Later text
1 John 4:4BSB
You, little children, are from God and have overcome them, because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
Intertextuality Pair
Echo
Later text
1 John 4:4BSB
You, little children, are from God and have overcome them, because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
Earlier text
2 Kings 6:16BSB
“Do not be afraid,” Elisha answered, “for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
John's assurance — "greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world" — echoes Elisha's declaration to his fearful servant: "Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them" (2 Kings 6:16). Both texts address fear in the face of spiritual opposition and ground confidence in God's superior, often invisible, power. Elisha's servant saw the surrounding army; God opened his eyes to see the mountain full of horses and chariots of fire (6:17). John similarly assures believers that the invisible divine presence within them is greater than the visible opposition of the world. The pattern — divine power exceeding visible threat — is consistent across both covenants.