{As a father with his own children} (h(9373) pat(8872) tekna
heautou). Change from the figure of the mother-nurse in verse
 7 . There is ellipse of a principal verb with the participles
parakalountes, paramuthoumenoi, marturoumenoi. Lightfoot
suggests enouthetoumen (we admonished) or egen(8874)h(886d)en (we
became). The three participles give three phases of the
minister's preaching (exhorting, encouraging or consoling,
witnessing or testifying). They are all old verbs, but only the
first (parakale(935c)) is common in the N.T.