Colossians 2:15

Disarming ¹  the rulers and authorities, he has made a public disgrace of them, triumphing over them by the cross. ² 

biblegateway Col 2:15

And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

biblegateway Col 2:15

When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.

biblegateway Col 2:15

In this way, God disarmed the evil rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross of Christ.

biblegateway Col 2:15

He stripped all the spiritual tyrants in the universe of their sham authority at the Cross and marched them naked through the streets.

SABDAweb Col 2:15

Having made himself free from the rule of authorities and powers, he put them openly to shame, glorying over them in it.

bibleoremus Col 2:15

He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it.

biblegateway Col 2:15

Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

biblegateway Col 2:15

Disarming ¹  the rulers and authorities, he has made a public disgrace of them, triumphing over them by the cross. ² 

¹ tn See BDAG 100 s.v. ἀπεκδύομαι 2.

² 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).