“Stand strong in the faith, my friend. Don’t give up!”
“Be careful who and what you listen to. Don’t be fooled.”
“Life is hard, I know, but you’ll get through this with God’s help. He has promised!”
“God will never leave you or forsake you; believe that, my dear.”
To exhort is to invite others to listen to your words of wisdom. To comfort, encourage, plead, and advise them to follow a better way.
To exhort is to show concern for the brethren by speaking life-giving words at all times.
But exhort one another daily, while it is called To Day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. (Hebrews 3:13)
Welcome to my KJV Bible Word Study Series!
I love the King James Version Bible. I believe it is the most accurate and beautiful translation we can read. Nevertheless, it is important for us to know that none of the translations we have today (including the KJV) is perfect. Only the original Hebrew and Greek texts from which they came are divinely inspired.
The KJV, its lyrical beauty aside, uses some antiquated words, and words that have changed their meanings over time, that might send us scrambling for the nearest dictionary or concordance.
In this series, I take words that we may be unfamiliar with outside their biblical setting or that may be confusing to our modern-day English sensibilities, and expound upon their original meaning within the context of the verse.
By using Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible and Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, it is my hope to bring clarity to, and broaden our understanding of, many beloved and obscure KJV Bible passages.
Exhort
Exhort—G3870: beseech, call for, [be of good] comfort, desire, [give] exhortation, entreat, pray; from G3844: to call near, from beside, in the vicinity and G2564: to bid, to call aloud, to call forth; invite, invoke (by imploration, exhortation, or consolation)
G3867: to mispraise, from G3844 and G134: recommend or advise [a different course], admonish
Exhortation—G3870 (see above)
G3874: comfort, consolation, entreaty; from G3870: imploration, solace
G3056: account, cause, communication, doctrine, matter; from G3004: something said (including the thought)
Exhorted—G3870 (see above)
Exhorteth—G3870 (see above)
Exhorting—G3870 (see above)
G4389: to turn forward for oneself, encourage; from G4253: in front of ; and G5157: to turn, revolution, turning
[Words in bold or italics added for emphasis to Bible verses throughout this study.]
Exhort
Exhortation is a beautiful and necessary action to inspire others to come alongside you and hear your words of warning, entreaty, and consolation.
It is also a gift of the Spirit. Have you been given this gift?
Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness. (Romans 12:6–8)
The gift of exhortation
Every Christian is required to love the brethren as spoken of in Hebrews by warning, comforting, and supporting them, but God may have given you a stronger propensity to excel at exhortation.
If so, you’ve been given a blessed gift of counsel where your well-timed words become the motivating factor someone needs to lean hard upon their faith during moments of wavering, weariness, and desperation.
When you exhort someone, dear Christian, you do a myriad of things depending on the situation.
- Console someone over a loss and give them hope
- Bring to their attention an error in theological understanding
- Encourage them to press on despite the many obstacles in their life
- Shake them out of their spiritual complacency with loving words of warning
Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.
See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. (1 Thessalonians 5:14–15)
No matter what form our exhortation takes, we are called to exhort our brothers and sisters in Christ daily because everyone has low points and hard days and needs to be held accountable, encouraged, and kept steady on the right path.
These bidding words of ours could be the very words someone needs at just the pivotal moment in their faith journey.
But the matter always falls on the hearer to heed. Our duty is to speak, but it’s up to them to follow through.
Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. (Titus 1:9)
In Acts, Peter spoke boldly to those who would listen in Jerusalem to repent of their sins and turn to God, exhorting that if they would be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. (Acts 2:40)
Paul and Barnabas had their own commission to share the good news with the Gentiles, but it was not without trial and danger.
And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch,
Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. (Acts 14:21–22)
Jude is known for his no-holds-barred approach to speaking the truth in his one-chapter letter. His desire was for the beloved brethren to continue living that truth in unabashed strength.
Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. (Jude 1:3)
But will they hear?
We care deeply for those closest to us, and when we teach our children or converse with friends, our desire is that they hear us.
We desire they steer clear of the easy road with its false promises and stay on the path of life.
But if they refuse to listen, it causes us great pain because we know by experience what refusal does to the soul.
The apostles had the same desire and conflict.
As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children. (1 Thessalonians 2:11)
And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him. (Hebrews 12:5)
Accept exhortation as children
And I beseech you, brethren, suffer the word of exhortation: for I have written a letter unto you in few words. (Hebrews 13:22)
How often do we know deep down when someone is speaking the truth, but our pride gets in the way and we bristle? Paul asks the brethren to “put up with” or “bear with” the truth he spoke for their good.
We need to do the same whenever we are on the receiving end of exhortation and not allow our feelings to create a barrier to this God-inspired help.
Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. (1 Thessalonians 4:1)
Exhortation (calling forth, inviting) is akin to admonishing (warning) and beseeching (pleading). All three words are used (and sometimes interchanged) in the KJV for getting someone’s attention.
But one thing is clear: when we exhort, our invitation should be for the love of the one spoken to and not for selfish means.
For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile:
But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts. (1 Thessalonians 2:3–4)
Good counsel
Paul loved Timothy like a dear son. In his absence, he wanted Timothy to grow and excel in the faith. Christ desires this very thing for us.
Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. (I Timothy 4:13)
Let us heed Paul’s words to Timothy as if they were spoken directly by Christ to us.
Let us stay in the word of God, encourage others to do the same, and follow after sound doctrine (instruction) so that with wisdom we may daily speak words that make a positive spiritual impact on our family, friends, and fellow brethren.
I love a good word study, don’t you? I hope you’ve gleaned, along with me, some additional insight into the rich words used in the KJV Bible.
If you would like to read more posts in this series, please check out my KJV Bible Studies page.
To stay up to date on all Desert Rain content, consider signing up for my Abide & Blossom newsletter for the weary Christian woman. Thank you!
Abiding in the Vine,
~ Gleniece
The post “Exhort: KJV Bible Word Study Series” was first published on Desert Rain.
Would you like to share this post?
