II Corinthians 6:2 · Bible study
2 Corinthians 6:2 Commentary: The Acceptable Time Study
Greek · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why Paul applies Isaiah's messianic promise to believers and what it means for the present urgency of salvation.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The long-promised season of God's saving favor has arrived in Christ and is available right now to those who respond in faith.
- Key words: εὐπρόσδεκτος (well-accepted, favorable), a compound adjective Paul uses to intensify the noun δεκτῷ; καιρός (decisive time, opportune moment) as distinct from ordinary chronological time.
- Main debate: Whether the original “you” in Isaiah refers solely to the Messiah and only derivatively to believers, or whether Paul sees believers as directly addressed through their union with Christ. Commentators uniformly accept the former, but the pastoral implication is the same: the time is now.
- Theological theme: The present availability of salvation, God's grace is not a future hope but a current reality that demands an urgent response.
- Best use: Evangelistic preaching, calls to repentance, pastoral reassurance for those who feel they have missed their chance, and reminders that God's favor is anchored in Christ's completed work.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
For He says: “In the time of favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is the time of favor; now is the day of salvation!
WEB World English Bible 2000
For he says, “At an acceptable time I listened to you. In a day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is the acceptable time. Behold, now is the day of salvation.
KJV King James Version 1769
(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)
ASV American Standard Version 1901
(for he saith, At an acceptable time I hearkened unto thee, And in a day of salvation did I succor thee: behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation):
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
for He saith, `In an acceptable time I did hear thee, and in a day of salvation I did help thee, lo, now is a well-accepted time; lo, now, a day of salvation,' --
Darby Darby Bible 1890
(for he says, I have listened to thee in an accepted time, and I have helped thee in a day of salvation: behold, now [is the] well-accepted time; behold, now [the] day of salvation:)
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
For he saith: In an accepted time have I heard thee and in the day of salvation have I helped thee. Behold, now is the acceptable time: behold, now is the day of salvation.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
( Porque dice: En tiempo aceptable te he oído, y en día de salud te he socorrido: he aquí ahora el tiempo aceptable; he aquí ahora el día de salud:)
Porque ele diz: Em tempo agradável te ouvi, e no dia da salvação te socorri; eis agora o tempo agradável, eis agora o dia da salvação
Car il dit:
Denn er spricht: “Ich habe dich in der angenehmen Zeit erhört und habe dir am Tage des Heils geholfen.” Sehet, jetzt ist die angenehme Zeit, jetzt ist der Tag des Heils!
Want Hij zegt: In den aangenamen tijd heb Ik u verhoord, en in den dag der zaligheid heb Ik u geholpen. Ziet, nu is het de welaangename tijd, ziet, nu is het de dag der zaligheid!
poiché egli dice: T’ho esaudito nel tempo accettevole, e t’ho soccorso nel giorno della salvezza. Eccolo ora il tempo accettevole; eccolo ora il giorno della salvezza!
(Bo mówi Bóg: Czasu przyjemnego wysłuchałem cię, a w dzień zbawienia poratowałem cię; oto teraz dzień przyjemny, oto teraz dzień zbawienia.)
Ибо сказано: во время благоприятное Я услышал тебя и в день спасения помог тебе. Вот, теперь время благоприятное, вот, теперь день спасения.
因為 他說：「在悅納 的時候，我應允 了你； 在 拯救 的日子，我搭救 了你。」看哪，現在 正是悅納 的時候！ 現在 正是拯救 的日子；
(For he says, I have given ear to you at a good time, and I have been your helper in a day of salvation: see, now is the good time; now is the day of salvation):
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · II Corinthians 6:2
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that Paul quotes Isaiah 49:8 from the Septuagint, where God addresses his Servant, the Messiah. The apostle then applies the promise directly to believers because of their union with Christ. As Calvin notes, there is a close correspondence between the Head and the members: what was said to Christ is ours in him. Barnes and Gill concur that the original words refer to the Messiah, but Paul uses them to announce that the messianic era has arrived and with it the time of God's favor. A key detail is the Greek shift from the quote's δεκτῷ (acceptable) to Paul's stronger εὐπρόσδεκτος (well-accepted, favorable). Vincent's Word Studies observes that this compound adjective occurs mostly in Paul's writings and intensifies the meaning: this is not merely an acceptable season but a supremely favorable one. The verb forms are aorist (ἐπήκουσά, ἐβοήθησά, ‘I listened, I helped’), indicating God's decisive, completed action in Christ, yet the present application makes that past work immediately available. The shared conviction: the day of salvation is not a future hope but a present reality.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: Now is the time of God's saving favor in Christ, and the present moment carries an urgency that demands a response of faith.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Original referent of the quotation | The words in Isaiah 49:8 are spoken by the Father to the Messiah, the Servant of the Lord. | Some emphasize a strictly Christological reading (the promise belongs to Christ alone and to believers only through him), while others see a direct prophetic address to the believing community as identified with the Servant. Both agree on the practical outcome: salvation is now available. |
| Nature of the 'acceptable time' | It refers to the entire gospel era inaugurated by Christ's first coming, a season of divine favor. | Some traditions (e.g., Wesleyan) emphasize this as a special season of revival or heightened grace; others (e.g., Reformed) stress that it is the ordinary time of the church, bounded only by the return of Christ. Both affirm the present urgency. |
| Implication of the compound adjective | Paul's shift from δεκτῷ to εὐπρόσδεκτος intensifies the idea: this time is supremely favorable, not merely acceptable. | Interpreters differ on whether εὐπρόσδεκτος implies a greater measure of grace or simply emphasizes the same reality. All agree it underlines the urgency. |
| Relationship to verse 1 | Verse 2 grounds the warning of verse 1: do not receive grace in vain because now is the time. | Some see a threat (the opportunity may close), others a promise (this time is reliable because it is God's doing). Both call for a decisive response. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Paul writes this second letter to Corinth while in Macedonia, probably Philippi, around AD 57. His relationship with the church is strained. False apostles have questioned his authority and his motives (2 Corinthians 10, 12). In chapters 5, 6, Paul defends his ministry as one of reconciliation, urging the Corinthians not to receive God's grace in vain.
