Discovery BoxColossians 1:19
Context1:19 For God 1 was pleased to have all his 2 fullness dwell 3 in the Son 4
Colossians 2:9
Context2:9 For in him all the fullness of deity lives 5 in bodily form,
Colossians 3:24
Context3:24 because you know that you will receive your 6 inheritance 7 from the Lord as the reward. Serve 8 the Lord Christ.
Colossians 4:13
Context4:13 For I can testify that he has worked hard 9 for you and for those in Laodicea and Hierapolis.
Colossians 4:1
Context4:1 Masters, treat your slaves with justice and fairness, because you know that you also have a master in heaven.
Colossians 1:16
Context1:16 for all things in heaven and on earth were created by him – all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, 10 whether principalities or powers – all things were created through him and for him.
[1:19] 1 tn The noun “God” does not appear in the Greek text, but since God is the one who reconciles the world to himself (cf. 2 Cor 5:19), he is clearly the subject of εὐδόκησεν (eudokhsen).
[1:19] 2 tn The Greek article τό (to), insofar as it relates to God, may be translated as a possessive pronoun, i.e., “his.” BDAG 404 s.v. εὐδοκέω 1 translates the phrase as “all the fullness willed to dwell in him” thus leaving the referent as impersonal. Insofar as Paul is alluding to the so-called emanations from God this is acceptable. But the fact that “the fullness” dwells in a person (i.e., “in him”) seems to argue for the translation “his fullness” where “his” refers to God.
[1:19] 3 tn The aorist verb κατοικῆσαι (katoikhsai) could be taken as an ingressive, in which case it refers to the incarnation and may be translated as “begin to dwell, to take up residence.” It is perhaps better, though, to take it as a constative aorist and simply a reference to the fact that the fullness of God dwells in Jesus Christ. This is a permanent dwelling, though, not a temporary one, as the present tense in 2:9 makes clear.
[1:19] 4 tn Grk “him”; the referent (the Son; see v. 13) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[2:9] 5 sn In him all the fullness of deity lives. The present tense in this verse (“lives”) is significant. Again, as was stated in the note on 1:19, this is not a temporary dwelling, but a permanent one. Paul’s point is polemical against the idea that the fullness of God dwells anywhere else, as the Gnostics believed, except in Christ alone. At the incarnation, the second person of the Trinity assumed humanity, and is forever the God-man.
[3:24] 9 tn The article τῆς (ths) has been translated as a possessive pronoun, “your” (ExSyn 215). It may also be functioning to indicate a well-known concept (inheritance as eternal life). See BDAG 548 s.v. κληρονομία 3: “common in Christian usage (corresp. to the LXX) (the possession of) transcendent salvation (as the inheritance of God’s children).”
[3:24] 10 tn The genitive τῆς κληρονομίας (th" klhronomia") is a genitive of apposition: The reward consists of the inheritance.
[3:24] 11 tn The form of the term δουλεύετε (douleuete) is ambiguous; it can be read as either indicative or imperative. In favor of the indicative: (1) it seems to explain better the first part of v. 24, esp. “from the Lord” which would then read as: “because you know that you will receive your inheritance from the Lord as a reward for it is the Lord you are serving.” The “for” is supplied to make the relation explicit (it is actually added in many
[4:13] 13 tn Grk “pain.” This word appears only three times in the NT outside of this verse (Rev 16:10, 11; 21:4) where the translation “pain” makes sense. For the present verse it has been translated “worked hard.” See BDAG 852 s.v. πόνος 1.
[1:16] 17 tn BDAG 579 s.v. κυριότης 3 suggests “bearers of the ruling powers, dominions” here.
