παράκλησις (G3874) — Greek Lexicon

παράκλησις

paráklēsis

G3874 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Call to one's side for encouragement or help; an act of encouragement, exhortation, or comfort, specifically the act or process of offering support, urging, consoling, or giving moral or emotional strength. Semantic range: (1) encouragement or support (often in the form of speech), (2) exhortation or strong urging to action or conduct, (3) comfort or solace in the face of distress, (4) request or appeal for help, (5) sometimes a formal appeal or entreaty.

Semantic Range

encouragement, exhortation, consolation, comfort, appeal, entreaty, urgent request, persuasive address

Root / Etymology

From παρακαλέω (to call to one's side, to summon for encouragement or help), itself from παρά ('beside, alongside') + καλέω ('to call'). The noun παράκλησις is derived by adding the -σις (-sis) nominal suffix to form an abstract noun indicating the process or result of the action.

Historical & Contextual Notes

παράκλησις is attested in classical Greek but gains particular richness in Hellenistic and Koine contexts, including the Septuagint and New Testament. In secular Greek, it could refer to any kind of encouragement, exhortation, or legal appeal; in the LXX and New Testament, it commonly appears in settings of communal speech (public address, moral exhortation) or of comfort in times of suffering. The root verb παρακαλέω always implies someone being called alongside for assistance. In early Christian texts, the term takes on special resonance for mutual support and encouragement amidst hardship, leading to later theological development as 'consolation' or 'comfort' but without the specialized sense of the later term 'Paraclete' (παράκλητος). English translations often render the term simply as 'comfort' or 'exhortation', which may not fully capture its broader connotations of encouragement, urging, or solace. In Jewish Greek writing, especially in the LXX, it often denotes the kind of consolation associated with divine promises or communal encouragement.

Translation Consistency

primary "encouragement" 26 occurrences

Paraklēsis most commonly means an act of encouraging, exhorting, or consoling; "encouragement" is the natural, widely used English noun that covers exhortation, comfort, appeal, and support in ordinary New Testament contexts. It matches the majority of existing renderings and reads naturally in translation.

Alternatives (3 occurrences):

"encouraging appeal" (3x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from παρακαλέω; imploration, hortation, solace:--comfort, consolation, exhortation, intreaty.

Root Family

παράκλησις (paraklēsis) — calling alongside, encouragement, exhortation, comfort, appeal

Root παρακλ- to call alongside, to encourage, to exhort, to comfort

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2	Occurrences
`G3874-02`	παρακλήσεως	parakleseos	`N GEN F SG`	consolation	of encouragement	of encouragement	12
`G3874-03`	παράκλησιν	paraklesin	`N ACC F SG`	exhortation	encouragement	encouragement	7
`G3874-01`	παρακλήσει	paraklesei	`N DAT F SG`	comfort	to encouragement	encouragement	7
`G3874-04`	παράκλησις	paraklesis	`N NOM F SG`	comfort	encouraging appeal	encouraging appeal	3

Occurrences in Scripture

29 occurrences

Filter by SIDANCE:

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2
`G3874-03`	Luke 2:25	παράκλησιν	paraklesin	`N ACC F SG`	the consolation	encouragement	encouragement
`G3874-03`	Luke 6:24	παράκλησιν	paraklesin	`N ACC F SG`	consolation	encouragement	encouragement
`G3874-02`	Acts 4:36	παρακλήσεως	parakleseos	`N GEN F SG`	of Encouragement	of encouragement	of encouragement
`G3874-01`	Acts 9:31	παρακλήσει	paraklesei	`N DAT F SG`	comfort	to encouragement	encouragement
`G3874-02`	Acts 13:15	παρακλήσεως	parakleseos	`N GEN F SG`	of exhortation	of encouragement	of encouragement
`G3874-01`	Acts 15:31	παρακλήσει	paraklesei	`N DAT F SG`	encouragement	to encouragement	encouragement
`G3874-01`	Romans 12:8	παρακλήσει	paraklesei	`N DAT F SG`	exhortation	to encouragement	encouragement
`G3874-02`	Romans 15:4	παρακλήσεως	parakleseos	`N GEN F SG`	encouragement	of encouragement	of encouragement
`G3874-02`	Romans 15:5	παρακλήσεως	parakleseos	`N GEN F SG`	consolation	of encouragement	of encouragement
`G3874-03`	1 Corinthians 14:3	παράκλησιν	paraklesin	`N ACC F SG`	exhortation	encouragement	encouragement
`G3874-02`	2 Corinthians 1:3	παρακλήσεως	parakleseos	`N GEN F SG`	comfort	of encouragement	of encouragement
`G3874-02`	2 Corinthians 1:4	παρακλήσεως	parakleseos	`N GEN F SG`	comfort	of encouragement	of encouragement
`G3874-04`	2 Corinthians 1:5	παράκλησις	paraklesis	`N NOM F SG`	comfort	encouraging appeal	encouraging appeal
`G3874-02`	2 Corinthians 1:6	παρακλήσεως	parakleseos	`N GEN F SG`	consolation	of encouragement	of encouragement
`G3874-02`	2 Corinthians 1:6	παρακλήσεως	parakleseos-2	`N GEN F SG`	consolation	of encouragement	of encouragement
`G3874-02`	2 Corinthians 1:7	παρακλήσεως	parakleseos	`N GEN F SG`	consolation	of encouragement	of encouragement
`G3874-01`	2 Corinthians 7:4	παρακλήσει	paraklesei	`N DAT F SG`	comfort	to encouragement	encouragement
`G3874-01`	2 Corinthians 7:7	παρακλήσει	paraklesei	`N DAT F SG`	consolation	to encouragement	encouragement
`G3874-01`	2 Corinthians 7:13	παρακλήσει	paraklesei	`N DAT F SG`	comfort	to encouragement	encouragement
`G3874-02`	2 Corinthians 8:4	παρακλήσεως	parakleseos	`N GEN F SG`	urging	of encouragement	of encouragement
`G3874-03`	2 Corinthians 8:17	παράκλησιν	paraklesin	`N ACC F SG`	exhortation	encouragement	encouragement
`G3874-04`	Philippians 2:1	παράκλησις	paraklesis	`N NOM F SG`	encouragement	encouraging appeal	encouraging appeal
`G3874-04`	1 Thessalonians 2:3	παράκλησις	paraklesis	`N NOM F SG`	exhortation	encouraging appeal	encouraging appeal
`G3874-03`	2 Thessalonians 2:16	παράκλησιν	paraklesin	`N ACC F SG`	comfort	encouragement	encouragement
`G3874-01`	1 Timothy 4:13	παρακλήσει	paraklesei	`N DAT F SG`	exhortation	to encouragement	encouragement
`G3874-03`	Philemon 1:7	παράκλησιν	paraklesin	`N ACC F SG`	comfort	encouragement	encouragement
`G3874-03`	Hebrews 6:18	παράκλησιν	paraklesin	`N ACC F SG`	encouragement	encouragement	encouragement
`G3874-02`	Hebrews 12:5	παρακλήσεως	parakleseos	`N GEN F SG`	exhortation	of encouragement	of encouragement
`G3874-02`	Hebrews 13:22	παρακλήσεως	parakleseos	`N GEN F SG`	exhortation	of encouragement	of encouragement

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