παρακαλέω - "to call to one, exhort, admonish, comfort"
from παρα “beside” + καλέω “call”, “I call beside”
The substantive form παράκλητος “Comforter, Helper” is how the Lord names the coming Holy Spirit in the Upper Room discourses, e.g. John 15.26, et al. “Calling beside” has the sense of calling one apart for personal words in ones ear privately. This could be to give comfort when you are in trouble, to admonish when you are off track, or to exhort when when you need to take action. In every case it is calling you apart from the group to speak personally and intimately the words you are in need of hearing at that time.
In using παράκλητος to refer to Jesus Christ, the apostle John speaks in his first letter in the legal sense of our Advocate, i.e. attorney for the defense, before the Father. In this case the speaking is not “aside” to us, but to the Father. We are not summoned to speak in our own defense, but Jesus takes this role for us, and speaks “aside” to the Judge on our behalf.
Examples: Matthew 5.4, John 15.26, 1 Corinthians 1.10, 1 John 2.1
