Verses 13-14 serve as a transition to the next section, by describing God’s redemptive activity through Jesus Christ.

He rescued us: the verb ruomai is significantly appropriate here, in terms of the rescue of captives from an evil power, the power of darkness, a descriptive figure of the spiritual power by which mankind is held prisoner. It forcefully portrays the gracious initiative and independent activity of God, the impotence and helplessness of man, and the contrast between the two modes of existence. Us is here inclusive, of course, designating all who have been set free.

In place of the past tense forms rescued and brought, it may be important to use a perfective tense, for example, “he has rescued us” and “he has brought us.” In this way, one may emphasize not only a past event but the continuing reality of such an experience.

“To be rescued from the power of darkness” may seem to be a very strange and almost impossible expression. A literal translation might suggest only rescuing somebody who was lost in the darkness of night. Sometimes the relationship between the realm of darkness and the kingdom of light may be emphasized by saying “he rescued us from the dark realm which had power over us,” or “… the dark realm which controlled us,” or “… where we were tied down, as it were.”

Brought us safe is literally “transferred, removed” (see the verb methistēmi elsewhere in Luke 16.4, Acts 13.22, 19.26, 1 Cor 13.2).

The kingdom of his dear Son should not be understood as a geographical place, but rather as a “rule” or “realm of authority.” One may, therefore, translate “brought us safe under the rule of his dear Son” (so Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch) or “brought us safe to the point where his dear Son rules over us.” In verses 12, 13, and 14, there is not only a good deal of specific figurative language, but the entire passage has a figurative theme. In a sense, it is the theme which provides clues to the use of the figurative language, and therefore, in a sense, the very abundance of figurative expressions tends to reinforce one another and, therefore, suggests to the reader that the entire passage must be taken in a non-literal sense.

His dear Son may be rendered as “his Son whom he loves.”

By whom or, as in Revised Standard Version, “in whom,” meaning “in union with whom”; the idea of instrumentality, however, seems preferable here.

We are set free … our sins are forgiven are both verbal expressions of what in Greek are nouns; “redemption and forgiveness.” The Greek word apolutrōsis has here no idea in it, as has been sometimes suggested, of a ransom paid to someone for the freeing of the captive; it stresses the result of the action of liberation. The second noun “forgiveness (of sins)” is in apposition to the first one, that is, it explains what is meant by this liberation (so Jerusalem Bible New International Version Moffatt New American Bible). Some, however, make the two parallel (New English Bible Phillips Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch) and Translator’s New Testament reverses the two. Others see a dependent relation here: Barclay “the liberation which comes when our sins are forgiven”; compare Biblia Dios Habla Hoy Goodspeed.

By whom we are set free may be changed from passive to active by translating “he is the one who set us free,” expressed literally in some languages as “caused us to no longer be prisoners” or “caused us no longer to be slaves.” One may also employ an active form with both primary and secondary agents: “through him God set us free” or “God set us free; he did it through his Son.”

It should be observed that the phrase “through his blood” after the word “redemption” is found in some late manuscripts (compare King James Version Biblia Dios Habla Hoy), having been introduced here by copyists from the parallel passage in Eph 1.7.

The explanatory phrase that is may be rendered as “that means,” or “that is the same as,” or “that says.”

In place of the passive expression our sins are forgiven, one may employ an active phrase with God as the subject, for example, “God has forgiven our sins” or “because of him God has forgiven our sins.” Expressions for forgiveness are frequently figurative, for example, “has wiped away,” “has thrown away,” “has caused to disappear,” or “has turned his back on,” or “has lost from his mind.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Colossians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1977. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .