parakaleō · urge, comfort

What it means

parakaleō (παρακαλέω) is a Greek word of the Bible that means “urge, comfort”.

Call to one's side; plead with, encourage, comfort.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. To call someone to your side, implore them.
2. To spur someone on with words to do good.
3. To bring relief to one who suffers.

From Abbott-Smith (1922) · Thayer (1889)

Word study

To call to one's side; hence to beg, to urge, to encourage and to comfort. It is a compound of παρά, “beside”, and καλέω, “to call” (G2564). From it comes παράκλησις, “encouragement, comfort”.

• Begging, pleading with someone Mark 1:40Luke 15:28
• “I urge you”: the apostle's appeal Romans 12:12 Corinthians 5:20
• Urging, encouraging Acts 2:40
• Comforting one who suffers Matthew 5:42 Corinthians 1:41 Thessalonians 4:18

How we translate it

“I urge” 14 times, “exhort” 12, “comforted” 8, “begging” 7, “encouraged” 6, “comfort” 5, “urging” 5, “beg” 4, “begged” 4… The context decides: “beg” or “plead” when someone asks a favor, “urge” or “exhort” when someone is moved to act, “comfort” when there is grief or affliction. In 2 Corinthians 1 the verb is “comfort” and the noun παράκλησις “comfort”, so that the play of the passage is kept.

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• I urge ×14
• exhort ×12
• comforted ×8
• begging ×7
• encouraged ×6
• comfort ×5
• urging ×5
• beg ×4
• begged ×4
• I urged ×3
• others ×41

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Matthew×9
• Mark×9
• Luke×7
• Acts×22
• Romans×4
• 1 Corinthians×6
• 2 Corinthians×18
• Ephesians×2
• Philippians×2
• Colossians×2
• 1 Thessalonians×8
• 2 Thessalonians×2
• 1 Timothy×4
• 2 Timothy×1
• Titus×3
• Philemon×2
• Hebrews×4
• 1 Peter×3
• Jude×1

• Matthew 2:18

  “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning: Rachel weeping for her children; and she would not be comforted, because they are no more.”

• Matthew 5:4

  Happy are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

• Matthew 8:5

  When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, pleading with him

• Matthew 8:31

  And the demons were begging him, saying, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”

• Matthew 8:34

  And look, the whole town came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to move away from their region.

• Matthew 14:36

  and they were begging him that they might only touch the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were made well.

• Matthew 18:29

  So his fellow slave fell down and was begging him, saying, ‘Be patient with me, and I will repay you.’

• Matthew 18:32

  Then his master summoned him and says to him, ‘Wicked slave! All that debt I forgave you, because you begged me.

• Matthew 26:53

  Or do you think that I cannot call on my Father, and he will put at my side right now more than twelve legions of angels?

• Mark 1:40

  And a man with leprosy comes to him, begging him and kneeling, and saying to him, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”

• Mark 5:10

  And he was begging him earnestly not to send them out of the region.

• Mark 5:12

  and they begged him, saying, “Send us into the pigs, so that we may enter into them.”

• Mark 5:17

  And they began to beg him to go away from their region.

• Mark 5:18

  And as he was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged him that he might be with him.

• Mark 5:23

  and begs him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death; come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.”

• Mark 6:56

  And wherever he went, into villages or into towns or into the countryside, they were laying the sick in the marketplaces, and begging him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched him were made well.

• Mark 7:32

  And they bring to him a deaf man who could hardly speak, and they beg him to lay his hand on him.

• Mark 8:22

  And they come to Bethsaida. And they bring him a blind man and beg him to touch him.

• Luke 3:18

  So, with many other exhortations as well, he was proclaiming the good news to the people.

• Luke 7:4

  And when they came to Jesus, they were urging him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you grant this,

• Luke 8:31

  And they were begging him not to order them to go away into the abyss.

• Luke 8:32

  Now there was there a herd of many pigs feeding on the hillside; and they begged him to permit them to enter into them; and he permitted them.

• Luke 8:41

  And look, there came a man whose name was Jairus, and he was a leader of the synagogue; and falling at Jesus’ feet, he begged him to come into his house,

• Luke 15:28

  But he became angry and was not willing to go in. And his father came out and was pleading with him.

• Luke 16:25

  But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you received your good things in your life, and Lazarus likewise bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony.

• Acts 2:40

  And with many other words he testified and kept urging them, saying, “Be saved from this crooked generation.”

• Acts 8:31

  And he said, “Why, how could I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

• Acts 9:38

  And since Lod was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him, urging him, “Do not delay to come to us.”

• Acts 11:23

  When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced, and he was encouraging all to remain with the Lord with purpose of heart,

• Acts 13:42

  And as they were going out, they were urging them that these words be spoken to them on the next Sabbath.

• Acts 14:22

  strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to remain in the faith, and saying that through many afflictions we must enter into the kingdom of God.

• Acts 15:32

  Judas and Silas, who were also prophets themselves, encouraged the brothers with many words and strengthened them.

• Acts 16:9

  And a vision appeared to Paul during the night: a certain Macedonian man was standing and urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”

• Acts 16:15

  And when she was immersed, and her household, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be a believer in the Lord, come into my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.

• Acts 16:39

  And they came and appealed to them, and bringing them out, they asked them to go away from the city.

• Acts 16:40

  And coming out of the prison, they went in to Lydia, and when they saw the brothers, they encouraged them and departed.

• Acts 19:31

  And some even of the Asiarchs, being friends of his, sent to him and were urging him not to venture into the theater.

• Acts 20:1

  And after the uproar had ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, and having encouraged them and said farewell, he departed to go to Macedonia.

• Acts 20:2

  And when he had gone through those regions and encouraged them with many words, he came to Greece.

• Acts 20:12

  And they brought the boy alive, and were comforted not a little.

And 69 more times.