Romans 12:8

NET Bible® (New English Translation)

if it is exhortation, he must exhort; if it is contributing, he must do so with sincerity; if it is leadership, he must do so with diligence; if it is showing mercy, he must do so with cheerfulness.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

Εἴτε ὁ παρακαλῶν, ἐν τῇ παρακλήσει: ὁ μεταδιδούς, ἐν ἁπλότητι· ὁ προϊστάμενος, ἐν σπουδῇ· ὁ ἐλεῶν, ἐν ἱλαρότητι.

Transliteration

Whether the one parakalōn, in the paraklēsei; the one metadidous, in haplotēti; the one proistamenos, in spoudē; the one eleōn, in hilarotēti.

Grammar Details

• *parakalōn*: present active participle, nominative, masculine, singular - exhorting/encouraging
• *paraklēsei*: dative, feminine, singular - exhortation/encouragement
• *metadidous*: present active participle, nominative, masculine, singular - giving/sharing
• *haplotēti*: dative, feminine, singular - simplicity/sincerity/liberality
• *proistamenos*: present middle participle, nominative, masculine, singular - leading/presiding
• *spoudē*: dative, feminine, singular - diligence/earnestness
• *eleōn*: present active participle, nominative, masculine, singular - showing mercy
• *hilarotēti*: dative, feminine, singular - cheerfulness/gladness

Word Meanings

• *parakalōn*: exhorting/encouraging/comforting/urging
• *paraklēsei*: exhortation/encouragement/comfort/consolation
• *metadidous*: giving/sharing/imparting/distributing
• *haplotēti*: simplicity/sincerity/liberality/generosity
• *proistamenos*: leading/presiding/ruling/managing
• *spoudē*: diligence/earnestness/zeal/haste
• *eleōn*: showing mercy/having compassion
• *hilarotēti*: cheerfulness/gladness/joyfulness

