Intertextuality Pair

1 John 2:17 → Isaiah 40:6-8

Echo

Later text

1 John 2:17BSB

The world is passing away, along with its desires; but whoever does the will of God remains forever.

Earlier text

Isaiah 40:6-8BSB

A voice says, “Cry out!” And I asked, “What should I cry out?” “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall when the breath of the LORD blows on them; indeed, the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.”

Significance

John's contrast — "The world is passing away, along with its desires; but whoever does the will of God remains forever" — echoes Isaiah's declaration: "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever." Both texts contrast the transience of what belongs to the created/fallen order with the permanence of what is aligned with God. Isaiah grounds permanence in God's word; John grounds it in doing God's will — which in John's theology is inseparable from abiding in the Word made flesh. Peter quotes Isaiah 40:6-8 directly in 1 Peter 1:24-25, confirming the NT reception of this passage as a foundational text on transience versus permanence.

Found via
Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type
Echo
Connection Method(s)
Analogy

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