Paul says of the five: “These very ones have become a strengthening aid to me.”​—Colossians 4:7-11.

⁴ Paul made a powerful statement about the help his loyal friends rendered to him. He used a Greek word (pa·re·go·riʹa) translated “strengthening aid,” which in the Bible is found only in this verse. This word has a range of meanings and was used especially in medicinal contexts.a It can be rendered ‘solace, alleviation, comfort, or relief.’ Paul needed that kind of strengthening, and those five men provided it.