Verse 20, in Greek, continues without a break from verse 19, the infinitive “to reconcile” (Revised Standard Version) being governed by the main verb “he decided” in verse 19.

Bring … back to himself represents the Greek apokatallassō “to reconcile.” Two things should be noted: (1) This implies a previous state of estrangement, of alienation; and what is explicitly said throughout the NT and implicit here is that creation (which, in biblical thought, includes animate and inanimate creation) has alienated itself, has separated itself from God. God is not himself estranged; he does not need reconciling. (2) It is God who takes the initiative; he, through his Son, effects the reconciliation; creation, sinful mankind, is the object of God’s reconciling activity. (The compound verb apokatallassō occurs here and in the next verse, and Eph 2.16; the simple katallassō in Rom 5.10, 2 Cor 5.18-20; the noun katallagē in Rom 5.11, 11.15.)

As in the case of verse 16, the statement through the Son, then, God decided to bring indicates again both primary and secondary agency. An equivalent, in this context, may be “God decided to bring with the help of his Son.”

The transitional particle then is not primarily temporal but suggests a conclusion, equivalent in some languages to “and so” or “accordingly.”

There are a number of serious problems involved in trying to obtain a fully satisfactory expression for “reconcile.” In some instances, seemingly acceptable expressions have proven to be misleading, since the individual who undertakes the process of reconciliation is often regarded as acknowledging his own fault or responsibility for the prior estrangement. Such a feature of meaning would, of course, be quite out of place in speaking of God reconciling the universe to himself through Christ. In some languages in Africa, it is appropriate to use a term for reconciliation which is normally used in speaking of the reconciliation of a husband and wife, since it is usually taken for granted that it is the wife’s fault for any estrangement. Other problems to be considered in obtaining a satisfactory expression for reconciliation may involve a feature of mutual blame of estrangement, and this inevitably causes problems for the use of such an expression in this type of context. Accordingly, it may be far more appropriate to use some phrase rather than a traditional term, since such terms often acquire highly specific connotations of meaning in view of local usage.

To bring the whole universe back to himself may be expressed in some languages as “to cause the whole universe to return to himself” or in an idiomatic fashion “to cause the whole universe to be friendly with him again.” In some instances, the relationship must be expressed as a willingness to accept control, for example, “decided to cause the whole universe to welcome his control again.” Such “control” must not imply mere physical control but a change from a state of alienation. Sometimes the statement on reconciliation itself may be expressed negatively in terms of alienation, for example, “God decided to cause the whole universe no longer to be alienated from himself.”

The whole universe is simply, as often in this passage, “all things” (verses 16, 17), further defined in the last part of the verse as “both the things on earth and the things in heaven.”

To himself that is to God. Although printed in the Greek text eis auton “to him” (which could mean “to Christ”), nearly all commentaries and translations are agreed that God is meant (exceptions: Traduction œcuménique de la Bible Moffatt Jerusalem Bible New American Bible). The reconciliation was effected by means of the peace which God brought about through his Son’s death on the cross. The Greek is literally “through the blood of his cross.” There have been strong objections to the use of the word “death” to represent the Greek “blood”; the principles of a dynamic equivalent translation, however, require some such wording: compare Phillips “Christ’s death on the cross,” Barclay “his death on the cross,” also Bible en français courant Biblia Dios Habla Hoy; Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, however, “through the blood that the Son sacrificed on the cross,” New English Bible “through the shedding of his blood upon the cross” (where the “his” is ambiguous, as in New International Version “through his blood, shed on the cross”). The peace that God made is the restoration of that fellowship between God and mankind which is broken by sin.

A literal rendering of God made peace can lead to misunderstanding, since it could be understood as God bringing together certain warring factions. What is referred to here is the process of reconciliation, and therefore, it may be best to render the first part of this second sentence in verse 20 as “God accomplished this through his Son’s death on the cross.”

The means expressed by the phrase through his Son’s death on the cross must be expressed in a number of languages as cause, for example, “his Son died on the cross and this caused the peace” or “… caused the reconciliation.” The relationship may also be expressed by some such rendering as “God made peace by means of the fact that his Son died on the cross.”

