Because of restructuring, “which has come to you” (Revised Standard Version) appears in Good News Translation in verse 5, came to you, and in the beginning of verse 6, the subject is introduced again, the gospel. What follows is the statement of the effectiveness and growth of the gospel throughout the world, as among the Colossians. The idea of the gospel “bearing fruit” (Revised Standard Version) is a bit odd, unless it is taken as the power of the gospel to produce results and to continue to increase its effects among people everywhere. For other uses of the verb karpophoreō “to bear fruit” in a metaphorical sense, see Mark 4.20; Luke 8.15; Col 1.10. Here only does the verb occur in the middle voice (not active, as elsewhere). Lightfoot calls it a “dynamic” middle, the Gospel as it inherently is. “The middle is intensive, the active extensive.” The two verbs, say Lightfoot, denote the inner working and the outward extension of the gospel.

It may be quite impossible, in some instances, to speak of “the gospel bringing blessings.” This could only be done by a person rather than a message. Therefore, it may be important to render the gospel keeps bringing blessings as “the good news continually causes blessings for people,” or “causes good to happen to people,” or “… causes good for people.”

It is frequently quite impossible to say “the gospel … is spreading throughout the world,” for the gospel, in a sense, is not a mass like water or sand, but like a living vine which spreads and bears fruit. It is a message which must be heard, and therefore, the equivalent expression may be “more and more people in the world are hearing the good news,” or “the good news is being spoken to more and more people,” or “… is being announced to people everywhere in the world.”

Paul’s reference to throughout the world is, of course, to be understood in terms of the Graeco-Roman world, for this was the civilized world in New Testament times. In translation, however, it does not seem to be important or necessary to make any special distinction, though one might wish to introduce a footnote to explain the evident intent of this expression.

Just as it has among you should be related not only to the spreading of the good news but also the fact that it brings blessings. This may be rendered in some cases as “just as it has been doing all this among you.”

Ever since the day you first heard may be rendered as “beginning with the day when you first heard” or “from the first day that you heard even until now.”

The grace of God represents all that God is in his attitude of love, goodness, and forgiveness toward mankind. In this type of context, the grace of God may perhaps be most effectively rendered as “God’s goodness to people” or “God’s kindness to people.” Some translators wish to introduce the concept of “unmerited goodness,” that is to say, “goodness to people when they did not deserve it,” but this often results in a rather heavy expression which may appear more negative rather than positive, for it is God’s “loving goodness” which needs to be emphasized.

To know is in Greek a compound verb, which may carry the connotation of knowing thoroughly, completely. The use of know in this context suggests something more than mere intellectual perception or “knowing about.” The implication is “having some experience of.” This is in line with such biblical expressions as “knowing God,” which certainly involves more than mere intellectual knowledge about God.

As it really is is what is meant by “in truth.” The final expression in verse 6 came to know it as it really is may be difficult to express clearly and in a few words. The idea is essentially “and experienced just how God is loving and good to you” or “really experienced what it means to have God be so kind to you.”

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 .

This verse explains what Paul means by “Christian circumcision”: it is the spiritual transformation depicted in the Christian rite of baptism. The structure of the sentence in Greek clearly reveals his thinking: “… in union with him you were circumcised … having been buried (or because you were buried) with him in baptism.”

The Greek word for baptism here is the active form baptismos (elsewhere the passive baptisma). It may be that the act of baptism is here being stressed, in contrast with the result of the act, denoted by the passive form (so Lightfoot). But it is highly improbable that any such subtle distinction occurs between this passage and Rom 6.4.

Whenever possible it is important to use a term for baptism which will be acceptable to all groups practicing this Christian rite. The tendency has been to use a transliterated borrowing based either on Greek or upon some modern language. In this way unnecessary controversy can usually be avoided. In some instances, a rather technical expression for baptism has arisen which is acceptable to all concerned. For example, in the Maya language of Yucatan, baptism is described as “to enter the water,” a phrase first used by Roman Catholics, then by Presbyterians, and now by a number of different groups many of which practice immersion. In a number of areas, an expression such as “water ceremony” has been employed. In this way no specific mention is made of the quantity of the water nor the type of contact between the water and the baptized person. In some instances, a more specific expression such as “washing ceremony” has arisen and is generally accepted by most Christian groups to designate all the different types of baptism. In certain instances, immersionists have later reacted against such terminology, considering it incompatible with their practice. They have therefore insisted on having in their own translations or editions of the Scriptures a term meaning “to dip beneath the surface.” It is unfortunate when differences with regard to relatively secondary matters tend to figure so largely in people’s reaction to particular translations, and accordingly every effort should be made to employ a completely neutral expression.

