Texts in Conversation
2 Corinthians 9:7 encourages giving with cheerfulness, echoing Sirach 35:11, which links generosity with gladness and divine reward. Both belong to a Jewish wisdom tradition that emphasizes voluntary, joyful giving rather than reluctant obligation.
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Sirach 35:11
Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus
Deuterocanon
9 The sacrifice of the righteous is acceptable, and it will never be forgotten. 10 Be generous when you worship the Lord, and do not stint the first fruits of your hands. 11 With every gift show a cheerful face, and dedicate your tithe with gladness. 12 Give to the Most High as he has given to you, and as generously as you can afford. 13 For the Lord is the one who repays, and he will repay you sevenfold. 14 Do not offer him a bribe, for he will not accept it;
Date: 195-175 B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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2 Corinthians 9:7
New Testament
5 Therefore I thought it necessary to urge these brothers to go to you in advance and to arrange ahead of time the generous contribution you had promised, so this may be ready as a generous gift and not as something you feel forced to do. 6 My point is this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each one of you should give just as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, because God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace overflow to you so that because you have enough of everything in every way at all times, you will overflow in every good work. 9 Just as it is written, “He has scattered widely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness remains forever.”
Date: 55-57 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... 2 Corinthians 9:7 ... Paul here cites standard Jewish wisdom; willingness may evoke Exodus 25:2, 35:5, 21-22 (compare 1 Chronicles 29:6-9; Ezra 2:68), suggesting that Paul had a fairly developed theology of giving based on the Old Testament. “Not reluctantly” echoes Deuteronomy 15:10 in the Septuagint. “God loves a cheerful giver” is from an addition to Proverbs 22:8 in the Septuagint (“God blesses a cheerful and giving person”; compare Sirach 35:11). The term rendered “cheerful” often applied in Jewish texts to gifts for the poor ..."
Keener, Craig S.
The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament
(p. 514) InterVarsity Press, 2014
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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