Colossians 2:3

2:3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Colossians 2:9

2:9 For in him all the fullness of deity lives ¹  in bodily form,

Colossians 3:11

3:11 Here there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave ²  or free, but Christ is all and in all.

Matthew 11:25-27

Jesus’ Invitation

11:25 At that time Jesus said, ³  “I praise ⁴  you, Father, Lord ⁵  of heaven and earth, because ⁶  you have hidden these things from the wise ⁷  and intelligent, and revealed them to little children. 11:26 Yes, Father, for this was your gracious will. ⁸  11:27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father. ⁹  No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son decides ¹⁰  to reveal him.

Luke 10:21

10:21 On that same occasion ¹¹  Jesus ¹²  rejoiced ¹³  in the Holy Spirit and said, “I praise ¹⁴  you, Father, Lord ¹⁵  of heaven and earth, because ¹⁶  you have hidden these things from the wise ¹⁷  and intelligent, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your gracious will. ¹⁸ 

John 1:16

1:16 For we have all received from his fullness one gracious gift after another. ¹⁹ 

John 3:34

3:34 For the one whom God has sent ²⁰  speaks the words of God, for he does not give the Spirit sparingly. ²¹ 

Ephesians 1:3

Spiritual Blessings in Christ

1:3 Blessed ²²  is ²³  the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed ²⁴  us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ.

Ephesians 1:23

1:23 Now the church is ²⁵  his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. ²⁶ 

Ephesians 4:10

4:10 He, the very one ²⁷  who descended, is also the one who ascended above all the heavens, in order to fill all things.

[2:9]  ¹ 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.

[3:11]  ² tn See the note on “fellow slave” in 1:7.

[11:25]  ³ tn Grk “At that time, answering, Jesus said.” This construction is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation.

[11:25]  ⁴ tn Or “thank.”

[11:25]  ⁵ sn The title Lord is an important name for God, showing his sovereignty, but it is interesting that it comes next to a reference to the Father, a term indicative of God’s care. The two concepts are often related in the NT; see Eph 1:3-6.

[11:25]  ⁶ tn Or “that.”

[11:25]  ⁷ sn See 1 Cor 1:26-31.

[11:26]  ⁸ tn Grk “for (to do) thus was well-pleasing before you,” BDAG 325 s.v. ἔμπροσθεν 1.b.δ; speaking of something taking place “before” God is a reverential way of avoiding direct connection of the action to him.

[11:27]  ⁹ sn This verse has been noted for its conceptual similarity to teaching in John’s Gospel (10:15; 17:2). The authority of the Son and the Father are totally intertwined.

[11:27]  ¹⁰ tn Or “wishes”; or “intends”; or “plans” (cf. BDAG 182 s.v. βούλομαι 2.b). Here it is the Son who has sovereignty.

[10:21]  ¹¹ tn Grk “In that same hour” (L&N 67.1).

[10:21]  ¹² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:21]  ¹³ sn Jesus rejoiced. The account of the mission in 10:1-24 ends with several remarks about joy.

[10:21]  ¹⁴ tn Or “thank.”

[10:21]  ¹⁵ sn The title Lord is an important name for God, showing his sovereignty, but it is interesting that it comes next to a reference to the Father, a term indicative of God’s care. The two concepts are often related in the NT; see Eph 1:3-6.

[10:21]  ¹⁶ tn Or “that.”

[10:21]  ¹⁷ sn See 1 Cor 1:26-31.

[10:21]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “for (to do) thus was well pleasing before you,” BDAG 325 s.v. ἔμπροσθεν 1.δ; speaking of something taking place “before” God is a reverential way of avoiding direct connection of the action to him.

[1:16]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “for from his fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.” The meaning of the phrase χάριν ἀντὶ χάριτος (carin anti carito") could be: (1) love (grace) under the New Covenant in place of love (grace) under the Sinai Covenant, thus replacement; (2) grace “on top of” grace, thus accumulation; (3) grace corresponding to grace, thus correspondence. The most commonly held view is (2) in one sense or another, and this is probably the best explanation. This sense is supported by a fairly well-known use in Philo, Posterity 43 (145). Morna D. Hooker suggested that Exod 33:13 provides the background for this expression: “Now therefore, I pray you, if I have found χάρις (LXX) in your sight, let me know your ways, that I may know you, so that I may find χάρις (LXX) in your sight.” Hooker proposed that it is this idea of favor given to one who has already received favor which lies behind 1:16, and this seems very probable as a good explanation of the meaning of the phrase (“The Johannine Prologue and the Messianic Secret,” NTS 21 [1974/75]: 53).

[3:34]  ²⁰ tn That is, Christ.

[3:34]  ²¹ tn Grk “for not by measure does he give the Spirit” (an idiom). Leviticus Rabbah 15:2 states: “The Holy Spirit rested on the prophets by measure.” Jesus is contrasted to this. The Spirit rests upon him without measure.

[1:3]  ²² sn Eph 1:3-14 comprises one long sentence in Greek, with three major sections. Each section ends with a note of praise for God (vv. 6, 12, 14), focusing on a different member of the Trinity. After an opening summary of all the saints’ spiritual blessings (v. 3), the first section (vv. 4-6) offers up praise that the Father has chosen us in eternity past; the second section (vv. 7-12) offers up praise that the Son has redeemed us in the historical past (i.e., at the cross); the third section (vv. 13-14) offers up praise that the Holy Spirit has sealed us in our personal past, at the point of conversion.

[1:3]  ²³ tn There is no verb in the Greek text; either the optative (“be”) or the indicative (“is”) can be supplied. The meaning of the term εὐλογητός (euloghtos), the author’s intention at this point in the epistle, and the literary genre of this material must all come into play to determine which is the preferred nuance. εὐλογητός as an adjective can mean either that one is praised or that one is blessed, that is, in a place of favor and benefit. The meaning “blessed” would be more naturally paired with an indicative verb here and would suggest that blessedness is an intrinsic part of God’s character. The meaning “praised” would be more naturally paired with an optative verb here and would suggest that God ought to be praised. Pauline style in the epistles generally moves from statements to obligations, expressing the reality first and then the believer’s necessary response, which would favor the indicative. However, many scholars regard Eph 1:3-14 as a berakah psalm (cf. A. T. Lincoln, Ephesians [WBC], 10-11). Rooted in the OT and Jewish worship, berakah psalms were songs of praise in which the worshiper gave praise to God; this would favor the optative (although not all scholars are agreed on this genre classification here; see H. W. Hoehner, Ephesians, 153-59, for discussion and an alternate conclusion). When considered as a whole, although a decision is difficult, the indicative seems to fit all the factors better. The author seems to be pointing to who God is and what he has done for believers in this section; the indicative more naturally fits that emphasis. Cf. also 2 Cor 1:3; 1 Pet 1:3.

[1:3]  ²⁴ tn Or “enriched,” “conferred blessing.”

[1:23]  ²⁵ tn Grk “which is.” The antecedent of “which” is easily lost in English, though in Greek it is quite clear. In the translation “church” is repeated to clarify the referent.

[1:23]  ²⁶ tn Or perhaps, “who is filled entirely.”

[4:10]  ²⁷ tn The Greek text lays specific emphasis on “He” through the use of the intensive pronoun, αὐτός (autos). This is reflected in the English translation through the use of “the very one.”