Counsellor

Counsellor in Scripture denotes an adviser — one whose wisdom and judgment are sought by individuals or leaders facing decisions. Proverbs 11:14 notes that in a multitude of counsellors there is safety, and 15:22 observes that plans fail without counsel but succeed with many advisers. Ahithophel, David's chief counsellor, was so renowned that his advice was treated as the oracle of God (2 Samuel 16:23). The wisdom literature consistently values the counsel of the experienced and wise as essential to sound governance and personal decision-making.

Isaiah 9:6 gives the title Wonderful, Counsellor to the coming messianic king — the one whose counsel would be marked by the Spirit of wisdom and understanding (Isaiah 11:2). In the New Testament, Joseph of Arimathea is described as an honourable counsellor and a member of the Sanhedrin who had not consented to the council's condemnation of Jesus (Mark 15:43; Luke 23:50–51). The Paraclete (Advocate/Helper) of John's Gospel carries the semantic range of the counsellor who guides into truth.