1:21a

far above: The phrase far above means that Christ is higher in rank than all other rulers. He is superior to them.

If you wish to begin a new sentence here, you can say:

He is far above (God’s Word)
-or-
Christ rules there above (Good News Translation)

all rule and authority, power and dominion: This list refers to all ranks of supernatural, spiritual beings. The list does not refer to earthly rulers. The meaning is that Christ is superior to all good angels and evil spirits however great they are.

dominion: The word dominion refers to the ruling power of angels. It is similar in meaning to “authority” and “power.”

Here are some other ways to translate this list of terms:

all heavenly rulers, authorities, powers, and lords (Good News Translation)
-or-
any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else (New Living Translation (2004))

It is possible to translate these four terms by one, two or three terms. See the Display for some examples.

1:21b

every name: The word name here means “title.” It refers to a word that is attached to a person’s name to show their rank or profession, or to give them honor. Some common titles in English are “Doctor,” “Captain,” and “Mayor.” God gave Jesus a title for his task that is more important than any other title/name. This means that Jesus’ authority is superior to that of any other person.

that is named: This is a passive. The “names” referred to in this verse are given by man. If it is not clear in your translation who is giving these names, you can add:

given ⌊by man⌋

Some ways to translate this verb are:

• As a passive verb. For example:

and all other names that can be named (God’s Word)

• As an active verb. For example:

his name is greater than all other names ⌊that people⌋ can give
-or-
he has a title superior to all titles (Good News Translation)

1:21c

not only in the present age but also in the one to come: This long clause means that Jesus’ authority is greater than the authority of anyone or anything that exists today or that will come in the future. For example:

He rules over all beings in this world and will rule in the future world as well. (Contemporary English Version)

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