This added praise of Epaphras makes it appear that he had been criticized for neglecting his work. Hard work translates polun ponon “much toil”; later manuscripts have zēlon “zeal” (see King James Version). I can personally testify to his hard work for you may be translated as “I myself am able to tell you about the way in which he has worked hard for you” or “I myself have seen how he has worked hard for you.” Hard work for you may be rendered as “work hard in order to help you.”

Hierapolis was about 20 kilometers northwest of Colossae. Hierapolis, Colossae, and Laodicea (see 2.1) were all in the Lycus Valley.

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 brings this section (3.5-17) to a close with a general command that everything the Colossians do and say must be in the name of the Lord Jesus, that is, as his committed and obedient followers and representatives. In the name of the Lord Jesus may be expressed most satisfactorily in a number of languages as “as believers in the Lord Jesus” or “as followers of the Lord Jesus.” The passive construction should be done may cause certain difficulties, especially in languages where an active expression must be employed. In such cases one may be able to translate “whatever you do and whatever you say, you should do and say in the name of the Lord Jesus.” Sometimes the meaning of “whatever you say and whatever you do” must be rendered as a condition, for example, “if you do anything and if you say anything, then you should do and say all that in the name of the Lord Jesus.”

Through him, that is, through Christ, means that their thanksgiving to God must recognize that Christ is the medium through which all their blessings have come from God. A literal rendering of the phrase through him might suggest that the believers were to give thanks to God only through Christ as a kind of intermediary, that is to say, that the believers should pray to Christ in order that he would then communicate the thanks to God. In reality, of course, the believer is to give thanks to God the Father because of what has happened through Christ, and it may be necessary to make this explicit, for example, “as you thank God the Father for what has happened to you through Christ” or “… for what Christ has done for you.”

As you give thanks translates a participle, which some take, as elsewhere, to function as an imperative. Instead of to God the Father, some later manuscripts, influenced by the parallel in Eph 5.20, have “to the God and Father” (see King James Version). As in other contexts, it may be necessary to translate to God the Father as “to God who is our Father.”

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 .

Then you will be able to live represents the infinitive of the verb “to walk,” expressing the result or purpose of being filled with the knowledge of God’s will. The Greek verb is often used in the metaphorical sense of manner of life (as the Heb hālak). Paul always uses it in a figurative sense: Col 2.6, 3.7, 4.5, 1 Thes 2.12, 4.1.

The transitional adverb then is not so much temporal as conditional, for example, “if then that is so” or “that being so.”

Able to live is not a reference to a standard of living but to a manner of life or behavior. This may be expressed in some cases as “able to conduct yourself,” or “able to do,” or “able to carry on.”

As the Lord wants is an adverbial phrase “worthily of the Lord,” that is, in a manner that is required by their status as the Lord’s people (see “to walk … worthily of God” in 1 Thes 2.12). Jerusalem Bible has “the kind of life which the Lord expects of you”; Phillips “your lives … may bring credit to your master’s name”; Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “that you conduct yourselves as people should who belong to the Lord”; Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “so to live as to bring honor to the Lord.”

Always do what pleases him: the noun areskeia occurs only here in the NT; the verb areskō, with God or the Lord as object, is found in Rom 8.8, 1 Cor 7.32, 1 Thes 2.15 (not pleasing God), and 1 Thes 4.1, which offers the closest parallel: “to walk and to please God.” “To please a person” may be expressed in some languages as “to cause a person to be happy.” On the basis of such an expression, one may translate the latter part of the first sentence of verse 10 as “will always do what causes God to be happy.”

All kinds of good deeds is joined to produce in Good News Translation and others (so Revised Standard Version “bearing fruit in every good work”), but it may be connected with the preceding to live. The literary figure known as chiasmus (a-b-b-a) is here employed: “in every good deed bearing fruit, and growing in the knowledge of God.” The first line is attributive and verb, the second line verb and attributive.

It may not be possible to say “your lives will produce all kinds of good deeds.” It is not literally the life which produces such deeds but the individual himself. Therefore, one may say “because of the way in which you live, you will produce all kinds of good deeds.” The phrase all kinds of good deeds may be rendered as “you will do good in all different ways.”

Your knowledge of God: God is the object of knowledge, not the subject.

A verb meaning “grow” may seem to be very strange in combination with a phrase such as “your knowledge of God.” What is meant here is simply an increase of knowledge, and therefore one may say “and you will know God more and more” or “your experience of God will be greater and greater.”

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 verb krinō means primarily “to judge” (see, for example, in a similar context, Rom 14.3). Here the more general make rules may be more appropriate (compare Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “let no one dictate to you…”). Other ways of translating it are “criticize” (Biblia Dios Habla Hoy Barclay), “take you to task” (Moffatt New English Bible). Jerusalem Bible has “never let anyone else decide….” What you eat or drink: such a regulation seems to be based on Jewish distinctions between ritually pure and impure foods (see Rom 14.1-4, 1 Tim 4.3-5, Heb 9.10, 13.9; see also Mark 7.17-20, Acts 10.10-16), or else springs from widespread Greek ideas that by abstaining from food and drink (especially from meat and wine) a person was able more adequately to worship the gods.

