Lexical Summary paraklésis: Comfort, encouragement, exhortation, consolation Original Word: παράκλησις Strong's Exhaustive Concordance comfort, consolation, exhortation, entreaty. From parakaleo; imploration, hortation, solace -- comfort, consolation, exhortation, intreaty. see GREEK parakaleo HELPS Word-studies Cognate: 3874 paráklēsis – properly, a call (urging), done by someone "close beside," i.e. a personal exhortation that delivers the "evidence that stands up in God's court." [3874 (paráklēsis) is cognate with 3875 /paráklētos ("legal advocate") and thus has legal overtones.] 3874 (paráklēsis) is an "intimate call" that someone personally gives to deliver God's verdict, i.e. "the close-call" that reveals how the Lord weighs in the relevant facts (evidence). 3874 /paráklēsis ("holy urging") is used of the Lord directly motivating and inspiring believers to carry out His plan, delivering His particular message to someone else. The core-meaning of 3874 /paráklēsis ("personal urging") is shaped by the individual context, so it can refer to: exhortation, warning, encouragement (comfort), etc. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom parakaleó Definition a calling to one's aid, i.e. encouragement, comfort NASB Translation appeal (1), comfort (13), consolation (1), encouragement (6), exhortation (7), urging (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 3874: παράκλησιςπαράκλησις, παρακλήσεως, ἡ (παρακαλέω, which see); 1. properly, a calling near, summons (especially for help, Thucydides 4, 61; Demosthenes, p. 275, 20). 2. imploration, supplication, entreaty: 2 Corinthians 8:4 (Strabo 13, p. 581; Josephus, Antiquities 3, 1, 5; (contra Apion 2, 23, 3 παράκλησις πρός τόν Θεόν ἔστω); λόγοι παρακλήσεως, words of appeal, containing entreaties, 1 Macc. 10:24). 3. exhortation, admonition, encouragement: Acts 15:31 (others refer this to 4); 1 Corinthians 14:3; 2 Corinthians 8:17; Philippians 2:1; 1 Timothy 4:13; Hebrews 12:5; λόγος τῆς παρακλήσεως, Hebrews 13:22 (2 Macc. 7:24 2Macc. 15:9 (11); Plato, del. 415 e.; Thucydides 8, 92; Aeschines, Polybius, others). 4. consolation, comfort, solace: 2 Corinthians 1:4-7; Hebrews 6:18; (add, Acts 9:31; 2 Thessalonians 2:16) (Jeremiah 16:7; Has. 13:14; (Job 21:2; Nahum 3:7); Phalaris, epistle 97 at the beginning); τῶν γραφῶν, afforded by the contents of the Scriptures, Romans 15:4 (Winer's Grammar, 189 (178)); Θεός τῆς παρακλήσεως, God the author and bestower of comfort, Romans 15:5; 2 Corinthians 1:3; solace or cheer which comes from a happy lot or a prosperous state of things, Luke 6:24; 2 Corinthians 7:4, 7, 13 (cf. Winer's Grammar, 393 (368)); Philemon 1:7; by metonymy, that which affords comfort or refreshment; thus of the Messianic salvation, Luke 2:25 (so the rabbis call the Messiah the consoler, the comforter, κατ' ἐξοχήν, מְנַחֵם (cf. Wünsche, Neue Beiträge as above with at the passage; Schöttgen, Horae Hebrew etc. ii. 18)). 5. universally, "persuasive discourse, stirring address — instructive; admonitory, consolatory; powerful hortatory discourse": Romans 12:8; λόγος, παρακλήσεως (A. V. "word of exhortation), Acts 13:15; υἱός παρακλήσεως (a son of exhortation), a man gifted in teaching, admonishing, consoling, Acts 4:36; used of the apostles' instruction or preaching, 1 Thessalonians 2:3. The term embraces three overlapping ideas: (1) comfort offered to those in distress, (2) encouragement that strengthens resolve, and (3) earnest appeal that calls for a response. Each passage shades the sense according to setting, yet the underlying reality is the same—God comes alongside His people and works through them to come alongside others. Distribution across the New Testament Appearing twenty-nine times, the word is especially frequent in the writings of Luke and Paul, with a strategic cluster in 2 Corinthians. Luke employs it at key narrative turning points; Paul makes it a theological and pastoral centerpiece; Hebrews frames it as the character of the preached word; the Pastoral Epistles and Philemon place it within everyday ministry. Its presence in varied genres—Gospel, history, epistle, homily—underscores its foundational role in the life of the early church. Luke–Acts: Consolation for Israel and Missionary Encouragement Luke 2:25 introduces Simeon “waiting for the consolation of Israel,” linking messianic hope to the promised comfort of