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The Significance of Paul's Addition of “And Daughters” in 2 Corinthians 6:18

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The Significance of Paul's Addition of “And Daughters” in 2 Corinthians 6:18 The Significance of Paul’s Addition of “and daughters” in 2 Corinthians 6:18 Lee Magness “And I will be to you as a father, and you will be to me as sons and Paul’s quotation in v. 18 includes several modifications and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” So writes Paul in 2 Cor 6:18, additions. Paul adds “and,” connecting this statement to the evidently quoting from 2 Sam 7:14. But the 2 Samuel passage rest of the catena. “Him” and “he” become “you,” while “son” lacks the words “and daughters.” Some scholars assume that becomes the plural “sons.” With these alterations, Paul applies Paul has merged the language of 2 Samuel with a quotation from the statement not to David’s heir, but more broadly to God’s another OT passage where sons and daughters are mentioned. new covenant people. And Paul adds, “says the Lord Almighty” Others argue that Paul has added the words not to echo an older (legei kurios pantokratōr), confirming 2 Sam 7 as the context. text, but to affirm an insight of his own.1 Whether Paul has In that chapter God is called the “Almighty” (pantokratōr) on borrowed the phrase or created the phrase, the addition clarifies three separate occasions (vv. 8, 25, 27). But the most fascinating his understanding of God’s covenant people. And the clarification addition to v. 18 is the words, “and daughters.” is significant: Paul included women. The source of a Pauline addition The shape of a Pauline catena What is the source of these words? Is Paul quoting from another The verse falls within the debated passage, 2 Cor 6:14–7:1. Some OT passage or adding his own words to clarify the OT passage treat the passage as a non-Pauline interpolation,2 others as a he is quoting? Some texts (including NA28 and UBS5), some Pauline interpolation drawn from another communication with prominent study Bibles (such as The New Oxford Annotated Bible the church at Corinth or elsewhere.3 Some read the passage as and The NIV Study Bible), and many commentaries (including a tangential parenthetical statement, while others read it as an Plummer, Bruce, and Martin) cite Isa 43:6 as the possible integral part of Paul’s argument regarding the implications of inspiration for the addition of “and daughters.” This verse from God’s covenant for the controversies in Corinth. Isaiah reads, “bring my sons from afar and my daughters from Whatever its role in the Corinthian correspondence, this the ends of the earth.” Scott Hafemann, for example, argues that passage, which deals with the contact between followers of Paul is deliberately combining the Messianic implications of 2 Christ and unbelievers, includes a catena—a chain or series—of Sam 7 (“son”) with the restoration motif of Isa 43 (”sons”).5 But four quotations from the OT, imploring believers who comprise the contexts of Isa 43 and 2 Cor 6 have little in common. Isaiah “the temple of the living God” to have nothing in common with 43 celebrates the role of the Servant in the ingathering of many unbelievers and their idolatrous ways. The four quotations are nations who will acknowledge the Lord, quite the opposite of the arranged chiastically.4 The first and the fourth citations (v. 16b separatist sentiments of 2 Cor 6. And the wording is different, and v. 18) remind believers that God is their God, their father, with 2 Cor 6 joining sons and daughters without modification and that they are his people, his children. The first section (A, while Isa 43 distinguishes between them with separate possessive v. 16b) reads, “I will dwell among them and walk among [them] modifiers (“my sons” . “my daughters”). Therefore, although Isa and I will be their God and they will be my people.” The last 43 is certainly parallel to 2 Cor 6 insofar as it references both sons section (A', v. 18) echoes, “And I will be to you as a father and and daughters, both content and context militate against it as a you will be to me as sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” direct source from which Paul has quoted. The middle citations (v. 17a and v. 17b) call on believers to avoid Deuteronomy 32:19 may actually have a stronger claim to contaminating contact with the idolaters in whose midst they being the OT source of the Pauline addition.6 It reads: “The Lord lived. Section two (B, v. 17a) says, “Therefore go out from the saw it, and was jealous; he spurned his sons and daughters.” The midst of them, and be separated, says the Lord.” And section context is a stern warning against idolatry: “They sacrificed to three (B', v. 17b) adds, “And quit