What does θαῤῥέω (tharrhéō) mean in the Bible?
θαῤῥέω means to be of good courage, to take heart, to be bold or confident. John 16:33 closes Jesus' farewell discourse with this command: "In the world you will have tribulation.
Greek · G2292
θαῤῥέω
To exercise courage
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θαῤῥέω G2292
Pronunciation tharrhéō
What does θαῤῥέω (tharrhéō) mean in the Bible?
θαῤῥέω means to be of good courage, to take heart, to be bold or confident. John 16:33 closes Jesus' farewell discourse with this command: "In the world you will have tribulation.
Reader summary
Full entry for θαῤῥέω (G2292) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G2292?
The BSB source-word alignment has 6 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include bold (1), I can have complete confidence (1), I may not need to be (1), we are always confident (1), We are confident (1).
Where does θαῤῥέω (tharrhéō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at 2 Corinthians 5:6. Its strongest book concentrations include 2 Corinthians (5), Hebrews (1).
What This Word Actually Means
θαῤῥέω means to be of good courage, to take heart, to be bold or confident. John 16:33 closes Jesus' farewell discourse with this command: "In the world you will have tribulation. But take courage; I have overcome the world!" The command does not rest on a promise that tribulation will be avoided; the same sentence names tribulation as certain. Courage here rests entirely on Jesus' own stated accomplishment, 'I have overcome the world,' spoken before his arrest, trial, and crucifixion had yet occurred.
The verb tense is notable: Jesus speaks of an already-completed victory even as his most costly hours remain ahead of him, a claim resting on the certainty of what he is about to accomplish rather than on visible present circumstances. Teachers should preserve both halves of the verse together: real tribulation is promised, and real courage is commanded, grounded in Christ's own certain victory rather than in the absence of hardship.
How the Bible Uses It
John 16:33 is spoken at the very edge of Jesus' arrest. He has just finished three chapters of farewell teaching, and his final word to the disciples names both the tribulation they will certainly face and the courage they can certainly have, grounded in a victory he claims as already accomplished even though the cross still lies ahead.
- John.16.33
I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take courage; I have overcome the world!”
John 16:33 records Jesus' closing command to the farewell discourse: 'In the world you will have tribulation. But take courage; I have overcome the world!'
- John.14.27
Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid.
The statement closes the entire farewell discourse begun in John 13:33, tying its final note of courage to everything Jesus has taught about departure, the Spirit, and abiding love across three chapters.
- Rom.8.37
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
Romans 8:37 echoes the same confident posture toward hardship, declaring believers 'more than conquerors' through Christ, extending the John 16:33 pattern of courage grounded in Christ's accomplished victory into Paul's own teaching.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It bold 1× 2 Corinthians 10:1
I can have complete confidence 1× 2 Corinthians 7:16
I may not need to be 1× 2 Corinthians 10:2
we are always confident 1× 2 Corinthians 5:6
We are confident 1× 2 Corinthians 5:8
with confidence 1× Hebrews 13:6
Show sample aligned rows
2 Corinthians 5:6 Θαρροῦντες to we are always confident Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural 2 Corinthians 5:8 Θαρροῦμεν to We are confident Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural 2 Corinthians 7:16 θαρρῶ to I can have complete confidence Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular 2 Corinthians 10:1 θαρρῶ to bold Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular 2 Corinthians 10:2 θαρρῆσαι to I may not need to be Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active Hebrews 13:6 θαρροῦντας to with confidence Verb - Present Participle Active - Accusative Masculine Plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row 2 Corinthians 5:6
Aligned rows 6
Books represented 2
2 Corinthians 5 Hebrews 1
Source forms
θαρρῶ 2x tharrō 2 Corinthians 7:16, 2 Corinthians 10:1
θαρρῆσαι 1x tharrēsai 2 Corinthians 10:2
Θαρροῦμεν 1x Tharroumen 2 Corinthians 5:8
θαρροῦντας 1x tharrountas Hebrews 13:6
Θαρροῦντες 1x Tharrountes 2 Corinthians 5:6
Parsing patterns
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular 2x 2 Corinthians 7:16, 2 Corinthians 10:1
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active 1x 2 Corinthians 10:2
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural 1x 2 Corinthians 5:8
Verb - Present Participle Active - Accusative Masculine Plural 1x Hebrews 13:6
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural 1x 2 Corinthians 5:6
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Preach courage as grounded in Christ's accomplished victory, not as a denial of real suffering believers will face.