The quotation comes from Isaiah 49:8, part of the second Servant Song. In its original setting, God promises to answer and help his Servant, empowering him to restore Israel and be a light to the nations. The Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament Paul uses) renders the Hebrew ‘ēt rāṣôn (time of favor) as καιρῷ δεκτῷ. Paul faithfully reproduces this, then adds his own emphatic interpretation: εὐπρόσδεκτος.
To a Corinthian church that prided itself on spiritual gifts and knowledge but struggled with division and moral compromise, Paul's point cuts deep. The prophecy is not merely about the Messiah's own experience; it is about the era he inaugurates. Jesus himself made a similar claim in Luke 4:19, reading from Isaiah 61 and declaring, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Paul extends that same claim: the acceptable year of the Lord is right now.
Cultural background: the ancient world marked special seasons, festivals, royal decrees, harvest times, as unique opportunities. Paul uses the word καιρός, which Thayer defines as “a fixed and definite time, the decisive epoch.” This is not ordinary chronological time (χρόνος); it is the opportune moment, the window of grace God has opened. The Hebrew word rāṣôn carries the sense of God's good pleasure or delight. Paul's application tells the Corinthians that the long-awaited season of divine favor is not still coming; it is here.
Cross-references ground this urgency. Luke 19:42 has Jesus weeping over Jerusalem because they did not know the time of their visitation. Hebrews 3:7,13 warns believers to hear God's voice “today” before hearts are hardened. Paul's argument depends on the same logic: delay is dangerous because the season of grace is present, not postponed.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for 2 Corinthians 6:2. The quotation from Isaiah 49:8 follows the Septuagint closely, with the key difference that Paul replaces the LXX's δεκτῷ with the stronger compound εὐπρόσδεκτος in his own application. This change is stylistic and theological, not the result of manuscript uncertainty.
Reception History
This verse has been a touchstone for urgent evangelism throughout church history. Early church fathers read it as the fulfillment of the messianic age, urging believers to seize the present. In the Reformation, Calvin and others used it to stress the immediacy of God's grace in Christ. Later, in the Wesleyan revivals, John Wesley and Methodist preachers made “now is the day of salvation” a rallying cry for open-air calls to repentance. During the Great Awakenings, from Jonathan Edwards to Billy Graham, the verse appeared repeatedly in sermons urging hearers not to delay. In modern hymnody, the line “Behold, now is the accepted time” echoes in gospel songs and invitation hymns, always pressing one point: the door of grace is open, and it will not stay open forever.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The Promise Was Given to the Messiah. Isaiah 49:8 originally spoke of the Servant's mission. God heard his prayer and helped him. This sets the foundation: salvation originates in God's initiative and Christ's work.
- Believers Share in the Messiah's Favorable Time. Because we are united with Christ, what was said to him applies to us. The “acceptable time” and “day of salvation” belong to everyone in him.
- The Time Is Not Tomorrow; It Is Now. Paul repeats ἰδοὺ νῦν (behold, now) for emphasis. The present moment is the appointed season for receiving grace.
Five-point outline
- God's Initiative: The Father speaks to the Son, showing that salvation is God's work from start to finish.
- Christ's Completed Work: The aorist verbs “I listened” and “I helped” point to a finished action, the cross and resurrection secure salvation.
- Our Connection to Christ: Through faith, believers are identified with the Messiah. His time becomes our time, his favor our favor.
- The Urgency of the Present: The Greek εὐπρόσδεκτος is stronger than the quote's δεκτῷ. This is the supreme moment, not just any moment.
- The Danger of Delay: Paul's warning in verse 1 (not receiving grace in vain) hangs over the passage. Procrastination risks missing the open door.
