2 Corinthians 9:6-7 to Proverbs 22:8

OT Source(s):

Proverbs 22:8 (LXX: "God blesses a cheerful and generous man")
Proverbs 22:9 (MT: "The generous will be blessed, for he gives his food to the poor")

Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Reference Type: Allusion

Connection Method(s): Analogy

Significance: Paul's statement "God loves a cheerful giver" (hilaron gar dotēn agapa ho theos) in 2 Corinthians 9:7 alludes to the LXX of Proverbs 22:8a, which adds a line not found in the Hebrew MT: "God blesses a cheerful and giving man" (andra hilaron kai dotēn eulogei ho theos). Paul's dependence on the LXX text form is evident from the shared key term hilaron ("cheerful"), which appears nowhere else in this context in the Hebrew Bible. The broader sowing/reaping principle of 2 Corinthians 9:6 also resonates with Proverbs 22:8 MT ("he who sows injustice will reap calamity") and the wider Wisdom tradition of Proverbs 11:24-25 ("the generous soul will be made rich"). Paul applies this Wisdom principle to the Jerusalem collection: generosity is not loss but investment, and God who "loves a cheerful giver" will abundantly supply the giver's needs (v. 8). The LXX expansion reflects a Second Temple tradition that Paul adopts as authoritative.