You were buried with Christ: the verb sunthaptomai occurs elsewhere only in Rom 6.4, “by our baptism, then we were buried with him.” This “burial” took place as the person was lowered into the water, and the accompanying “resurrection,” as he or she was being brought up out of the water. Baptism symbolized death and resurrection with Christ, the end of the old self and the beginning of a new life.

The statement you were buried with Christ must often be marked as a figurative expression by means of an expression such as “as it were” or “like,” for example, “you were buried, as it were, with Christ” or “it is just like you had been buried with Christ.” Only in this way is the reader likely to grasp the significance of this figurative usage in which baptism is spoken of as a kind of burial.

A literal rendering of buried with Christ might suggest “buried alongside of Christ,” which is obviously not what the expression means. Accordingly, it may be necessary to translate “buried in the way Christ was buried.”

The phrase in baptism must frequently be expanded into an entire clause, for example, “when you were baptized” or “at the time of your being baptized.”

You were also raised with Christ: the only other occurrences of sunegeirō are in 3.1, Eph 2.6. This spiritual resurrection is effected through your faith in the active power of God. For “active power” see 1.29.

The passive expression you were also raised must in many languages be made active, and therefore one may say “God also raised you up” or “God gave you new life.” It may also be necessary, in this context, to indicate that “being raised” is figurative. Obviously the person is not literally buried nor is he literally caused to live again. Therefore, one may wish to translate you were also raised as “you were also, so to speak, caused to live again.” If God is made the subject of the raising from the dead, it would be important to translate as “God also caused you to live again by his power.”

A literal rendering of with Christ might suggest that the baptized people were raised up at the precisely same time that Christ was raised from the dead. This would apply only to those who had been baptized before Christ’s death. It may, therefore, be important to render with Christ as “even as Christ was raised.” More often however one may use a somewhat expanded phrase which will not suggest immediate association, for example, “along with Christ.”

In the series of phrases through your faith in the active power of God, both faith and the active power of God are connected with the resurrection. The active power of God is not only the goal of faith but it is also the instrument for the resurrection. The faith, may therefore be interpreted as an essential element in the resurrection but not necessarily the instrument of it. As an essential element in the process, it is often expressed as a type of secondary cause. As a result, the central section of verse 12 may be rendered as “when you were baptized, God caused you also to live again, as it were, by his power. He raised you up, as it were, along with Christ. This happened as a result of your confidence in God’s power.” Only in this way can one sometimes reflect satisfactorily a series of prepositional phrases such as with Christ, through your faith, in the active power, and of God.

Who raised him from death: literally “from dead ones,” the idea being that of the world of dead people whose company a person joins at death. Who raised him from death may be translated as “who caused Christ to live again” or in some languages “who gave back to Christ his life.”

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 first part of this verse is the concluding part of the sentence begun with verse 23, and further reinforces the command to Christian slaves to render genuine service to their human masters. The participle “knowing” (Revised Standard Version) can be translated “because you know” or “since you know.” In English the verb remember does not mean in this type of context that one has necessarily forgotten and later needs to have this called to mind. Rather, it suggests that the person should continue to bear something in mind. Therefore, one may begin verse 24 with the imperative “bear in mind” or “constantly realize.”

The Lord will give you (Good News Translation) has transformed the passive structure in Greek (Revised Standard Version “from the Lord you will receive”) into an active form.

As a reward what he has kept for his people translates the Greek “the reward of the inheritance,” in which the genitive “of the inheritance” defines what “the reward” is. For the word “inheritance” see in 1.12 the discussion of klēros “lot.” The reward consists of those blessings which God will bestow on his people; so instead of kept the meaning could be expressed by “promised.”

In some languages, a reward is “a special payment,” or “a payment over and above,” or “an unexpected payment,” that is to say, something which the person will receive in addition to the food and lodging which he receives as a slave.