Illustration hooks
- A limited-time offer that expires at midnight. The urgency is real because the window will not stay open forever.
- A doctor saying, “If we operate now, there is hope; wait, and it may be too late.” The present is the only certain moment.
- A door slowly closing. You can walk through now, but you cannot guarantee it will be open later.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Is it true that I can be saved right now, or do I need to get my life in order first?
- What if I have heard the gospel many times and always put it off? Have I missed my chance?
- How does this verse help me when I feel distant from God? Is his favor still available today?
Leading a Discussion
This small-group guide focuses on Paul's stunning claim: the saving favor God promised through Isaiah is available right now. The goal is to move from understanding the biblical background to applying the urgency of the present moment in our own lives.
Discussion questions
- Read 2 Corinthians 6:2. What stands out to you about the repetition “behold, now”? How does Paul's tone differ from a simple statement of fact?
- Look at Isaiah 49:8 in its original context. Why do you think Paul applies a promise made to the Messiah to ordinary believers?
- The Greek shifts from δεκτῷ to εὐπρόσδεκτος. What does this stronger word suggest about the nature of this “acceptable time”?
- How does verse 2 connect with verse 1, where Paul warns against receiving God's grace in vain? What would it look like to receive grace in vain?
- In what ways do we tend to postpone responding to God's invitation? What feels safer about “someday” versus “today”?
- How does the certainty that Christ has already been heard and helped (the aorist verbs) give us confidence to approach God now?
- If you truly believed that this moment is the day of salvation, what would change about how you pray, how you repent, or how you share your faith?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Isaiah 49:8 | Yahweh says, “I have answered you in an acceptable time. I have helped you in a day of salvation. I will preserve you and give you for a covenant of the people, to raise up the land, to make them inherit the desolate heritage, |
| Isaiah 61:2 | to proclaim the year of Yahweh’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, |
| Ezekiel 16:8 | “‘“Now when I passed by you, and looked at you, behold, your time was the time of love; and I spread my garment over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I pledged myself to you and entered into a covenant with you,” says the Lord Yahweh, “and you became mine. |
| Luke 4:19 | and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” |
| Luke 19:42 | saying, “If you, even you, had known today the things which belong to your peace! But now, they are hidden from your eyes. |
| Luke 19:44 | and will dash you and your children within you to the ground. They will not leave in you one stone on another, because you didn’t know the time of your visitation.” |
| Hebrews 3:7 | Therefore, even as the Holy Spirit says, “Today if you will hear his voice, |
| Hebrews 3:13 | but exhort one another day by day, so long as it is called “today”, lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke identifies the "accepted time" and "day of salvation" as the Messiah's arrival and the gospel age itself. He insists Paul is announcing that the prophet Isaiah's promise is now being fulfilled through the ministry of reconciliation, making this the very moment of salvation for any sinner who believes.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes argues that Paul adapts Isaiah's promise to the Messiah, applying it as a general principle: Christ's coming opens a limited season when God is ready to show mercy. For Barnes, "now is the accepted time" means this present age of grace demands an urgent response, because the day of salvation will not last forever.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
This commentary stresses that the “accepted time” and “day of salvation” are not in the past but always in the present for believers. Christians, united with Christ by faith, are to live in continual acknowledgment of the reconciliation they have received. The moment of favourable acceptance is now, not later.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Note stresses the urgent repetition of “now” in this verse. It draws attention to the present moment as the very time God has promised to hear and help. For this commentator, the point is clear: the accepted time and day of salvation are not future but immediately available.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill stresses that the "accepted time" is the era when God the Father heard Christ's prayers and helped Him accomplish salvation. He then applies this to the present Gospel age: "now" means God is ready to accept repentant sinners because salvation is already finished and preached, not that God settles for imperfect obedience.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB stresses that the Father's promise is the basis for Paul's appeal. What Isaiah called "an accepted time" becomes, in Christ's fulfilment, a more emphatic "well-accepted time." Because God has now heard the Son's prayer for sinners, believers are urged to accept His grace without delay.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange stresses that receiving God's grace in vain means failing to become a new person. The present moment of grace is urgent and brief; if not seized, no other salvation remains. The call is not merely to accept reconciliation but to let it produce its intended moral fruit.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry stresses that hearing the gospel is not enough; the grace of God is received in vain unless it is truly believed and obeyed. He finds it remarkable that Paul calls himself a coworker with God, showing the high honour of ministers who plead with people not to waste the offer of salvation.
Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887
Vincent notes that Paul strengthens the Greek word from the Septuagint, using a compound meaning "well-received" rather than simply "acceptable." This intensifies the urgency: because God now fully receives sinners through Christ, believers must respond by receiving Him in return.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley draws a parallel between an Old Testament season of God's special favor and the present moment. Just as God chose a particular time to pour out His blessing in the past, he insists, so this current era is that appointed time of peculiar grace.