Referenced Verses

• 2 Cor 9:7 : 7 Each one of you should give just as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, because God loves a cheerful giver.
• 1 Cor 12:28 : 28 And God has placed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, gifts of healing, helps, gifts of leadership, different kinds of tongues.
• 1 Tim 5:17 : 17 Elders who provide effective leadership must be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard in speaking and teaching.
• Heb 10:25 : 25 not abandoning our own meetings, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and even more so because you see the day drawing near.
• Acts 13:15 : 15 After the reading from the law and the prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent them a message, saying,“Brothers, if you have any message of exhortation for the people, speak it.”
• Acts 15:32 : 32 Both Judas and Silas, who were prophets themselves, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with a long speech.
• Deut 15:8-9 : 8 Instead, you must be sure to open your hand to him and generously lend him whatever he needs. 9 Be careful lest you entertain the wicked thought that the seventh year, the year of cancellation of debts, has almost arrived, and your attitude be wrong toward your impoverished fellow Israelite and you do not lend him anything; he will cry out to the LORD against you and you will be regarded as having sinned. 10 You must by all means lend to him and not be upset by doing it, for because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you attempt. 11 There will never cease to be some poor people in the land; therefore, I am commanding you to make sure you open your hand to your fellow Israelites who are needy and poor in your land.
• Deut 15:14 : 14 You must supply them generously from your flock, your threshing floor, and your winepress– as the LORD your God has blessed you, you must give to them.
• Deut 16:11 : 11 You shall rejoice before him– you, your son, your daughter, your male and female slaves, the Levites in your villages, the resident foreigners, the orphans, and the widows among you– in the place where the LORD chooses to locate his name.
• Deut 16:14-15 : 14 You are to rejoice in your festival, you, your son, your daughter, your male and female slaves, the Levites, the resident foreigners, the orphans, and the widows who are in your villages. 15 You are to celebrate the festival seven days before the LORD your God in the place he chooses, for he will bless you in all your productivity and in whatever you do; so you will indeed rejoice!
• Job 31:16-20 : 16 If I have refused to give the poor what they desired, or caused the eyes of the widow to fail, 17 If I ate my morsel of bread myself, and did not share any of it with orphans– 18 but from my youth I raised the orphan like a father, and from my mother’s womb I guided the widow! 19 If I have seen anyone about to perish for lack of clothing, or a poor man without a coat, 20 whose heart did not bless me as he warmed himself with the fleece of my sheep,
• Ps 37:21 : 21 Evil men borrow, but do not repay their debt, but the godly show compassion and are generous.
• Ps 101:1-8 : 1 A psalm of David. I will sing about loyalty and justice! To you, O LORD, I will sing praises! 2 I will walk in the way of integrity. When will you come to me? I will conduct my business with integrity in the midst of my palace. 3 I will not even consider doing what is dishonest. I hate doing evil; I will have no part of it. 4 I will have nothing to do with a perverse person; I will not permit evil. 5 I will destroy anyone who slanders his neighbor in secret. I will not tolerate anyone who has a haughty demeanor and an arrogant attitude. 6 I will favor the honest people of the land, and allow them to live with me. Those who walk in the way of integrity will attend me. 7 Deceitful people will not live in my palace. Liars will not be welcome in my presence. 8 Each morning I will destroy all the wicked people in the land, and remove all evildoers from the city of the LORD.
• Ps 112:9 : 9 He generously gives to the needy; his integrity endures. He will be vindicated and honored.
• Prov 22:9 : 9 A generous person will be blessed, for he has given some of his food to the poor.
• Eccl 9:10 : 10 Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, because there is neither work nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave, the place where you will eventually go.
• Eccl 11:1-2 : 1 Ignorance of the Future Demands Diligence in the Present Send your grain overseas, for after many days you will get a return. 2 Divide your merchandise among seven or even eight investments, for you do not know what calamity may happen on earth.
• Eccl 11:6 : 6 Sow your seed in the morning, and do not stop working until the evening; for you do not know which activity will succeed– whether this one or that one, or whether both will prosper equally.
• Isa 32:5 : 5 A fool will no longer be called honorable; a deceiver will no longer be called principled.
• Isa 32:8 : 8 An honorable man makes honorable plans; his honorable character gives him security.
• Isa 58:7-9 : 7 I want you to share your food with the hungry and to provide shelter for homeless, oppressed people. When you see someone naked, clothe him! Don’t turn your back on your own flesh and blood! 8 Then your light will shine like the sunrise; your restoration will quickly arrive; your godly behavior will go before you, and the LORD’s splendor will be your rear guard. 9 Then you will call out, and the LORD will respond; you will cry out, and he will reply,‘Here I am.’ You must remove the burdensome yoke from among you and stop pointing fingers and speaking sinfully. 10 You must actively help the hungry and feed the oppressed. Then your light will dispel the darkness, and your darkness will be transformed into noonday. 11 The LORD will continually lead you; he will feed you even in parched regions. He will give you renewed strength, and you will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring that continually produces water.
• Isa 64:5 : 5 You assist those who delight in doing what is right, who observe your commandments. Look, you were angry because we violated them continually. How then can we be saved?
• Matt 6:2-4 : 2 Thus whenever you do charitable giving, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in synagogues and on streets so that people will praise them. I tell you the truth, they have their reward! 3 But when you do your giving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your gift may be in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.
• Matt 25:40 : 40 And the king will answer them,‘I tell you the truth, just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of mine, you did it for me.’
