παρακαλέω

I summon, entreat, admonish, comfort

Definition

The verb παρακαλέω is a rich and multifaceted word meaning 'to call to one's side' or 'to summon.' In the New Testament, it carries four primary senses depending on context: (1) to strongly urge or exhort believers toward godly living (Romans 12:1), (2) to earnestly entreat or beg someone for something (Matthew 8:5), (3) to comfort or console someone in distress (Matthew 5:4, 2 Corinthians 1:4), and (4) to invite or summon someone (Acts 28:20). The specific meaning is determined by the speaker's relationship to the listener and the situation.

Biblical Usage

Παρακαλέω is used 104 times across the New Testament, appearing most frequently in the Pauline epistles and Luke-Acts. Paul often uses it in the sense of 'exhort' to encourage churches in their faith and conduct (1 Thessalonians 4:1). The Gospels and Acts show its use for 'begging' or 'entreating' (Mark 1:40, Luke 8:31). The 'comfort' sense is prominent in 2 Corinthians and the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:4). The distribution shows a pastoral emphasis on teaching, pleading, and consoling within the Christian community.

Etymology

Derived from the preposition παρά (para, meaning 'beside, alongside') and the verb καλέω (kaleō, meaning 'to call'). Literally, it means 'to call alongside.' This root idea of coming close to aid or speak to someone evolved into its broader semantic range of exhorting, entreating, and comforting. It is the verbal root of the important noun παράκλητος (paraklētos, G3875), meaning 'advocate' or 'helper' (John 14:16).

Semantic Range

This word is theologically significant as it describes a core function of the Holy Spirit, who is called ὁ Παράκλητος (the Paraclete)—the one called alongside to help, comfort, and advocate (John 14:16, 26). It also models the ministry of believers, who are to 'exhort' one another in truth (Hebrews 3:13) and 'comfort' those in affliction with the comfort they themselves have received from God (2 Corinthians 1:4). Understanding its full range reveals the integrated nature of biblical encouragement, which involves both strengthening truth and tender compassion.

In the Greco-Roman world, the act of 'calling someone alongside' (παρακαλέω) often had a formal or rhetorical connotation, used in contexts of philosophical exhortation or legal advocacy. The New Testament authors, particularly Paul, adopted this term but infused it with distinctively Christian content—exhortation based on God's mercy (Romans 12:1) and comfort rooted in the gospel. The comfort it describes is not merely sympathy but a strengthening presence that brings hope in the midst of suffering.

παραμυθέομαι (paramytheomai, G3888) — emphasizes consolation through gentle, soothing words, often in grief. ἐντρέπω (entrepō, G1788) — to put to shame or make ashamed, a stronger form of admonition. παραινέω (paraineō, G3867) — to advise or recommend, a milder form of exhortation. παρακλήσις (paraklēsis, G3874) — the noun form of παρακαλέω, meaning 'exhortation, encouragement, comfort.'

Word Details

Scripture References