Isaiah. That promise blossoms in Acts: churches “were strengthened and encouraged by the Holy Spirit” (Acts 9:31); Barnabas is dubbed “Son of Encouragement” (Acts 4:36), embodying the ministry; after synagogue readings the leaders invite, “Brothers, if you have a word of encouragement for the people, speak” (Acts 13:15). Luke thus depicts encouragement as both fulfillment of prophetic hope and engine of mission expansion. Pauline Pastoralia: Comfort That Overflows in Christ a. 2 Corinthians Paul opens with a doxology: “the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). He then weaves the theme through the letter (1:6-7; 7:4-7, 13; 8:4, 17), presenting a cycle—God comforts Paul, Paul comforts the church, the church comforts Titus, Titus returns to comfort Paul. The pattern exemplifies how divine grace multiplies through human channels. b. Romans Romans 12:8 lists “encouraging” as a Spirit-given gift, highlighting diversity in ministry. Romans 15:4-5 anchors encouragement in Scripture and in “the God who gives endurance and encouragement,” marrying objective revelation to personal divine activity. c. Pastoral Epistles and Philemon Timothy is told, “Devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching” (1 Timothy 4:13). Philemon’s love has “given me great joy and encouragement” (Philemon 1:7), showing the term’s warmth in personal relationships. d. Thessalonian Correspondence Paul prays that the Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father “give us eternal encouragement and good hope by grace” (2 Thessalonians 2:16), tying present strengthening to eschatological promise. The Epistle to the Hebrews: Urgent Exhortation for Endurance Hebrews describes itself as “a word of exhortation” (Hebrews 13:22). The writer cites Proverbs: “You have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons” (12:5), and offers “strong encouragement” grounded in God’s unchanging oath (6:18). Here encouragement is covenantal, urging perseverance amid persecution. Gift of the Spirit for the Body Romans 12:8 and 1 Corinthians 14:3 connect encouragement to spiritual gifting and prophecy: “the one who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort.” The Spirit not only comforts directly (Acts 9:31) but equips believers to transmit that comfort. This ministry guards against isolation and fuels mutual edification. Christological and Pneumatological Dimensions Encouragement flows from union with Christ—“if you have any encouragement in Christ” (Philippians 2:1)—and from the indwelling Spirit, who is elsewhere called the Paraklētos (John 14–16). The overlap of vocabulary signals that what the Spirit is in person, believers are to practice in community: compassionate presence, truth-telling, sustaining hope. Ethical and Missional Implications 1. Comfort to the afflicted: Churches relieve suffering by word, presence, and material aid (2 Corinthians 8:4). Historical Reception in the Early Church Patristic writers recognized the vocation: Polycarp urged the Philippians “to practice paraklēsis continually.” Church orders placed the reading of Scripture and the “exhortation” as fixed elements of worship. Monastic communities codified mutual consolation as a daily duty, echoing 2 Corinthians. Pastoral Application Today • Preaching: Root proclamation in Scripture, aiming not merely to inform but to comfort and stir to action. The ministry of 3874 is no optional accessory. Through it God fulfills ancient promise, nurtures resilient faith, and propels His mission until the final “consolation of Israel” is consummated in Christ’s return. Englishman's Concordance Luke 2:25 N-AFSGRK: εὐλαβής προσδεχόμενος παράκλησιν τοῦ Ἰσραήλ NAS: looking for the consolation of Israel; KJV: waiting for the consolation of Israel: INT: devout waiting for [the] consolation of Israel Luke 6:24 N-AFS Acts 4:36 N-GFS Acts 9:31 N-DFS Acts 13:15 N-GFS Acts 15:31 N-DFS Romans 12:8 N-DFS Romans 15:4 N-GFS Romans 15:5 N-GFS 1 Corinthians 14:3 N-AFS 2 Corinthians 1:3 N-GFS 2 Corinthians 1:4 N-GFS 2 Corinthians 1:5 N-NFS 2 Corinthians 1:6 N-GFS 2 Corinthians 1:6 N-GFS 2 Corinthians 1:7 N-GFS 2 Corinthians 7:4 N-DFS 2 Corinthians 7:7 N-DFS 2 Corinthians 7:13 N-DFS 2 Corinthians 8:4 N-GFS 2 Corinthians 8:17 N-AFS Philippians 2:1 N-NFS 1 Thessalonians 2:3 N-NFS 2 Thessalonians 2:16 N-AFS 1 Timothy 4:13 N-DFS Strong's Greek 3874 |
    |