1:4a

because: Here Paul gave some specific reasons why he thanked God for the Colossian Christians.

we have heard: In 1:8 Paul wrote that it was Epaphras who had told him about the Colossian Christians. He had probably heard about the church in Colossae from other people also. In some languages it is necessary to say who had told Paul about the Colossians. If this is necessary in your language, you could say “Epaphras has told us…” based on 1:8.

faith in Christ Jesus: In many languages it is necessary to translate faith as a verb. One way to do this is:

you trust/believe in Christ Jesus

1:4b

your love for all the saints: There are several Greek words that can be translated “love” in English. The one in this verse is agapē. It was a word that the Greeks who lived when the New Testament was written did not often use. However, the early Christians began to use it to mean the sort of love about which Jesus taught. Agapē is more than a purely emotional feeling or attraction (which is often what people who speak English mean when they talk about “love” in a non-biblical context). It means loving people the way God does: caring for them, helping them, and encouraging them, without expecting them to respond in the same way or repay the kindness.

In many languages it is necessary to translate the noun love as a verb. One way to do this is:

that you love all the saints.

saints: This is the same word as in 1:2a. See the note there. One way to translate it here is “God’s people.” Many modern English versions translate it in this way (see Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, God’s Word, New Century Version, New Living Translation (2004), Revised English Bible).

General Comment about 1:4

In some languages, people use direct quotes when writing about what someone else said. If this is true in your language, you may want to do this in 1:4. For example:

⌊We(excl.) thank God for you,⌋ because ⌊people⌋ have told us: “The believers in Colossae really believe in Christ Jesus, and they love all God’s people.”

General Comment about 1:3–4

In some languages it may be more natural to put 1:4 before 1:3. One way to do this would be:

4a We have heard that you trust in Christ Jesus 4b and that you love all of God’s people. 3 Therefore, when we pray for you, we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, ⌊for you⌋.

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