• Luke 21:1-4 : 1 The Widow’s Offering Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box. 2 He also saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. 3 He said,“I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. 4 For they all offered their gifts out of their wealth. But she, out of her poverty, put in everything she had to live on.”
• Acts 2:44-46 : 44 All who believed were together and held everything in common, 45 and they began selling their property and possessions and distributing the proceeds to everyone, as anyone had need. 46 Every day they continued to gather together by common consent in the temple courts, breaking bread from house to house, sharing their food with glad and humble hearts,
• Acts 4:33-35 : 33 With great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on them all. 34 For there was no one needy among them, because those who were owners of land or houses were selling them and bringing the proceeds from the sales 35 and placing them at the apostles’ feet. The proceeds were distributed to each, as anyone had need.
• Acts 11:28-30 : 28 One of them, named Agabus, got up and predicted by the Spirit that a severe famine was about to come over the whole inhabited world.(This took place during the reign of Claudius.) 29 So the disciples, each in accordance with his financial ability, decided to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. 30 They did so, sending their financial aid to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.
• Acts 13:12 : 12 Then when the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, because he was greatly astounded at the teaching about the Lord.
• Acts 20:2 : 2 After he had gone through those regions and spoken many words of encouragement to the believers there, he came to Greece,
• Acts 20:28 : 28 Watch out for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God that he obtained with the blood of his own Son.
• Rom 12:13 : 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints, pursue hospitality.
• Rom 13:6 : 6 For this reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants devoted to governing.
• 1 Cor 14:3 : 3 But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouragement, and consolation.
• 2 Cor 1:12 : 12 Paul Defends His Changed Plans For our reason for confidence is this: the testimony of our conscience, that with pure motives and sincerity which are from God– not by human wisdom but by the grace of God– we conducted ourselves in the world, and all the more toward you.
• 2 Cor 8:1-9 : 1 Completing the Collection for the Saints Now we make known to you, brothers and sisters, the grace of God given to the churches of Macedonia, 2 that during a severe ordeal of suffering, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in the wealth of their generosity. 3 For I testify, they gave according to their means and beyond their means. They did so voluntarily, 4 begging us with great earnestness for the blessing and fellowship of helping the saints. 5 And they did this not just as we had hoped, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and to us by the will of God. 6 Thus we urged Titus that, just as he had previously begun this work, so also he should complete this act of kindness for you. 7 But as you excel in everything– in faith, in speech, in knowledge, and in all eagerness and in the love from us that is in you– make sure that you excel in this act of kindness too. 8 I am not saying this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love by comparison with the eagerness of others. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that although he was rich, he became poor for your sakes, so that you by his poverty could become rich.
• 2 Cor 8:12 : 12 For if the eagerness is present, the gift itself is acceptable according to whatever one has, not according to what he does not have.
• 2 Cor 9:11 : 11 You will be enriched in every way so that you may be generous on every occasion, which is producing through us thanksgiving to God,
• 2 Cor 9:13 : 13 Through the evidence of this service they will glorify God because of your obedience to your confession in the gospel of Christ and the generosity of your sharing with them and with everyone.
• 2 Cor 11:3 : 3 But I am afraid that just as the serpent deceived Eve by his treachery, your minds may be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
• Eph 6:5 : 5 Slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ,
• Col 3:22 : 22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in every respect, not only when they are watching– like those who are strictly people-pleasers– but with a sincere heart, fearing the Lord.
• 1 Thess 2:3 : 3 For the appeal we make does not come from error or impurity or with deceit,
• 1 Thess 2:8 : 8 with such affection for you we were happy to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.
• 1 Thess 5:12-14 : 12 Final Instructions Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who labor among you and preside over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them most highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. 14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, admonish the undisciplined, comfort the discouraged, help the weak, be patient toward all.
• 1 Tim 3:4-5 : 4 He must manage his own household well and keep his children in control without losing his dignity. 5 But if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for the church of God?
• 1 Tim 4:13 : 13 Until I come, give attention to the public reading of scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.
• Heb 13:7 : 7 Remember your leaders, who spoke God’s message to you; reflect on the outcome of their lives and imitate their faith.
• Heb 13:17 : 17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls and will give an account for their work. Let them do this with joy and not with complaints, for this would be no advantage for you.
• Heb 13:22 : 22 Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, bear with my message of exhortation, for in fact I have written to you briefly.
• Heb 13:24 : 24 Greetings to all your leaders and all the saints. Those from Italy send you greetings.
• 1 Pet 4:9-9 : 9 Show hospitality to one another without complaining. 10 Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of the varied grace of God. 11 Whoever speaks, let it be with God’s words. Whoever serves, do so with the strength that God supplies, so that in everything God will be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
• Gen 18:19 : 19 I have chosen him so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just. Then the LORD will give to Abraham what he promised him.”
• 1 Pet 5:2-3 : 2 Give a shepherd’s care to God’s flock among you, exercising oversight not merely as a duty but willingly under God’s direction, not for shameful profit but eagerly. 3 And do not lord it over those entrusted to you, but be examples to the flock.