Rather than distinguishing between solids and liquids, as we normally do in Indo-european languages, a number of languages make a distinction between “cold foods” and “hot foods,” but this may have nothing to do with temperature. Actually it is a classification which includes both solids and liquids but is designed to embrace all kinds of foods, largely on the basis of what is regarded as their effects upon the digestive and physiological processes of the body. Some translators have wanted to use such a basic set of distinctions, but it probably is unwise since it introduces a distinction which was not true of biblical times and which will cause certain further complications in other passages. A more satisfactory equivalent in such cases may be simply “foods that are chewed and foods that are drunk.”

Other matters involved are holy days, the New Moon Festival, and the Sabbath, which seem to represent yearly, monthly, and weekly cultic rites (compare Gal 4.10; see 1 Chr 23.31; 2 Chr 31.3; Ezek 45.17; Hos 2.11). The holy days are annual religious festivals; the New Moon Festival (only here in the NT) was celebrated every new moon, and the Sabbath was the Jewish weekly holy day, the seventh day of the week, a day for rest from physical labor and for worship. Again this seems to point to a Jewish background, but some commentators, like Lohse, see Greek influence here, since “the elemental powers” (the ruling spirits of the universe, 2.8, 20) controlled the movements of the stars and thus determined the calendar of religious rites and festivals.

Holy days may be translated as “certain days each year when people worship” or “those days which people each year set aside for worshiping God.” Sometimes holy days are simply “special days for worship.”

The New Moon Festival must often be expressed in the plural since it refers to festivals which are celebrated each new moon. Sometimes these are called “celebrations when the moon is thin” or idiomatically, “celebrations when the moon is about to conceive,” that is to say, in anticipation of the waxing moon, regarded as a kind of pregnancy.

The Sabbath must likewise be rendered in many languages as a plural, for example, “those days each week when one worships” or “the weekly rest days.” Since the Hebrew root underlying the word sabbath actually refers to resting, it is general preferable to translate the Sabbath as “day of rest.” It may then be appropriately interpreted by different groups as either to seventh day of the week or the first day of the week, though increasingly in various parts of the world, Sunday is being regarded as the last day of the week (a part of the “weekend”), and Monday is spoken of as the first day of the week. Accordingly, such phrases as “seventh day” and “first day” may involve complications because of shifts in meaning.

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 .

Verse 3 is a continuation of the sentence that begins with verse 2 and ends with verse 4.

At the same time must not be rendered in such a way as to suggest that everyone is to pray “at the same time.” A more satisfactory rendering in some languages is “whenever you pray, pray also for us.” Us here probably means Paul and his colleagues; some however (compare Lohse, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch), take it to refer only to Paul. God will give us a good opportunity to preach his message translates “God may open for us a door for the word.” For the figure of “opening a door” see also 1 Cor 16.9, 2 Cor 2.12. The apostle wants God to give him another opportunity to proclaim the Christian message.

The purpose expressed in the clause so that God will give us a good opportunity to preach his message may undergo certain restructuring, for example, “so that God will allow us to preach his message freely” or “… openly.” In this way one may reproduce the meaning of good opportunity.

His message refers of course to the message which comes from God. This is the message which the apostles were commissioned to proclaim.

This “word” is defined as the secret (or “mystery”) of Christ (for which see 1.26, 27; 2.2), which is here almost a technical term for the Christian message. The order of constituents in the phrase about the secret of Christ may be appropriately altered in some instances, for in a sense it is God’s message about Christ, and it is the content of this message which was kept secret. Therefore, one may render his message about the secret of Christ as “God’s message about Christ, a message which has not been previously known.”

It was because Paul had insisted on preaching the gospel that he was in prison. The Greek verb “I am bound” does not necessarily mean that Paul was in chains, but simply that he was not free (see, however, 4.18, where “chains” are mentioned). Nowhere in this letter does Paul say where he is in prison.

In the clause for that is why I am now in prison, the pronoun that may have a rather vague reference or may be too far removed from the reference of preaching. Furthermore, in the first part of verse 3, the preaching is something in the future for which Paul is asking prayers. It would not be a specific reason for Paul’s being in prison. Accordingly, it may be necessary to say “because I preached God’s message, I am now in prison.”

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 .

Without a full stop, Paul qualifies the statement made in verse 22, since it is imperative that the Colossians recognize that they are not just passive objects of God’s reconciling work, but must actively do their part in maintaining the state in which they now find themselves. In effect he says, “this is true if you continue….” This type of contrast between the contents of verse 23 and verse 22 may also be expressed as “but you must certainly continue.”

