"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God."
— 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV)
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 is one of the most shared comfort verses in the Bible, and it carries a purpose: the comfort God gives is meant to be passed on. This page gives the verses, what the key Greek words mean, where they sit in 2 Corinthians 1, and a plain reading. For more on the theme, see Bible verses about comfort and Bible verses about the God of all comfort.
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The verses
The King James reads: "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God."
"Praise be" or "blessed be" is eulogētos (G2128). "Compassion" or "mercies" is oiktirmos (G3628). "Comfort" the noun is paraklēsis (G3874) and "comforts" the verb is parakaleō (G3870), literally to call someone to your side. "Troubles" or "tribulation" is thlipsis (G2347), pressure that squeezes.
Where they sit in 2 Corinthians 1
These verses open the letter, right after the greeting. Paul keeps coming back to the same comfort words through verse 7: "For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ" (2 Corinthians 1:5).
Then he says why it matters to him. In the province of Asia, "We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself" (2 Corinthians 1:8). That happened, he says, "that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead" (2 Corinthians 1:9). Paul is writing from inside real trouble, not from a distance.
What the verses are saying
God is named by what he is like: the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort. "All" means no kind of trouble is outside his reach.
The comfort has a direction. God comforts us "so that we can comfort those in any trouble." The help you received in a hard season becomes what you can offer the next person in one. That is why these verses show up so often in sympathy cards: the person writing is passing on comfort they once needed.
Questions people ask
What does 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 say?
In the NIV it says, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God."
What does "God of all comfort" mean?
The Greek word for comfort, paraklēsis, comes from a verb meaning to call someone to your side. God is the one who comes alongside in every kind of trouble, and "all" means none is left out.
Why does God comfort us, according to 2 Corinthians 1:4?
"So that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God." The comfort is meant to be passed on to others.
Is 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 good for a sympathy card?
Yes, it is one of the most common choices. A short version is "the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles." See sympathy Bible verses for more.
What verses go with 2 Corinthians 1:3-4?
Psalm 34:18 (the Lord is close to the brokenhearted), 2 Corinthians 12:9 (my grace is sufficient), and Romans 8:38-39 (nothing can separate us from God's love) are close companions.
