Discovery BoxColossians 1:7
Context1:7 You learned the gospel 1 from Epaphras, our dear fellow slave 2 – a 3 faithful minister of Christ on our 4 behalf –
Colossians 1:21
Context1:21 And you were at one time strangers and enemies in your 5 minds 6 as expressed through 7 your evil deeds,
Colossians 1:26
Context1:26 that is, the mystery that has been kept hidden from ages and generations, but has now been revealed to his saints.
Colossians 2:10
Context2:10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head over every ruler and authority.
Colossians 2:15-16
Context2:15 Disarming 8 the rulers and authorities, he has made a public disgrace of them, triumphing over them by the cross. 9
2:16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you with respect to food or drink, or in the matter of a feast, new moon, or Sabbath days –
Colossians 2:22
Context2:22 These are all destined to perish with use, founded as they are 10 on human commands and teachings. 11
Colossians 3:4
Context3:4 When Christ (who is your 12 life) appears, then you too will be revealed in glory with him.
Colossians 3:20
Context3:20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing in the Lord.
Colossians 4:6-7
Context4:6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer everyone.
4:7 Tychicus, a dear brother, faithful minister, and fellow slave 13 in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me. 14
Colossians 4:13
Context4:13 For I can testify that he has worked hard 15 for you and for those in Laodicea and Hierapolis.
[1:7] 1 tn Or “learned it.” The Greek text simply has “you learned” without the reference to “the gospel,” but “the gospel” is supplied to clarify the sense of the clause. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
[1:7] 2 tn The Greek word translated “fellow slave” is σύνδουλος (sundoulo"); the σύν- prefix here denotes association. Though δοῦλος is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.
[1:7] 3 tn The Greek text has “who (ὅς, Jos) is a faithful minister.” The above translation conveys the antecedent of the relative pronoun quite well and avoids the redundancy with the following substantival participle of v. 8, namely, “who told” (ὁ δηλώσας, Jo dhlwsa").
[1:7] 4 tc ‡ Judging by the superior witnesses for the first person pronoun ἡμῶν (Jhmwn, “us”; Ì46 א* A B D* F G 326* 1505 al) vs. the second person pronoun ὑμῶν (Jumwn, “you”; found in א2 C D1 Ψ 075 33 1739 1881 Ï lat sy co), ἡμῶν should be regarded as original. Although it is possible that ἡμῶν was an early alteration of ὑμῶν (either unintentionally, as dittography, since it comes seventeen letters after the previous ἡμῶν; or intentionally, to conform to the surrounding first person pronouns), this supposition is difficult to maintain in light of the varied and valuable witnesses for this reading. Further, the second person is both embedded in the verb ἐμάθετε (emaqete) and is explicit in v. 8 (ὑμῶν). Hence, the motivation to change to the first person pronoun is counterbalanced by such evidence. The second person pronoun may have been introduced unintentionally via homoioarcton with the ὑπέρ (Juper) that immediately precedes it. As well, the second person reading is somewhat harder for it seems to address Epaphras’ role only in relation to Paul and his colleagues, rather than in relation to the Colossians. Nevertheless, the decision must be based ultimately on external evidence (because the internal evidence can be variously interpreted), and this strongly supports ἡμῶν.
[1:21] 5 tn The article τῇ (th) has been translated as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).
[1:21] 6 tn Although διανοία (dianoia) is singular in Greek, the previous plural noun ἐχθρούς (ecqrous) indicates that all those from Colossae are in view here.
[1:21] 7 tn The dative ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις τοῖς πονηροῖς (en toi" ergoi" toi" ponhroi") is taken as means, indicating the avenue through which hostility in the mind is revealed and made known.
[2:15] 9 tn See BDAG 100 s.v. ἀπεκδύομαι 2.
[2:15] 10 tn The antecedent of the Greek pronoun αὐτῷ (autw) could either be “Christ” or the “cross.” There are several reasons for choosing “the cross” as the antecedent for αὐτῷ in verse 15: (1) The nearest antecedent is τῷ σταυρῷ (tw staurw) in v. 14; (2) the idea of ἐδειγμάτισεν ἐν παρρησία (edeigmatisen en parrhsia, “made a public disgrace”) seems to be more in keeping with the idea of the cross; (3) a reference to Christ seems to miss the irony involved in the idea of triumph – the whole point is that where one would expect defeat, there came the victory; (4) if Christ is the subject of the participles in v. 15 then almost certainly the cross is the referent for αὐτῷ. Thus the best solution is to see αὐτῷ as a reference to the cross and the preposition ἐν (en) indicating “means” (i.e., by means of the cross) or possibly (though less likely) location (on the cross).
[2:22] 13 tn The expression “founded as they are” brings out the force of the Greek preposition κατά (kata).
[2:22] 14 tn Grk “The commands and teachings of men.”
[3:4] 17 tc Certain
[4:7] 21 tn See the note on “fellow slave” in 1:7.
[4:7] 22 tn Grk “all things according to me.”
[4:13] 25 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.