touching the unclean, and I will demons, not God, to deities they had never known” (32:17). A welcome you in.” parallel warning occurs in 2 Cor 6:16—“What agreement has the The fourth and final citation in the catena (v. 18) includes the temple of God with idols”—and Paul had called idols demons addition that commands our attention—“and daughters” (kai earlier in his Corinthian correspondence (1 Cor 10:20). The thugateras). The Septuagint passage from which Paul appears to Deuteronomy passage matches better than Isa 43:6 in terms of be quoting, 2 Sam 7:14, says, “I will be a father to him, and he context and wording, but there is nevertheless no compelling will be a son to me.” But Paul writes, “And I will be to you as a reason this passage would had to have been in Paul’s mind when father, and you will be to me as sons and daughters, says the Lord he added “and daughters.” Almighty.” Although Paul was capable of quoting OT passages Some have suggested that 2 Esdras 1:28-30 could have served with little regard for the original context, there is a connection as the inspiration for the phrase. That passage reads, “Thus says here. In 2 Samuel God promises David that he will have an heir the Almighty Lord, ‘Have I not prayed you as a father his sons, as who will build a house, a temple, for the Lord. And it is that very a mother her daughters, and a nurse her young babes, that you temple which supplies the controlling metaphor for Paul in this would be my people, and I should be your God; that you would passage: “What agreement is there between the temple of God be my children, and I should be your father?’”7 The text mentions and idols? For we are the temple of the living God” (2 Cor 6:16a). sons and daughters and features the phrase, “says the Lord Priscilla Papers ◆ Vol. 29, No.2 ◆ Spring 2015 • 3 Almighty.” But the first two chapters of 2 Esdras appear only in than many think.” Many interpreters understand Paul’s addition Latin and may be of Christian origin as late as the third century as an affirmation of the equality of women with men. This AD. And again, the contexts are egalitarian emphasis is highlighted noticeably different. Second Esdras in the commentaries of Lipscomb, threatens to give God’s promises to We are not caving in to the culture Lenski, Kistemaker, Baker, Harris, another people if the covenant people when we translate adelphoi as and others.12 Listen to Lipscomb’s do not cease their violence. There is quaint quote: “It is characteristic no hint of the need for withdrawing “brothers and sisters” or anthrōpoi of Christianity that it was the first from contact with other peoples as in as “men and women.” We are not system that ever recognized the 2 Cor 6. The text hardly qualifies as a caving in to the culture when we dignity of women and raised them source for Paul’s added words. refer to “people” instead of “men” generally to the same moral and In spite of the common assumption or “humanity” instead of “man” in spiritual level with men.”13 Alfred that Paul must have been quoting the Plummer saw in these words how words “sons and daughters,” from our lessons and sermons. We are “Christianity raised woman from Isa 43:6 or elsewhere, it is possible not caving in to the culture when the degradation into which she had and even likely that the words come we eliminate the ubiquitous “he’s” been thrust, not only in heathen from the general terminology found and “him’s” from our conversation. cities, like Corinth, but even among throughout scripture and not from the Chosen people.”14 a single source.8 Paul could well But there is more than social have added these words on his own egalitarianism at work here, no volition to clarify his understanding matter how significant that may of the relationship between God and God’s covenant people. have been. These two little words—“and daughters”—tell us Textual critics view the words “and daughters” as a Pauline something about Paul’s view of the nature of the church; the addition to an OT quotation rather than as a quotation from verbal addition has a way of “including women in the messianic another source. NA28 and its predecessors do not italicize “your assembly in Corinth.”15 This ecclesiological approach is also daughters,” indicating the editors’ judgment that these words prominent in the thinking of Colin Kruse, who speaks of the have not been quoted from the OT. All five editions of the United “immense privilege of belonging to God’s people.”16 Ralph Bible Societies’ Greek New Testament handle this OT citation in Martin claims that “Paul ‘expands’ the scope of the community identical fashion, removing the quotation-indicating boldface addressed to include women” because in Christ “all men and type from kai thugateras.
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