Since the cross has not been previously mentioned in this discourse, it may in some languages be necessary to use an indefinite rather than a definite article, for example, “his Son died on a cross.”

The last part of verse 20 simply summarizes what has already been said about reconciliation of everything, made somewhat more explicit by the final phrase both on earth and in heaven, but as in verse 16 it may be necessary to indicate “all those things on earth and all those things in heaven.”

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 .

So Paul states the reason why the thought and affection of the Colossians should be directed toward heaven. They have died (see 2.20), as their baptism testifies (see 2.12), and their life has been hidden with Christ in God. It is not easy to understand Paul’s statement, except that it reflects the concept that the revelation of the complete meaning of a Christian’s life must await the full revelation of Christ (verse 4); until then it is “hidden,” just as Christ’s real power and glory are as yet invisible. In God in Paul’s letters is found only in 1 Thes 1.1, 2 Thes 1.1; the thought is that the believer’s true life, his risen life, is identified with Christ’s present unseen existence in union with God.

You have died must of course be understood in a figurative sense, and therefore it may be necessary to provide a clue to such an interpretation by saying “you have died, as it were” or “it is just as though you had died.”

The clause your life is hidden with Christ in God is perhaps one of the most difficult expressions to communicate effectively in some languages. Your life is obviously more than mere existence; in fact the focus is upon the true life of the believer which will be revealed when Christ appears. But how to say that this true life is hidden in God and together with Christ is extremely difficult. It may be best to interpret is hidden as “has not yet been revealed,” since this would appear to be in line with the explanation of this meaning as it occurs in verse 4. With Christ can be interpreted as “as in the case of Christ,” and in a sense in God actually marks the agent who has caused the life of the believer to be as yet unrevealed. On the other hand, it is also possible to understand in God as “by being closely related to God” or “in your relationship to God.” Your life is hidden with Christ in God may, therefore, be rendered in some instances as “your real life is as yet not revealed, as also in the case of Christ, and all of this is true in view of your relationship to God” or “… because of your close union with God.”

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 .

“Jesus” (Revised Standard Version) is the graecized form of the Hebrew name Joshua (for Good News Translation‘s reason for using the Hebrew form, see TBT Oct. 1967, vol xviii, page 168). It appears that he was better known by his Roman name, Justus, rather than by his Hebrew name. Many Jews at that time had a Roman name in addition to their Jewish name. Aristarchus, Mark, and Joshua are identified as “men of the circumcision” (Revised Standard Version), that is, Jews who had been converted to the Christian faith; many translations have “Jewish Christians.”

Joshua, also called Justus may be translated as “Joshua who also has the name of Justus” or “Joshua (people also call him Justus).”

The only Jewish converts may be expressed as “the only Jews who are now believers in Christ.” Note, however, that the following conditional clause, who work with me, further restricts the meaning of the only Jewish converts.

The Kingdom of God (compare 1.13) is used in the comprehensive sense of the establishment of God’s will on earth, for which Paul and his companions were working. The phrase for the Kingdom of God may be expressed as “in order to cause the Kingdom of God to come” or, as in some languages, “in order to make possible God’s being King” or “… ruling as King.”

Great help (Good News Translation) or “comfort” (Revised Standard Version) translates a word found only here in the NT; “encouragement” is also a possible translation. They have been a great help to me may be rendered as “they have helped me very much.”

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 .

I do this should refer to the hard work which Paul has engaged in so as to help the believers in Colossae and Laodicea as well as others. It should not be merely a reference to his desire to communicate to them how hard he has worked. In other words, one may begin verse 2 by saying “I worked this way in order that they may be filled with courage.”

In some languages, there is a problem involved in the shift from second person to third person. In verse 1, for example, the reference is to you as well as the people in Laodicea and all others, but in verse 2 the reference is merely to they. In reality, of course, the Colossians are not eliminated by this use of the third person plural pronoun, but the abrupt shift might suggest this in some languages. Therefore, it may be appropriate to say “I do this in order that all may be filled with courage…” or possibly “… you and they may be filled with courage….” Similarly, one may translate the second sentence of verse 2 “in this way you and they will know.”

