2 Corinthians 1:3
“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;”
King James Version (KJV)
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Paul begins 2 Corinthians after a season of severe trial, opening with a blessing that sets the theme of comfort amid affliction running through the first chapter.
What Does 2 Corinthians 1:3 Mean?
Paul opens his most personal letter not with complaint but with praise, naming God as the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. Having just survived a crushing ordeal in Asia, he begins by blessing the One from whom every mercy flows. The title "Father of mercies" gathers up the tenderness Scripture repeatedly attributes to God -- a compassion that is plural and abundant, mercies upon mercies. "The God of all comfort" claims that there is no kind of distress for which God has no answering consolation.
The Greek word behind "comfort" is paraklesis, the same root used for the Comforter Jesus promised. It means more than soothing feelings -- it is a coming-alongside that strengthens. Paul roots this comfort in relationship: God is "the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ," so the mercy we receive comes through the Son. Notice the movement of the verse: praise rises before any request, gratitude before any plea. Paul models a heart that recognizes God as the wellspring of consolation even while still tasting affliction. For the reader, the verse reframes suffering -- not by denying it, but by anchoring the sufferer in a God whose very character is mercy and comfort.
In the Original Language
The word for comfort is paraklesis (παράκλησις), "a calling alongside to help," while "mercies" renders oiktirmos (οἰκτιρμός), tender compassion.
Cross References
“Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.”
- Psalm 103:13
“I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die?”
- Isaiah 51:12
“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;”
- John 14:16
Application
When trouble comes, begin where Paul begins -- by blessing God as the source of every mercy and turning to Him as the God whose comfort matches every grief.