Colossians 2:17

2:17 these are only ¹  the shadow of the things to come, but the reality ²  is Christ! ³ 

Colossians 2:19

2:19 He has not held fast ⁴  to the head from whom the whole body, supported ⁵  and knit together through its ligaments and sinews, grows with a growth that is from God. ⁶ 

¹ tn The word “only,” though not in the Greek text, is supplied in the English translation to bring out the force of the Greek phrase.

² tn Grk “but the body of Christ.” The term body here, when used in contrast to shadow (σκιά, skia) indicates the opposite meaning, i.e., the reality or substance itself.

³ tn The genitive τοῦ Χριστοῦ (tou Cristou) is appositional and translated as such: “the reality is Christ.”

⁴ tn The Greek participle κρατῶν (kratwn) was translated as a finite verb to avoid an unusually long and pedantic sentence structure in English.

⁵ tn See BDAG 387 s.v. ἐπιχορηγέω 3.

⁶ tn The genitive τοῦ θεοῦ (tou qeou) has been translated as a genitive of source, “from God.”