Filled with courage translates the Greek verb traditionally represented by “to comfort” (see King James Version). It means “to encourage,” “cheer up,” “strengthen.” In most languages, it is impossible to speak of “being filled with courage.” One may “become very courageous” or as in some languages “have a hard heart,” as a figurative way of talking about courage. In other languages, courage may be expressed as “willingness to face danger” or “facing danger without moving.”

Drawn together translates sumbibazō “to unite,” “to knit together,” used in 2.19 and Eph 4.16 of a body being held together by its joints and ligaments. The verb may also mean “to instruct,” “to prove” (compare Acts 9.22, 1 Cor 2.16), and so Vulgate “instruct” here; but no modern translation takes it in this sense. The figurative expression be drawn together in love is difficult to render more or less literally. One can, however, almost always speak of “coming to love one another more and more” or “become better friends by loving one another.”

And so have represents the Greek kai eis, indicating the purpose or result of the preceding clauses. And so, as an expression of result, may require some such translation as “all this results in” or “because of all this you have.”

In the phrase the full wealth of assurance, or “complete certainty,” the Greek for wealth is being used again metaphorically to denote the precious value of the noun it modifies; assurance translates a Greek noun used only in 3 other place (1 Thes 1.5, Heb 6.11, 10.22); the cognate verb is used in 4.12, and appears in 5 other places in the NT.

The full wealth of assurance may frequently be translated as “you may be completely sure,” or perhaps better “you may have the great advantage of being completely sure,” or “you may be completely sure and this is very valuable for you.”

True understanding represents sunesis (see 1.9); they will know translates the noun epignōsis (see 1.9, 10). Which true understanding brings indicates the means by which one can arrive at assurance. This may be expressed in some languages as “true understanding causes this assurance.” In a number of instances, however, one cannot speak of “understanding” without indicating something of the content of such “understanding,” and therefore, one may wish to translate “if you understand the truth, this causes assurance” or “by understanding the truth one is certain.”

God’s secret, which is Christ himself stands for the Greek “the mystery (or secret) of God, Christ,” This text suffered many alterations and expansions, ending finally in the text translated by King James Version as “the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ.” Moffatt translates another reading, “of God the Father of Christ,” Jerusalem Bible “the secret of God.” The Greek text may be understood in four different ways: (1) “the mystery of God, that is, of Christ,” in which “Christ” is in apposition to “God,” (2) “the mystery of the God of Christ,” but the absence of the definite article before “Christ” makes this quite improbable, (3) “the mystery of God Christ” (or, “the divine Christ”), for which there is no parallel in the NT, and (4) “the mystery of God, which is Christ,” in which “Christ” is in apposition to the whole phrase “God’s mystery.” This last one is the meaning accepted by the vast majority of modern commentators and translators. What is meant by “Christ is the secret of God” is that Christ reveals God’s truth, which before has been hidden from mankind (as the next verse makes clear); see also 1.27.

If one accepts the interpretation most generally followed by biblical scholars in which Christ himself is God’s secret, then one may translate the last sentence of verse 2 as “in this way they will learn about what God has not made known previously, and this is Christ himself.” The relationship between the secret and Christ may, however, be inverted in some languages, so that the translation reads “in this way they will know about Christ himself and he is the one that God has kept from being known previously.”

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 .

“The peace of Christ” (Revised Standard Version) is quite evidently the peace that has its origin in Christ, the peace that Christ gives (compare John 14.27, Eph 2.14, 2 Thes 3.16), not the peace that Christ himself possesses. It is the spirit of fellowship and harmony that must prevail in the Christian community. Some later manuscripts, whose copyists were perhaps influenced by the language of Phil 4.7, have “the peace of God” (compare King James Version). The peace that Christ gives is better expressed in a number of languages as causative, for example, “the peace that Christ causes” or “Christ is the one who causes you to be at peace with one another, and this is to guide you….”

Is to guide you in the decision you make translates the Greek “is to judge in your hearts.” The verb brabeuō occurs only here in the NT (compare katabrabeuō in 2.18) and means “to serve as umpire; to determine, decide” a matter. After examining the way in which the word is used elsewhere, Lightfoot says, “It appears that the idea of a decision and an award is prominent in the word, and that it must not be taken to denote simply rule or power.”f 11 fr 3.15 ft Lightfoot, op. cit., p. 221.

