Acts 4:36 – Barnabas Son of Encouragement: Meaning and…

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Acts 4:36

(36) And Joses, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus,
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In Acts 4:36 Luke translates Barnabas to mean “son of encouragement” or “son of consolation.” The original Greek word rendered “encouragement,” paraklesis, means encouragement, consolation, comfort, exhortation, and entreaty. It may be that the apostles who gave Joseph the name Barnabas, saw all of these qualities in his character.

What was it that Barnabas did so well? Paul writes that it is a minister’s responsibility to be encouraging to God’s church. Ministers are sent “to establish and encourage [us] concerning our faith” (I Thessalonians 3:2-3). Barnabas wisely encouraged people by pointing them in the right direction—toward the coming Kingdom of God. All the members in Antioch he “encouraged . . . that with a purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord” (Acts 11:23).

— Martin G. Collins

To learn more, see:
Barnabas: Son of Encouragement and Consolation