παρακαλοῦντες … παραμυθούμενοι … μαρτυρόμενοι, exhorting … encouraging … testifying. Παρακαλέω is the general term for animating address (cf. note on παράκλησις, 1 Thessalonians 2:3, also 1 Thessalonians 3:2); παραμυθέομαι denotes exhortation on its soothing and consoling side (see 1 Thessalonians 5:14; John 11:19), suitably to the afflicted state of the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 1:6): 1 Thessalonians 4:13 ff. and 2 Thessalonians 1:5 ff. are specimens of Pauline παραμυθία (Lightfoot, however, in his note ad loc. questions this distinction). Hofmann thus defines the three terms: “παρακαλεῖν is speech that addresses itself to the will, παραμυθεῖσθαι to the sensibilities, while μαρτύρεσθαι signalizes the impressive seriousness with which the speaker personally vouches for what he says.” For μαρτύρομαι, to protest, give solemn witness, cf. Ephesians 4:17; Galatians 5:3; Acts 20:26; Acts 26:22 : to be carefully distinguished from μαρτυρέω (-έομαι; see Romans 3:21). The Vulg. reads, “deprecantes vos, et consolantes, testificati sumus,” turning the last participle into a finite verb to complete the sentence, and confusing μαρτύρομαι with μαρτυρέω; Erasmus and Beza, more correctly, obtestantes; Estius, contestantes.

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Old Testament