WG: Boldness / Confidence¶
Overview¶
The boldness/confidence concept in the NT involves 8 Greek words spanning a spectrum from frank speech to courageous daring to settled trust. The group clusters in Louw-Nida domain 025.014 (Courage, Boldness) with connections to hope (G1680 elpis) and foundational assurance (G5287 hypostasis). A shared Hebrew root (H982 batach "trust/take refuge") bridges peitho and elpis through the LXX, anchoring NT confidence vocabulary in OT trust-in-God language.
Word Group Members¶
| Strong's | Word | Transliteration | POS | Occurrences | Role in Concept | Library Entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G3954 | παῤῥησία | parrhesia | f. noun | 31 | Central term: bold openness, confident access | G3954-parrhesia.md |
| G3955 | παῤῥησιάζομαι | parrhesiazomai | verb | 9 | Verbal form: to speak boldly/freely | TODO(need G3955 study) |
| G3982 | πείθω | peitho | verb | 55 | Trust/persuasion (perfect pepoitha = settled confidence) | G3982-peitho.md |
| G4006 | πεποίθησις | pepoithesis | f. noun | 6 | Reliance/trust (nominalized perfect of peitho) | TODO(need G4006 study) |
| G5287 | ὑπόστασις | hypostasis | f. noun | 5 | Foundational assurance underneath confidence | G5287-hupostasis.md |
| G2292 | θαῤῥέω | tharreo | verb | 6 | Inner courage, to be of good courage | TODO(need G2292 study) |
| G5111 | τολμάω | tolmao | verb | 15 | Daring boldness, courage to act/risk | TODO(need G5111 study) |
| G1680 | ἐλπίς | elpis | f. noun | 48 | Hope as foundation for confidence | G1680-elpis.md |
Relationships¶
Word Family (Cognates)¶
- parrhesia (G3954) → parrhesiazomai (G3955) — noun/verb pair from πᾶς + ῥῆσις
- peitho (G3982) → pepoithesis (G4006) — verb → nominalized perfect participle
Co-occurrence (Appear in Same Verses)¶
| Word A | Word B | Shared Verses | Typical Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| parrhesia (G3954) | elpis (G1680) | 3x | Hope grounds boldness — "having such hope, we use great plainness of speech" (2 Cor 3:12) |
| parrhesiazomai (G3955) | peitho (G3982) | 2x | Bold speech and persuasion — "spake boldly... disputing and persuading" (Acts 19:8) |
| parrhesia (G3954) | pepoithesis (G4006) | 1x | Paired as hendiadys — "boldness and access with confidence" (Eph 3:12) |
| pepoithesis (G4006) | tharreo (G2292) | 1x | Both in same verse — "bold... with that confidence" (2 Cor 10:2) |
| pepoithesis (G4006) | tolmao (G5111) | 1x | Both in same verse — 2 Cor 10:2 |
| tharreo (G2292) | tolmao (G5111) | 1x | Graduated courage — 2 Cor 10:2 |
| peitho (G3982) | tolmao (G5111) | 1x | Confidence enabling daring — Phil 1:14 |
Shared Hebrew Sources (LXX Bridges)¶
| Hebrew Root | Greek Members | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| H982 בָּטַח batach (trust, take refuge) | peitho (G3982) 61×, elpis (G1680) 8× | OT "trust in YHWH" maps to both NT persuasion/trust and hope |
| H983 בֶּטַח betach (security, safely) | elpis (G1680) 12×, peitho (G3982) 14× | OT "safety/security" state bridges to both hope and trust |
| H4009 מִבְטָח mibtach (confidence, refuge) | elpis (G1680) 9×, peitho (G3982) 5× | OT "place of confidence" → NT hope and trust |
The Hebrew batach family (trust/security/confidence) is the common OT root behind both peitho and elpis in the LXX. Parrhesia itself has no Hebrew equivalent — it enters biblical theology as a distinctly Greek concept (Athenian democratic free speech) theologized by NT authors for access-to-God confidence.
Roles in the Concept¶
- Central term: parrhesia (G3954) — the confident openness itself, whether in speech or in approaching God
- Verbal expression: parrhesiazomai (G3955) — the act of speaking with parrhesia
- Ground of confidence: peitho (G3982) — the persuasion/trust that produces boldness
- Settled reliance: pepoithesis (G4006) — confidence as established state
- Foundation underneath: hypostasis (G5287) — the substantial assurance supporting confidence
- Motivating expectation: elpis (G1680) — hope that grounds present boldness
- Inner courage: tharreo (G2292) — the courage felt within
- Action under risk: tolmao (G5111) — boldness that dares consequences
Key Passages Where Multiple Group Words Appear Together¶
- 2 Cor 10:2 — pepoithesis + tharreo + tolmao: "that I may not be bold (tolmao) when I am present with that confidence (pepoithesis), wherewith I think to be bold (tharreo)"
- Eph 3:12 — parrhesia + pepoithesis: "In whom we have boldness (parrhesia) and access with confidence (pepoithesis) by the faith of him"
- 2 Cor 3:12 — parrhesia + elpis: "Seeing then that we have such hope (elpis), we use great plainness of speech (parrhesia)"
- Acts 19:8 — parrhesiazomai + peitho: "spake boldly (parrhesiazomai)... disputing and persuading (peitho)"
Generated from: gather_word_group_data.py, search_relationships.py Last updated: 2026-05-05