A word behind the word
Parakletos, the Comforter
The Greek word parakletos, which the KJV renders Comforter, is Jesus' name for the Holy Spirit in the Gospel of John. Its literal sense is one called alongside, and it carries the ideas of helper, advocate, and comforter at once.
“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;”John 14:16
What the word actually means
What the word actually means. Parakletos is built from the idea of one summoned to someone's side to help, and in the Greek world it could mean an advocate or one who pleads another's cause, something like a legal helper. Jesus uses it four times in his farewell discourse for the Holy Spirit. In John 14:16 he says, I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever, and the word another implies that Jesus himself has been a Comforter to them, and the Spirit will be another of the same kind. In John 14:26 the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, will teach and bring to remembrance Jesus' words; in John 15:26 he will testify of Christ; in John 16:7-8 he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. So the parakletos guides, teaches, testifies, convicts, and stands by the believer. The same word appears in 1 John 2:1, where it is applied to Jesus himself: we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. The KJV chooses Comforter to capture the Spirit's role of strengthening and consoling those Jesus is about to leave.
The myth to clear up
The myth to clear up. Two mild misreadings are common. First, some flatten parakletos to comforter in the modern, soothing sense only, as if the Spirit's whole job is to make us feel better. The word is broader: it includes advocacy, teaching, testifying, and even convicting the world of sin, as John 16:8 shows. Comfort in the KJV carries the older, stronger sense of strengthening, not merely consoling. Second, some insist the word must mean advocate in a strict courtroom sense everywhere it appears, over-narrowing it. In John's farewell discourse the Spirit does far more than plead a case; he abides, teaches, reminds, and guides into truth, per John 16:13. The sober correction: parakletos names one called alongside to help in every needed way. Let John's own descriptions, not a single English gloss, fill out the picture.
How the word opens onto Christ
How the word opens onto Christ. The word parakletos ties the Spirit and the Son together beautifully. When Jesus promises another Comforter in John 14:16, he implies he has been the first, so the Spirit continues Christ's own presence and ministry with the disciples after his departure. The Spirit does not draw attention to himself; John 15:26 says he shall testify of me, and John 16:14 says he shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. So the parakletos is Christ-centered by design, taking what belongs to Jesus and making it known. And the same title turns back to Jesus in heaven, for 1 John 2:1 calls him our advocate with the Father, pleading his own finished sacrifice on our behalf. So we have one Advocate above, interceding for us, and another alongside us, applying Christ's word and presence within. Both point us to the same Lord.
Questions people ask
Does Comforter just mean the Spirit makes us feel better?
The comfort is real, but the word means one called alongside to help, and John shows the Spirit teaching, testifying, guiding, and convicting. The KJV word Comforter carries the older sense of strengthening, not only soothing.
Why does Jesus call the Spirit another Comforter?
The word another in John 14:16 implies Jesus has been a Comforter to the disciples himself, and the Spirit will be another of the same kind, continuing Christ's presence and ministry after he ascends.