן אֲשֶׁר בְּהַעֲוֺתוֹ וְהֹכַחְתִּיו בְּשֵׁבֶט אֲנָשִׁים וּבְנִגְעֵי בְּנֵי אָדָם

This passage could not be located with certainty in the transcription of the Septuagint we use, so it is not compared.

2 Corinthians 6:18, word by word

I will beἔσομαιesomai

To be: says who or what something is.

Where else “esomai” appears

a fatherπατέραpatera

Father

God, who gives life and cares for his own; the Father of Jesus.

Where else “patera” appears

sonsυἱοὺςhuious

one belonging to

Someone with the character of something: "children of light".

Where else “huious” appears

daughtersθυγατέραςthygateras

dear daughter

"Daughter" as an endearment, or a city's people.

Where else “thygateras” appears

saysλέγειlegei

say

To express something in words to others.

Where else “legei” appears

the Lordκύριοςkyrios

Lord

The Lord: God, whose name is YHWH; also Jesus.

Where else “kyrios” appears

Almightyπαντοκράτωρpantokratōr

Almighty

Almighty: the one who has power over all things.

Where else “pantokratōr” appears

Translation note

It recalls 2 Samuel 7:14 and Isaiah 43:6. “The Lord Almighty” is how the Greek of the Old Testament translates “YHWH Tsevaot.”

Parallel passages

Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.

Quotation · 2 Samuel 7:14

Paul adapts the promise of 2 Samuel 7:14 to the plural (“you will be sons to me”) and adds “and daughters.”

See them side by side

2 Corinthians 6:18

¹⁸and I will be a father to you, and you will be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”

2 Samuel 7:14

¹⁴I will be to him a father, and he will be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will rebuke him with the rod of men and with the blows of human beings,

The context

17Therefore, “Come out from their midst and be separate, says the Lord, and do not touch what is unclean; and I will welcome you,

18 · This verse (above)

Read all of 2 Corinthians 6

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