- Use this verse to close teaching on hardship with hope, not to bypass honest engagement with the tribulation it names.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not use this verse to promise believers will avoid tribulation; the same sentence names tribulation as certain in the world.
- Do not treat 'I have overcome the world' as a vague sentiment detached from Jesus' specific, approaching victory through the cross and resurrection.
Passage contextPastoral applicationtheological_synthesis
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Courage grounded in confidence or assurance, often directed toward bold speech or action before others
Source Gloss
to exercise courage
Extended definition
Courage grounded in confidence or assurance, often directed toward bold speech or action before others
:--be bold, X boldly, have confidence, be confident.
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
6 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
2 Corinthians 5:6 Verb Present Active Participle Nominative Plural Masculine
θαρροῦντες qarrountev
I am courageous, of good cheer
Read verse 2 Corinthians 5:8 Verb First Person Plural Present Active Indicative
θαρροῦμεν qarroumen
I am courageous, of good cheer
Read verse 2 Corinthians 7:16 Verb First Person Singular Present Active Indicative
θαρρῶ qarrw
I am courageous, of good cheer
Read verse 2 Corinthians 10:1 Verb First Person Singular Present Active Indicative
θαρρῶ qarrw
I am courageous, of good cheer
Read verse 2 Corinthians 10:2 Verb Aorist Active Infinitive
θαρρῆσαι qarrhsai
I am courageous, of good cheer
Read verse Hebrews 13:6 Verb Present Active Participle Accusative Plural Masculine
θαρροῦντας qarrountav
I am courageous, of good cheer
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 8 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
present 7 aorist 1
Voice
active 8
Mood
indicative 3 participle 2 imperative 2 infinitive 1
NT Occurrences
Mark 6:50 Θαρσεῖτε present active imperative imperative John 16:33 θαρσεῖτε present active imperative imperative 2 Corinthians 5:6 Θαρροῦντες present active participle participle 2 Corinthians 5:8 θαρροῦμεν present active indicative ongoing 2 Corinthians 7:16 θαρρῶ present active indicative ongoing 2 Corinthians 10:1 θαρρῶ present active indicative ongoing 2 Corinthians 10:2 θαρρῆσαι aorist active infinitive infinitive Hebrews 13:6 θαρροῦντας present active participle participle
Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.
Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)
Word Origins
θαῤῥέω is built from this root:
For the Preacher and Teacher
John 16:33 is spoken at the very edge of Jesus' arrest. He has just finished three chapters of farewell teaching, and his final word to the disciples names both the tribulation they will certainly face and the courage they can certainly have, grounded in a victory he claims as already accomplished even though the cross still lies ahead. Preachers can use this word to describe courage that does not deny hardship, since the same verse promises tribulation, but that is not shaken by it either, since the courage rests on Christ's own stated, certain triumph.
This word opens a teaching doorway on courage grounded in Christ's accomplished victory rather than in the absence of hardship: John 16:33 promises tribulation and commands courage in the very same breath, refusing to trade one for the other. It gives preachers language for hope that takes suffering seriously without surrendering to it. It corrects the assumption that Christian courage requires the absence of real tribulation; the verse names tribulation as certain in the same sentence that commands courage.
Frame θαῤῥέω as courage grounded in Christ's own accomplished victory over the world, not as optimism that circumstances will improve.
Anchor passage
John.16.33
Doctrinal connections
- John.16.33 - primary John anchor for to take courage, be bold, be confident.
- John.14.27 - local narrative or book-level context that supports the companion's claim.
- Rom.8.37 - canonical parallel or background that keeps the entry's theological claim bounded.
- Gospel of John - book context that keeps this entry anchored in John's witness to Jesus.
Frame θαῤῥέω as courage grounded in Christ's own accomplished victory over the world, not as optimism that circumstances will improve. Linguistically, θαῤῥέω should be allowed to name to take courage, be bold, be confident without carrying claims the cited passages do not make.
From Old to New Testament
Scripture consistently roots courage in the face of hardship in God's own accomplished or certain victory rather than in changed circumstances (Josh 1:9; Rom 8:37), and Jesus' command in John 16:33 gives that pattern its clearest New Testament expression, spoken just before his own decisive victory through the cross and resurrection.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain