2:15a

And having disarmed the powers and authorities: The words powers and authorities are the same words that Paul used in 1:16d and 2:10b. See the notes about these verses. Paul was referring to spirit powers and authorities who were against God and who were controlling people. See also Ephesians 6:12.

disarmed: The Greek word apekdumai that the Berean Standard Bible translates disarmed means “to undress.” In this context it means that God took away the power from these “powers and authorities.”

2:15b

He made a public spectacle of them: This means that God shamed the powers and authorities publicly, and he made it obvious to everyone that he had defeated them.

He: Scholars do not agree about who this pronoun “he” refers to:

(1) Most scholars say that it is God. It was God who “made a public spectacle of” the powers and authorities, in the same way that he “made you alive with Christ” (2:13c). This is how most English versions translate this verse.

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Revised Standard Version, God’s Word, New Century Version, New Living Translation (2004), Revised English Bible, SSA)

(2) Some scholars say that Christ is the subject of the verb “triumphing over” (and therefore of the verb “disarmed” in 2:15a). See Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version.

The first option is recommended (1). It is clear that God is the subject of all the main verbs in 2:13–14. If Paul had changed the subject of the verbs in 2:15 to Christ, he probably would have clarified this by using a noun (Christ) rather than a pronoun He.

triumphing over them: The Greek verb thriambeuō that the Berean Standard Bible translates as triumphing over means “to lead in a victory parade.” Paul may have been thinking about the way, after a great victory, a Roman general would lead his prisoners of war in a public procession through the streets of the city of Rome. This is how several English versions translate it (see 2:15 in Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible). When Christ died on the cross, it showed openly that God had defeated Satan and all the evil powers. It was as if God had captured them and was parading them for everyone to see.

by the cross: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the cross is an ambiguous pronoun. It could mean “it” or “him.” It could refer to one of two things:

(1) It could refer to the cross.

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, King James Version, New Century Version, New Living Translation (2004), New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible).

(2) It could refer to Christ.

(Revised Standard Version, God’s Word, New Jerusalem Bible, SSA).

The commentaries are equally divided about which of these two options they support, so both options are possible. The meaning is almost the same—God triumphed by Christ and his death on the cross.

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