하나님은 선하십니다
hananimeun seonhasimnida
In Korean, "God is good" is expressed as 하나님은 선하십니다 (hananimeun seonhasimnida).
This phrase is typically used in a Christian context to affirm God's character during worship or prayer, expressing that God is morally perfect and benevolent.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 하나님 (God), the topic marker 은 (is/as for) and 선하십니다 (is good/virtuous).
Which one should you use?
하나님은 선하십니다 is the formal/polite version used when speaking to others, while 하나님은 선하시다 is the plain or literary form often used in written scripture or theological statements.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb 선하다 (to be good) is conjugated with the honorific suffix -시- and the formal polite ending -ㅂ니다 to show respect to God.
How do you pronounce it?
hananimeun seonhasimnida
When do people say it?
This phrase is used to affirm the character of God within a Christian setting, such as during worship or prayer.
Did you know?
- The term 하나님 is specifically used by Protestants, whereas Catholic-leaning contexts might use different terms for 'God', meaning the phrase itself acts as a marker of specific denominational identity.
- While the English 'good' can describe delicious food, if you applied the logic of 선하다 to a meal, it would sound as though you were praising the meal's moral integrity or spiritual virtue rather than its taste.
- The honorific marker -시- in 선하십니다 is not just for politeness to the listener, but is a mandatory grammatical requirement to show direct respect to the subject, 'God'.
Examples in context
- 하나님은 선하십니다.hananim-eun seonhasimnida.God is good.
Example conversation
Subin and Hyunwoo are talking about their faith at a church.
- 수빈 Su-bin현우 씨, 하나님은 선하십니다.hyunwoo ssi, hananim-eun seonhasimnida.Hyunwoo, God is good.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo네, 수빈 씨. 정말 그렇습니다.ne, subin ssi. jeongmal geureoseumnida.Yes, Subin. That is very true.
- 수빈 Su-bin우리는 늘 그분을 신뢰해야 해요.urineun neul geubuneul silloe-hae-ya haeyo.We should always trust Him.
- 현우 Hyeon-woo맞아요, 저도 그렇게 믿어요.majayo, jeodo geureoke mideoyo.Right, I believe so too.
