Advocate, Helper, Comforter, or Savior?
The Greek word paracletos (pronounced: para-kleh-tose), as found at John 14:16, 14:26, 15:26, 16:7, and 1 John 2:1, has been translated many ways in other Bibles, and we aren’t implying that these other translations are wrong. However, the two words that make up this single combined word are:
- para, meaning ‘next to’.
- cletos, meaning ‘caller’.
So, this combination of words appears to refer to an entity that stands next to us and calls out to God on our behalf. Therefore, our translation uses the word ‘advocate’.
What, or who, is this ‘advocate’?
Jesus describes it in John 14:26:
‘but the Advocate – the holy breath that the Father will send in my name – will teach you everything and remind you of everything that I’ve told you.’
So according to Jesus, the paracletos is another name for the holy breath (or spirit) when it’s sent in Jesus’ own name.
For a broader discussion of the topic, please see this commentary.