To guide you in the decisions you make may be expressed as “to cause you to make decisions as to what you should do” or as expressed in direct discourse, “this will cause you to decide, ‘We must do this.’ ”

The Greek “in your hearts” (Revised Standard Version) is by some taken to mean the locale, the place where the peace from Christ is to rule: it is an interior reality, inside the person (compare ver WEYver* Twentieth Century New Testament). Others, however, take “heart” in the biblical sense of “mind, thinking,” and so understand and translate the passage as Good News Translation has done, in the decisions you make (compare Phillips Barclay). Thus understood, the following injunction is more fitting for it is to this peace that God has called you together in the one body: harmony and cooperation within the fellowship, the Church, was the intention of God when he called the Colossians to be his people.

In the one body is a reference to the Church (see 1.18). Some, however, believe that the absence of the definite article in Greek makes the phrase mean “in one body,” a reference to the local community. In either case, the metaphor “body” is a significant one for Paul as the best picture of the unity of Christians in union with Christ.

The clause for it is to this peace that God has called you together in the one body must be rather radically restructured in some languages, for example, “for God has called you together to be one body in order that you should experience this kind of peace.”

The phrase in the one body must be identified in some languages as a figurative expression, “in order to form one body, as it were.”

In translating the verb called, especially in this type of context, it is important to avoid certain connotations or aspects of meaning. For example, one would not wish to introduce the idea of “shouting at” or the implications of “commanding.” In this type of context, called is much closer to the meaning of “to urge” or, as in some languages, “to urgently invite.”

And be thankful, that is, to God: this command is added almost as an afterthought (only here does the adjective eucharistos occur in the NT); not only gratitude, but its expression in the giving of thanks to God is commanded (also verses 16b, 17b). The imperative expression be thankful can best be expressed in some languages as a type of obligation, for example, “you must be thankful to God” or “you should be thankful to God.”

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 .

Told represents a verb used infrequently in the NT (7 times), and has the sense of “make plain, clear.”

The love that the Spirit has given you represents the literal “your love in (the) spirit.” There is much uncertainty about the meaning of this phrase. Commentators point out that Paul does not refer to the Holy Spirit in Colossians, unless this phrase is such a reference (see also Good News Bible in 1.9; the other occurrence of pneuma is 2.5, where it refers to Paul’s own spirit). As Moule says, it may be simply “your more than merely human love.” New English Bible has “your God-given love,” Phillips “Christian love,” Translator’s New Testament “the love which the Spirit has inspired in you” (similarly Barclay), Goodspeed “love which the Spirit has awakened in you” (Traduction œcuménique de la Bible similarly); Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch is more explicit, “… God’s Spirit…”; Dutch common language translation (Bijbel in Gewone Taal) has “your love whose source is the Spirit.”

Love here may be the love for all fellow Christians (as in verse 4), or it could be the Colossians’ love for Paul and his companions.

It is rare that one can speak of “love” without designating the object of love. The relationship of the Spirit to this love is probably best understood as causative, and therefore, if love must be expressed as a verb, perhaps one can render verse 8 as “he has told us how the Spirit has caused you to love fellow Christians” or “… love us.”

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 .

Paul compares the act of forgiveness of sins to the cancelation of a record of debts. The subject of the verbs (two participles, one before and one after the finite verb) in Good News Translation and Revised Standard Version continues to be God (from verse 13).

He canceled is the Greek verb for “wipe out, erase”; used also in Acts 3.19 (sins), Rev 3.5 (name), 7.17, 21.4 (tears); the corresponding Hebrew verb in the OT is often used also with “sin(s)” as the object (compare Psa 51.9; 109.14; Isa 43.25). In order to express the concept of canceled, it is possible in some languages to use a phrase such as “to tear up,” “to throw away,” or “to declare that it is no longer valid.”

The … record of our debts represents a Greek noun which is literally “a handwritten document”—an IOU, (that is, “I owe you”) personally signed by the debtor, acknowledging his debt. The … record of our debts may be rendered as “the paper that says how much we owe,” or “the list of all that we owe,” or “the page that tells how many are our debts.”

