2:19a
He has lost connection to the head: The Greek literally says “not holding on to the head.” Obviously Paul did not mean holding on physically to “the head” (Christ). There are two ways to understand this figure of speech:
(1) Paul meant that such people did not “hold firmly to the true teachings about Christ.” This means that they did not faithfully believe and teach what is true about Christ.
(2) Paul meant that such people no longer trusted in Christ to save them. This could be translated: “he is no longer loyal to Christ,” or “he ceases to depend on Christ” (UBS Handbook Handbook).
The first interpretation is recommended (1) because it fits best with the warning Paul was giving the Colossian believers in this letter—that they should not follow the false teachings these people taught.
head: This refers to Christ. The figure of speech here is the same as in 1:18a; that is, Christ is like the head of a body, and his people, Christians, are like the body. In your translation, you should translate this figure of speech here like you did in 1:18.
2:19b
from whom the whole body…grows: The words from whom mean “from Christ.” Paul said that Christ controls the spiritual growth of the church in the same way that the head of a person controls the physical growth of his body. One way to say this is “It is only by ⌊being connected/united to⌋ Christ that the whole body grows.”
the whole body: This means the whole body of Christ, which means the church, all believers.
grows: In this context grows means “to grow spiritually,” “to continue to know God more and more,” or “to continue to understand more about God.” It does not mean, “to grow numerically,” that is, to have more and more people become Christians.
supported and knit together by its joints and ligaments: The Greek words that the Berean Standard Bible translates joints and ligaments refer to the tough, stringy parts inside the body that connect all the other parts together. Paul was saying that just as joints and ligaments support and join together the parts of the body, so the church is held together and supported by Christ’s control.
2:19c
as God causes it to grow: The Greek literally says, “grows a growth of God.” This can mean:
(1) The growth is the way God has planned/desired. This could be expressed, “as God wants them to grow,” or “the way God has planned”.
(Good News Translation, God’s Word, New Century Version, Revised English Bible, SSA)
(2) The growth is from God. This could be expressed, “as God causes the church to grow spiritually.
(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Contemporary English Version, NET Bible, New Living Translation (2004))
The Display follows the first interpretation (1).
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