Is 2Corinthians 6:2 talking about "a day" or "the day" of salvation? Which is correct and why does it matter?

Question

2Corinthians 6:2 (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.) (KJV)

This is a direct quote from Isaiah 49:8, the following translation more closely follows
Isaiah:

2Corinthians 6:2 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,’ —(Youngs Literal Translation)

Isaiah 49:8 Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;

"a day" or "the day" of salvation, which is correct and why is it important?

Answer 1

Whether it is "a day" or "the day" is not as important as "in an acceptable time". There will be a time when salvation will no longer be available. What I consider to be one of the saddest verses in the bible refers to this time.

Jeremiah 8:20
"Harvest is past, summer is ended, And we are not saved."

Answer 2

The more I read these passages the more I see that this ties up with Isa 61:1-7 & beyond. Its a day of salvation & it has to
do with the land. Isa 49:8 Thus says YHWH, in an acceptable
time have I answered you & in a day of salvation have I helped
you, I will preserve you, & give you for a covenant of the people, to raise up the land, to cause to inherit the desolate
heritages. This calling people out of desolation & darkness,
calling people out of sin,to come out from the unclean.
This seems to be more than a call to salvation, its a call to
be seperate & to do the work of the Kingdom.Yeshua is the
covenant that was given. First for all Israel & then to nations.

Answer 3

Grace and peace to you. The Bible speaks of a time when God will close off his offer of salvation to men, and so this present time is called the day of salvation. Isaiah was also speaking of the salvation God had given the nation Israel at that time, and how he would bring through Israel, the salvation for the world in the future. They both are speaking the exact same words. Peace

Answer 4

Paul linked judgment with preaching when he wrote: “We must all be made manifest before the judgment seat of the Christ, that each one may get his award for the things done through the body, according to the things he has practiced, whether it is good or vile. Knowing, therefore, the fear of the Lord, we keep persuading men.”The apostle ‘kept persuading men’ by preaching the good news. What about us? Since we are facing the end of this wicked system of things, we should do our utmost to persuade others to take the steps needed to gain Jesus’ favorable judgment and the approval of the Source of salvation, Jehovah God.
If God has blessed our ministry, however, we should not boast. In Corinth some were puffed up with pride in themselves or in other men, thus causing divisions in the congregation. Alluding to this situation, Paul wrote: “We are not again recommending ourselves to you, but giving you an inducement for boasting in respect to us, that you may have an answer for those who boast over the outward appearance but not over the heart. For if we were out of our mind, it was for God; if we are sound in mind, it is for you.”

Answer 5

Both are probably acceptable ways to interpret the verses.

The day of salvation was when Jesus died on the cross for the sins of mankind/rose from the dead three days later.

A day of salvation occurs to an individual when he or she first believes in Christ.

Answer 6

The problem is Hebrew to Greek to English translating. I am not a Hebrew expert, but many languages use direct and indirect articles differently than we do. In my interlinear Greek the word for day 'emera' has no article.

Answer 7

We have come to the time for present truth. The truth about Grace has come.

The truth about the Law has come.

The truth about the Sabbath has come.

The truth about baptism has come.

The truth about Christ Second coming has come.

The truth about Christ has come.

Stand for truth, even if you must stand alone.

John 3:16
Romans 10:9
Exodus 20:8-11
John 14:15

Answer 8

"a day" is non-specific using the indefinite article "a". However "the day" uses the definite article "the" and hence is talking about a specific day. Whether or not it is important is a personal matter.