Isaiah 49:8

“Thus says YHWH: “In a time of favor I answered you, and in a day of salvation I helped you; and I will keep you and make you a covenant of the people, to raise up the land, to make them inherit the desolate inheritances;”
Isaiah 49:8 · direct translation from the Hebrew

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With the Hebrew beneath

ThusכֹּהsaysאָמַרYHWH:יְהוָה“In a timeבְּעֵתof favorרָצוֹןI answered you,עֲנִיתִיךָand in a dayוּבְיוֹםof salvationיְשׁוּעָהI helped you;עֲזַרְתִּיךָand I will keep youוְאֶצָּרְךָand make youוְאֶתֶּנְךָa covenantלִבְרִיתof the people,עָםto raise upלְהָקִיםthe land,אֶרֶץto make them inheritלְהַנְחִילthe desolateשֹׁמֵמוֹתinheritances;נְחָלוֹת

Quotation · 2 Corinthians 6:2

Go to 2 Corinthians 6:2

Paul quotes Isaiah 49:8 and comments on it: “now is the very acceptable time.”

Formula: λέγει γάρ “for he says” (2 Corinthians 6:2)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: λέγει γάρ Καιρῷ δεκτῷ ἐπήκουσά σου καὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ σωτηρίας ἐβοήθησά σοι ἰδοὺ νῦν καιρὸς εὐπρόσδεκτος ἰδοὺ νῦν ἡμέρα σωτηρίας

Hebrew (Masoretic text): כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה בְּעֵת רָצוֹן עֲנִיתִיךָ וּבְיוֹם יְשׁוּעָה עֲזַרְתִּיךָ וְאֶצָּרְךָ וְאֶתֶּנְךָ לִבְרִית עָם לְהָקִים אֶרֶץ לְהַנְחִיל נְחָלוֹת שֹׁמֵמוֹת

Septuagint (Isaiah 49:8 in the Septuagint numbering): οὕτως λέγει Κύριος Καιρῷ δεκτῷ ἐπήκουσά σου, καὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ σωτηρίας ἐβοήθησά σοι, καὶ ἔδωκά σε εἰς διαθήκην ἐθνῶν, τοῦ καταστῆσαι τὴν γῆν καὶ κληρονομῆσαι κληρονομίαν ἐρήμου,

The Greek of the NT matches the Septuagint word for word in 10 consecutive words: “Καιρῷ δεκτῷ ἐπήκουσά σου καὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ σωτηρίας ἐβοήθησά σοι.”

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

Isaiah 49:8, word by word

saysאָמַרamar

say

To say with the mouth to someone what one thinks or wants, or to answer him.

Where else “amar” appears

YHWHיְהוָהyehva

YHWH

The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.

Where else “yehva” appears

“In a timeעֵתet

time

The moment at which something happens; also "at that time".

Where else “et” appears

of favorרָצוֹןratson

favor

The goodwill with which one looks on another.

Where else “ratson” appears

I answered youעֲנִיתִיaniti

hear prayer

God answers the one who calls on him: with a word, or with an act such as fire.

Where else “aniti” appears

and in a dayיוֹםyom

day

The day, the hours of light, or a whole day.

Where else “yom” appears

of salvationיְשׁוּעָהyeshua

salvation

Salvation: the help with which God delivers from danger; also victory. The name "Jesus" (Yeshua) comes from the same root.

Where else “yeshua” appears

I helped youעֲזַרְתִּיazarti

help

To stand beside someone to give him strength or free him from a bind.

Where else “azarti” appears

and I will keep youאֶצָּרְetsar

guard

To be watchful in looking after and protecting someone or something.

Where else “etsar” appears

and make youאֶתֶּנְeten

make

To make someone something: "I have made you a father".

Where else “eten” appears

a covenantבְרִיתverit

covenant

The commitment God makes with his people, with promises and commands.

Where else “verit” appears

of the peopleעָםam

crowd

The people gathered in a place: the crowd, or the troops that go out to war.

Where else “am” appears

to raise upהָקִיםhakim

establish

To put something up, or confirm a covenant.

Where else “hakim” appears

the landאֶרֶץerets

land

A region or nation, above all Israel's.

Where else “erets” appears

to make them inheritהַנְחִילhanchil

apportion

To distribute the land as an inheritance among those who will receive it.

Where else “hanchil” appears

the desolateשֹׁמֵמוֹתshomemot

be desolate

To be left empty and ruined, or make it so.

Where else “shomemot” appears

inheritancesנְחָלוֹתnechalot

inheritance

Land or goods passed from parents to children.

Where else “nechalot” appears

Translation note

Paul quotes this verse in 2 Corinthians 6:2.

Parallel passages

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

Quotation · 2 Corinthians 6:2

Paul quotes Isaiah 49:8 and comments on it: “now is the very acceptable time.”

See them side by side

Isaiah 49:8

⁸Thus says YHWH: “In a time of favor I answered you, and in a day of salvation I helped you; and I will keep you and make you a covenant of the people, to raise up the land, to make them inherit the desolate inheritances;

2 Corinthians 6:2

²For he says, “At an acceptable time I listened to you, and on a day of salvation I helped you.” Look, now is the very acceptable time; look, now is the day of salvation.

The context

7Thus says YHWH, the Redeemer of Israel, his Holy One, to the one despised in soul, to the one abhorred by the nation, to the slave of rulers: “Kings will see and rise up, princes, and they will bow down, because of YHWH, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

8 · This verse (above)

9to say to the prisoners, ‘Go out,’ to those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’ Along the roads they will graze, and on all the bare heights will be their pasture.

Read all of Isaiah 49

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