Unfavorable translates two separate phrases; even Revised Standard Version telescopes the two: “which stood against us” (compare King James Version “the handwriting of the ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us”). It is unnecessary to represent both in translation. In a number of instances, unfavorable can best be rendered simply as “how much we had to pay,” or “debts against us,” or as in some cases “debts against our name.”

With its binding rules is simply the dative, without a preposition, and its relation to the preceding is uncertain. Perhaps “because” (so Lohse); and commentaries give other possibilities. Paul is saying that God not only forgave man’s debts, but also did away completely with the legislation that made him a debtor. The “legislation” is the Mosaic Law, and some translations make this explicit: “the decrees of the law” (New English Bible Barclay), “the law’s demands” (Translator’s New Testament). With its binding rules may sometimes be translated as “with rules governing what we must do” or “with laws saying, You must not do that.”

Did away with it completely is literally “removed it from the midst”; the verb is used with “sins” as object in John 1.29, 1 John 3.5. The pronoun it refers here to the record of our debts, but it may seem rather strange to speak of doing away with a record by “nailing it to the cross.” The point is not that the record was destroyed in the process, but that it was made no longer valid in the sense that the death of Christ on the cross wiped out our indebtedness. Therefore, did away with it may be expressed as “made it ineffective,” or “caused it to no longer have power,” or even “destroyed its meaning.”

Nailing it to the cross: by use of this figure Paul says that the forgiveness of sins was accomplished by the crucifixion of Christ (for similar expression see 1 Peter 2.24). Moule comments that there seems to be no evidence for the alleged custom of canceling a bond by piercing it with a nail. Nor does the figure here seem to allude to the cancelation of a bond by marking it out with an X, that is, crossing it out. Nailing it to the cross may be expressed as “attaching the record to the cross with a nail” or “using a nail to put the record on the cross,” but since this expression is essentially figurative, it may be necessary, as in other instances, to mark the figurative usage by means of an expression indicating similarity or likeness, for example, “nailing it, so to speak, to the cross” or “as it were, nailing it to the cross.”

The matter of the subject(s) of the verbs in verses 13-15 should be considered. In Greek “God” is clearly the subject of the verb in verse 13 “he made you alive (with him),” and thereafter there is no name or pronoun to identify the subject of the remaining verbs. Most translations and commentaries take God as the subject of all the verbs in verses 13-15 (Peake, Abbott, Beare, Lohse; Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch Revised Standard Version Bible en français courant Jerusalem Bible New American Bible New English Bible Translator’s New Testament Moffatt New International Version Barclay Traduction œcuménique de la Bible Goodspeed; Weymouth seems to make Christ the subject of all the verbs). Lightfoot, however, feels that there must be a change of subject somewhere, since in his understanding the first participle in verse 15 can hardly have God for a subject; consequently, he makes the change with the finite verb in verse 14, “he set aside” (Revised Standard Version). Moule also makes a change of subject, but with the first participle “having canceled” (Revised Standard Version) in verse 14; Good News Translation Biblia Dios Habla Hoy Barclay make the change in verse 15, with Christ as the subject of the verbs.

The determining factor is the understanding of the first participle in verse 15, whether it refers to an action taken by God or whether it must be related to Christ.

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 .

As commentators point out, there were probably very few Christian slave-owners at the time. Be fair and just translates two words meaning “the right thing” and “the fair thing.” The command to them is enforced by the reminder that they too are slaves of the Master in heaven. (Phillips “you employers” is an unwarranted modernization of the text.) In place of a literal translation of be fair and just in the way you treat your slaves, it may be more satisfactory to say “treat your slaves in a fair and just way.”

As in verse 24, remember signifies “bear in mind” or “continually keep in mind.”

It may be quite impossible in some languages to say “you too have a Master in heaven.” People do not “possess masters”; rather they “belong to masters” or “masters possess them.” Accordingly, remember that you too have a Master in heaven may be translated as “bear in mind that you belong to one in heaven” or “bear in mind that the one who owns you is in heaven.”

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 .