1:12a-b

Father, who has qualified you: The Greek verb hikanoō that the Berean Standard Bible translates qualified means to make something or someone fit or capable for a task. The important thing here is that Paul said that it was God who had made the Colossians “fit” or “capable,” it was not something they had done for themselves.

1:12a

you: There is a textual problem in this verse:

(1) Some Greek manuscripts have the pronoun you here. This is followed by nearly every English version.

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, God’s Word, New Century Version, NET Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New Living Translation (2004), New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible)

(2) Other Greek manuscripts have the pronoun “us.” This is only followed by some older English versions.

(Revised Standard Version, King James Version, New American Standard Bible)

You should follow the first option (1) since it has the best manuscript support. Also, the majority of English versions follow this option.

to share in the inheritance: The Greek word klēros that the Berean Standard Bible has translated as inheritance means “portion, what has been allotted/promised to someone.” Here it is a figure of speech to refer to what God has promised to give Christians in heaven.

saints: See the note on 1:4b.

in the light: The Berean Standard Bible translates the Greek text literally as in the light. Some other English versions translate this phrase as “kingdom of light” (New International Version, Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New Century Version, Revised English Bible) to contrast this verse with 1:13a which talks about “the dominion/power of darkness.”

There are two ways to interpret the phrase “in the light”:

(1) It is a figure of speech and means “heaven” (SSA). God has promised that all Christians will be with him in heaven—that is the inheritance he has promised that they will all share. It is described as light because God is pure, that is, without sin, and, therefore, heaven is pure. It also refers to the great light surrounding God in heaven.

(2) It refers to the morally upright way in which Christians should behave in this world (as in 1 John 1:5–7, 2:9–10). That is, light refers to moral purity; it refers to Christians behaving in the way that pleases God. For example:

to share the inheritance that belongs to God’s holy people, who live in the light (New Living Translation (2004))

Both these meanings are possible and many English versions leave it ambiguous. If you cannot leave it ambiguous in your translation, it is recommended that you follow the first option for the following two reasons:

(a) Receiving “the lot” or “inheritance” is almost always spoken of in Scripture as something in the future. So it is more logical to see the light here as the light of heaven.

(b) Paul was probably comparing the inheritance that had been promised to Christians to the inheritance that had been promised to the Israelites in the OT. Each Israelite family received their portion/share of the land when they entered the land of Canaan, just as God had promised them. In the same way, Christians will receive what God has promised them when they enter heaven.

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