1 Thessalonians 2:7
“But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children:”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Instead of throwing his weight around, Paul was as gentle among them as a nursing mother tending her own children.
What Does 1 Thessalonians 2:7 Mean?
Having set aside his rights, Paul describes the manner he chose instead: 'gentle among you.' He reaches for one of the tenderest images in all his letters, a nursing mother who 'cherisheth her children,' warming and feeding the little ones at her own breast. This is how he and his companions treated the new believers.
Authority could have made Paul demanding; love made him gentle. The picture is not of a hired caretaker but of a mother with her own children, full of natural, self-forgetful affection. She does not exploit the helpless; she nourishes them and keeps them warm. So Paul handled these young converts, cherishing their fragile faith rather than pressuring it. The strength of true spiritual leadership shows not in dominance but in tenderness. Christ Himself dealt gently with the bruised and the beginning, and His servant here reflects that same nurturing heart.
In the Original Language
trophos (τροφός), 'nurse' -- a nursing mother who feeds her own child, from the root meaning to nourish.