For Christ is the real Master you serve translates a text which is variously interpreted: (1) the verb “to serve” may be read as an indicative, “you are serving” (so Lightfoot, Beare; Translator’s New Testament New International Version Barclay Phillips Goodspeed Biblia Dios Habla Hoy Bible en français courant Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch Traduction œcuménique de la Bible), or as an imperative, “you are to serve” (Moule, Lohse, Abbott, Peake; New English Bible); or (2) the Greek text (literally “to the Lord Christ”) can be read “the Lord Christ” (Revised Standard Version), which is an unusual expression (Rom 16.18 “our Lord Christ” is not identical). Most take “Christ” here as being in apposition to “the Lord,” so that the phrase means “Christ is the Lord (or Master) you serve”: so Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch Biblia Dios Habla Hoy Bible en français courant Traduction œcuménique de la Bible Goodspeed New English Bible Barclay; or else “Christ the Lord” (Jerusalem Bible New American Bible).

In this context, the translation of master depends largely upon the way in which masters is rendered in verse 22. If, for example, masters in verse 22 is rendered as “those to whom you belong,” then in verse 24 master may be rendered as “the one to whom you belong.” The entire clause may then be stated as “for Christ is the one to whom you really belong and whom you serve” or “… and the one whom you work for.”

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 .

This verse continues as a justification of all that is said of Christ in the preceding verse: “All this is about him because….” The meaning of what follows is disputed. The Greek may mean: God decided to have his fullness dwell in Christ, or God’s fullness decided to dwell in Christ, depending on whether the neuter phrase pan to plērōma is construed as an accusative, the object of the verb, or as nominative, the subject of the verb. (1) Object: Lightfoot; New English Bible, New American Bible, New International Version, Jerusalem Bible, Translator’s New Testament, Barclay, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Twentieth Century New Testament; (2) Subject: Abbott, Moule; Phillips, Moffatt, Goodspeed. If taken as subject, the rendition of it must somehow personify what is, linguistically, an abstract concept, “all the fullness” (of God), which may be quite difficult. To have, as Revised Standard Version does, “in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,” is not very satisfying.

It seems better to take “all the fullness” as object, and God as the (unexpressed) subject of the sentence: “it was God’s choice/decision/ pleasure (for the verb eudokeō compare 1 Cor 1.21, Gal 1.15; compare the noun eudokia in Eph 1.5, 9; Phil 2.13) to have all the fullness dwell in him.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “It was God’s will and plan.”

For it was by God’s own decision may be expressed more simply as “for God himself decided.”

The full nature of God represents the Greek “all the fullness.” The passive noun plērōma has been understood to mean either that which fills or completes, or the resulting state of fullness, completion (compare John 1.16, Eph 1.23, 3.19, 4.13, Col 2.9). (If, as seems probable, this word was being used by the false teachers in Colossae of the intermediary spiritual beings between God and creation, here it is used deliberately to counter that false notion and to assert that in Christ alone was the fullness of the divine nature, not interspersed among a number of intermediary beings.) There are extensive discussions of the word “fullness” in commentaries on Colossians and Ephesians. The view favored here, and expressed by the majority of translations, is that it means God’s complete nature (see also 2.9), undiminished, undiluted, and unshared with any “intermediaries” between God and creation. It seems preferable to say “God’s full nature lives/dwells in him” than to say “God in his fullness dwells in him” (compare Translator’s New Testament, Barclay, Bible en français courant), as though the person of God were exhausted by the incarnation.

Has in himself represents the Greek katoikeō, “to live,” “to be at home” (oikos, “house,” “home”).

A literal rendering of the Son has in himself the full nature of God can lead to misunderstanding, for it might suggest that Christ simply possessed God inside of himself. A more satisfactory equivalent in some languages is “the son is just like God.” A more elaborate way of expressing this meaning might be “what is characteristic of God is also characteristic of God’s Son” or “what makes God really God is also true of his Son.”

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 .

With the exception of Joshua (verse 11), all individuals named in verses 10-14 as sending greetings are also named in Philemon 23-24. Aristarchus (see also Acts 19.29, 20.4, 27.2) is called Paul’s “fellow prisoner” (Revised Standard Version). Some, like Moule and Beare, contend this is to be understood metaphorically, that is, as a fellow prisoner of Christ’s—so New English Bible “Christ’s captive like myself.” Most, however (see Lohse), take it in the literal sense.

Languages differ considerably in the way in which they “send greetings.” For example, one may say “Aristarchus says he thinks of you,” or “… wants you to know he remembers you,” or “… wishes to say, ‘May you live well,’ ” or “… says, May God be good to you.”

