2 Corinthians 6:2

λέγει γὰρ, Καιρῷ δεκτῷ κ. τ. λ.: for He, sc., God, saith (cf. Romans 9:15; Galatians 3:16), “ At an acceptable time I hearkene to thee, and in a day of salvation did I succour thee ” (Isaiah 49:8). The whole verse is parenthetical, and is introduced to remind the Corinthians that the present dispensation is that dispensation of grace of which the prophet speaks; tanley pointed out that δέξασθαι of ver. may well have suggested δεκτός, which in its turn suggested the quotation. The words in their original context are addressed by Jehovah to His Servant, while St. Paul takes them as addressed by God to His people; but, inasmuch as the Servant in the latter portion of Isaiah is the Representative of Israel, the application made by the Apostle is easily explicable. ἰδοὺ νῦν καιρὸς εὐπρόσδεκτος κ. τ. λ.: behold now is the “Acceptable Time,” behold now is the “Day of Salvation”. This is St. Paul's comment. Observe that he does not say σήμερον (cf. Hebrews 3:7 ff.), but νῦν not “to-day,” but “the present dispensation”. His point here is not (as it is often represented) that the only day of grace which we can reckon on is the present (gravely true though this is), but that the Christian dispensation is the one spoken of by the O.T. prophet in familiar words. It will be remembered that Christ applied to Himself and His ministry in like manner the words of Isaiah 61:2, καλέσαι ἐνιαυτὸν Κυρίου δεκτόν (Luke 4:19). We are not to draw any distinction here between δεκτός and εὐπρόσδεκτος; the latter is the usual word in secular authors, and (see reff.) is always used by St. Paul, except (Philippians 4:18) in a quotation from the LXX.