The Greek noun elengxis means rebuke, reproof, or the act of exposing and convicting wrongdoing. It appears in 2 Peter 2:16: Balaam was rebuked (elengxin) for his transgression by a donkey. The word is related to elegchō (to convict, rebuke, expose) — a key word in John's Gospel for the Spirit's work.
Elengxis (rebuke/conviction) points to the necessary but uncomfortable work of exposing wrongdoing. In 2 Peter 2:16, even a donkey was the instrument of God's rebuke of Balaam — God will use whatever means necessary to confront sin. The broader elegchō family is central to NT teaching on the Spirit's work (John 16:8 — "He will convict the world of guilt"), church discipline (Matthew 18:15), and Scripture's purpose (2 Timothy 3:16 — "useful for... rebuking, correcting"). True love does not avoid rebuke; it speaks the truth.