Mark (identified with the John Mark in Acts 12.12, 25; 13.5, 13; 15.37-39; see also 2 Tim 4.11, 1 Peter 5.13) is identified as Barnabas’ cousin (King James Version “nephew” is wrong), and reference is made to previous instructions that had been sent to the Colossians to the effect that they should welcome him if he visited them. There is no way of knowing in what form the instructions had been sent.

In view of the fact that no one knows precisely the form of the instructions which had been sent to the believers in Colossae concerning Mark, it may be best to simply say “you have been told to welcome Mark” or “you have already received a letter in which you have been told to welcome Mark.” In a number of languages, “to welcome a person” may be translated as “receive a person in your homes” or “to offer a person food when he arrives.”

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 .

Let me tell you represents the Greek “I want you to know.” Though the expression let me tell you is a more idiomatic equivalent in English, it may be quite inadequate as a basis for adaptation into another language, since it might suggest “permit me to tell you” or “allow me to tell you.” Paul is obviously not asking for any permission; he is only introducing his statement in a relatively polite way. In many languages, a dynamic equivalent of the Greek is actually a closer literal rendering such as “I wish to tell you” or “I wish for you to know.”

How hard I have worked translates “the great struggle,” the cognate noun of the verb “to struggle” in the preceding verse. Paul’s hard work has been for the benefit of the Christians in Colossae, Laodicea, and in other places where he was not known personally. Since it appears that Paul was not personally known by the Colossians and Laodiceans, it is probable that “and all those” means and … all others (so Lightfoot, Abbott, Moule; see Jerusalem Bible). The words could be translated, “indeed, for all who….”

A literal rendering of I have worked for you and for the people of Laodicea might suggest that he had engaged in physical labor as an employee of the people in Laodicea. This is, of course, not what is intended. Therefore, it may be better to say “how hard I have worked in order to help you and the people in Laodicea” or “… in order to be of benefit to you and to the people in Laodicea.” The phrase the people in Laodicea must be expanded in some languages to read “the people who dwell in Laodicea” or “the inhabitants of Laodicea.” On the other hand, Paul is referring specifically to believers in Laodicea, and therefore, in order to avoid a misinterpretation of Paul having labored for all those living in Laodicea, one may better translate “for the believers in Laodicea.”

Laodicea (see also 4.13, 15-16) was about 17 kilometers west of Colossae.

All others who do not know me personally may be rendered in some languages as “all others who have never seen me” or “all others whom I have not visited.”

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 .

To all these qualities add love represents the Greek prepositional phrase which has no verb, literally, “and on them love.” The preposition epi may simply be (1) local “on” or “over” (following the figure of “clothing” in verse 12), (2) “in addition to” (Moule, Twentieth Century New Testament Goodspeed Jerusalem Bible New American Bible New International Version), (3) or a degree of comparison, “more than all these,” “above all these” (as Revised Standard Version seems to mean, also Phillips Moffatt Translator’s New Testament New English Bible Barclay Traduction œcuménique de la Bible Bible en français courant). The Tagalog CL translates, “Above all else, love one another, for this is the bond of perfect unity.” As noted in the Tagalog CL translation, love must be treated as a verb, not as a noun referring to something which may be “added.” It may be, therefore, necessary in a number of instances to render to all these qualities add love as “in addition to doing all that, you must also love one another” or “even more important than doing all that, you should love one another.”

Love is the normal NT word for God’s or Christ’s love for mankind, and is taken to be the supreme Christian virtue (Rom 13.8-10, 1 Cor 12.31–13.13). It is here called “the bond of perfection, or completeness.” The word “bond” (sundesmos) appears in 2.19 as a “ligament” in the body. The genitive “of perfection” can be understood as indicating result or purpose (so Lohse, compare Turner Moulton III, 212, “the bond producing perfection”). But it seems more natural (even though nowhere else in the NT is this said of love) that (1) it is love which binds all the Christian virtues together in perfect unity, or harmony, which gives order and coherence to Christian character and conduct; or (2) it is love which binds all Christians together in perfect harmony in the body of Christ, the Church (Peake, Beare; Bible en français courant Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch).

As already suggested, it may be impossible to use a noun for love which is spoken of as “doing something,” that is to say, “binding all things together.” It is, however, possible in many instances to say “by your loving one another, everything is brought together as one in a perfect way,” or on the basis of the second possible interpretation of this passage, “by loving one another, you bind yourselves together as though you are one and this is just as it should be.” By saying “this is just as it should be,” one can express the concept of “perfection.”

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 .