Genesis 1:29-30

1:29 Then God said, “I now ¹  give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the entire earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. ²  1:30 And to all the animals of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to all the creatures that move on the ground – everything that has the breath of life in it – I give ³  every green plant for food.” It was so.

Psalms 104:14-15

104:14 He provides grass ⁴  for the cattle,

and crops for people to cultivate, ⁵ 

so they can produce food from the ground, ⁶ 

104:15 as well as wine that makes people feel so good, ⁷ 

and so they can have oil to make their faces shine, ⁸ 

as well as food that sustains people’s lives. ⁹ 

Romans 14:3

14:3 The one who eats everything must not despise the one who does not, and the one who abstains must not judge the one who eats everything, for God has accepted him.

Romans 14:14

14:14 I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean in itself; still, it is unclean to the one who considers it unclean.

Romans 14:17

14:17 For the kingdom of God does not consist of food and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Romans 14:20

14:20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. For although all things are clean, ¹⁰  it is wrong to cause anyone to stumble by what you eat.

Romans 14:1

Exhortation to Mutual Forbearance

14:1 Now receive the one who is weak in the faith, and do not have disputes over differing opinions. ¹¹ 

Colossians 1:23

1:23 if indeed you remain in the faith, established and firm, ¹²  without shifting ¹³  from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has also been preached in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become its servant.

Colossians 1:25-26

1:25 I became a servant of the church according to the stewardship ¹⁴  from God – given to me for you – in order to complete ¹⁵  the word of God, 1:26 that is, the mystery that has been kept hidden from ages and generations, but has now been revealed to his saints.

Colossians 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ¹⁶  an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

Colossians 2:16

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 2:21-22

2:21 “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!” 2:22 These are all destined to perish with use, founded as they are ¹⁷  on human commands and teachings. ¹⁸ 

Colossians 2:1

2:1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you, ¹⁹  and for those in Laodicea, and for those who have not met me face to face. ²⁰ 

Colossians 4:3-4

4:3 At the same time pray ²¹  for us too, that ²²  God may open a door for the message ²³  so that we may proclaim ²⁴  the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. ²⁵  4:4 Pray that I may make it known as I should. ²⁶ 

[1:29]  ¹ tn The text uses הִנֵּה (hinneh), often archaically translated “behold.” It is often used to express the dramatic present, the immediacy of an event – “Look, this is what I am doing!”

[1:29]  ² sn G. J. Wenham (Genesis [WBC], 1:34) points out that there is nothing in the passage that prohibits the man and the woman from eating meat. He suggests that eating meat came after the fall. Gen 9:3 may then ratify the postfall practice of eating meat rather than inaugurate the practice, as is often understood.

[1:30]  ³ tn The phrase “I give” is not in the Hebrew text but has been supplied in the translation for clarification.

[104:14]  ⁴ tn Heb “causes the grass to sprout up.”

[104:14]  ⁵ tn Heb “for the service of man” (see Gen 2:5).

[104:14]  ⁶ tn Heb “to cause food to come out from the earth.”

[104:15]  ⁷ tn Heb “and wine [that] makes the heart of man happy.”

[104:15]  ⁸ tn Heb “to make [the] face shine from oil.” The Hebrew verb צָהַל (tsahal, “to shine”) occurs only here in the OT. It appears to be an alternate form of צָהַר (tsahar), a derivative from צָהָרִים (tsaharim, “noon”).

[104:15]  ⁹ tn Heb “and food [that] sustains the heart of man.”

[14:20]  ¹⁰ sn Here clean refers to food being ceremonially clean.

[14:1]  ¹¹ tn Grk “over opinions.” The qualifier “differing” has been supplied to clarify the meaning.

[1:23]  ¹² tn BDAG 276 s.v. ἑδραῖος suggests “firm, steadfast.”

[1:23]  ¹³ tn BDAG 639 s.v. μετακινέω suggests “without shifting from the hope” here.

[1:25]  ¹⁴ tn BDAG 697 s.v. οἰκονομία 1.b renders the term here as “divine office.”

[1:25]  ¹⁵ tn See BDAG 828 s.v. πληρόω 3. The idea here seems to be that the apostle wants to “complete the word of God” in that he wants to preach it to every person in the known world (cf. Rom 15:19). See P. T. O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon (WBC), 82.

[1:1]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[2:22]  ¹⁷ tn The expression “founded as they are” brings out the force of the Greek preposition κατά (kata).

[2:22]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “The commands and teachings of men.”

[2:1]  ¹⁹ tn Or “I want you to know how hard I am working for you…”

[2:1]  ²⁰ tn Grk “as many as have not seen my face in the flesh.”

[4:3]  ²¹ tn Though προσευχόμενοι (proseucomenoi) is an adverbial participle related to the previous imperative, προσκαρτερεῖτε (proskartereite), it is here translated as an independent clause due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[4:3]  ²² tn The ἵνα (Jina) clause has been rendered as substantival here, indicating the content of the prayer rather than the purpose for it. These two ideas are very similar and difficult to differentiate in this passage, but the conjunction ἵνα following a verb of praying is generally regarded as giving the content of the prayer.

[4:3]  ²³ tn Grk “that God may open for us a door of the word to speak the mystery of Christ.” The construction in Greek is somewhat awkward in this clause. The translation attempts to simplify this structure somewhat and yet communicate exactly what Paul is asking for.

[4:3]  ²⁴ tn Or “so that we may speak.”

[4:3]  ²⁵ tn Or “in prison.”

[4:4]  ²⁶ tn The phrase begins with the ἵνα (Jina) clause and is subordinate to the imperative προσκαρτερεῖτε (proskartereite) in v. 2. The reference to the idea that Paul must make it known indicates that this clause is probably best viewed as purpose and not content, like the ἵνα of v. 3. It is the second purpose stated in the context; the first is expressed through the infinitive λαλῆσαι (lalhsai) in v. 3. The term “pray” at the beginning of the sentence is intended to pick up the imperative of v. 3.