Faithful translates the dative “(in) the faith,” and some (Revised Standard Version Moffatt Phillips Jerusalem Bible) take it as a reference to the Christian faith, that is, “in your faith” (Lightfoot, Abbott; see New International Version New English Bible Barclay Translator’s New Testament). New American Bible “hold steadfast to faith,” Traduction œcuménique de la Bible par la foi, presumably, “by means of the faith,” Goodspeed “the exercise of faith.” The implied object of faithful is probably “the gospel”; it is not likely that here the primary reference would be God or Christ. In view of the fact that in so many languages it is necessary to make explicit what is the goal or object of “faith,” one may, in this instance say “continue to put your trust in the good news” or “continue to have confidence in the gospel.”

On a firm and sure foundation translates a perfect passive participle “having been placed and remaining on a foundation” (as in Eph 3.17; see the verb also in Matt 7.25), followed by the adjective “firm, steadfast.” The foundation is to be understood as the mighty work of God in salvation, as proclaimed by the gospel.

Though the figurative expression of foundation is readily perceived and understood in the cultures of western Europe, America, and some parts of Asia, this is not true of many other regions in the world, where houses normally do not have foundations, and there seems nothing especially “firm and sure” about a foundation. One can use a type of simile with an expanded phrase such as “as it were, on something on which a house is built” but this becomes both awkward and often meaningless. It may be better in many cases to drop the figure of foundation and use merely “continue to have confidence in the gospel and thus be firm and secure.” In some languages, an equivalent metaphor is to be found in expressions relating to the central pole of a house, for example, “as unmovable as the central pole.” Other languages may use the figure of a stone consisting essentially of bedrock, that is to say, stone which is part of a rock outcrop. One might, therefore, substitute a metaphor such as “firm and secure as bedrock.” Since such a metaphor parallels substantially the concept of foundation, it may be quite appropriate.

Again, there is no point in trying to determine who is the actor in this “foundation laying”; the participle, acting as an adjective, simply means “on a firm foundation.” The thought is further expressed in the negative form and not allow yourselves to be shaken from. The verb (which occurs only here in the NT) means “to remove from”; Good News Translation and others (Phillips New International Version New English Bible Traduction œcuménique de la Bible) take it as a passive, but it may be understood as a middle; Moffatt “instead of shifting from,” Goodspeed “and never shift from,” Twentieth Century New Testament “never abandoning,” Translator’s New Testament “do not shift from,” Jerusalem Bible “never letting yourselves drift away.”

To be shaken is in evident contrast with being firm, but it may be extremely difficult to understand the relationship between to be shaken and hope. Therefore, it may be necessary to say “you must not permit yourselves to be shaken and thus no longer to have the hope” or “… to lose your hope.”

“The hope of the gospel” (Revised Standard Version) is the hope the gospel brings to those who believe it, that is, of God’s full and final deliverance in the future. Jerusalem Bible “the hope promised by the Good News.” The hope you gained when you heard the gospel may be expressed as “the hope that became yours when you heard the gospel.” However, if hope must be expressed as a verb, then it may be possible to say “to be shaken and hence no longer hope as you did when you heard the gospel.”

Having mentioned the gospel, Paul says two things about it: (1) “it has been preached to every creature under heaven” (Revised Standard Version), a biblical way of saying to everybody in the world, which is, of course, a rhetorical statement not to be taken literally; it speaks simply of the widespread dissemination of the gospel throughout the Roman Empire. Goodspeed “all over the world,” Translator’s New Testament “through the whole world,” Jerusalem Bible “the whole human race.” The verb “to preach” is the one used normally in the NT to describe the proclamation of the Good News. No word should be used which, like, “preach” in English, suggests a formal church service; the verb means “to announce,” “to proclaim” as a herald who went around announcing matters of importance. (2) Paul says also of the gospel, “I became its servant” (see also Eph 3.7, 2 Cor 3.6).

Despite the exaggeration suggested in the literary figure which has been preached to everybody in the world, it is important to reflect, in so far as possible, this type of statement made by Paul. However, the passive expression must often be changed into an active one, and this means introducing an agent, for example, “this gospel which various persons have announced to everyone in the world.” It would be inappropriate to introduce “apostles,” since obviously a great deal of the spreading of the gospel was performed by other persons. Therefore, some kind of indefinite subject is preferable.

The word servant (diakonos) in Colossians (also in 1.7, 25; 4.7) usually describes a relationship with a person or with God, or with an organization, such as the church (see 1.24-25, below); rarely is it used, as here, with an impersonal object (compare 2 Cor 3.6 “servants of the new covenant,” Gal 2.17 “servant of sin,” 1 Peter 1.12 the prophets “were serving” the news about the Messiah’s suffering and glory). Paul characterizes his work as that of serving the gospel, meaning that his work was that of proclaiming, spreading, announcing the Good News. The noun “minister” (Moffatt Phillips New English Bible) in American English may be misunderstood as a person ordained to an ecclesiastical position. In view of the unusual relationship between servant and gospel, it may be necessary to specify the precise relationship as “my work has been to announce this gospel” or perhaps “my task as a servant has been to proclaim this good news.”

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 .

Because of such things must be rendered in some languages as “because people have such desires” or “because people desire to do such evil.”

God’s anger is the expression of the reason why God punishes sin and evil. On the part of some scholars (notably C. H. Dodd, in his commentary on Romans), there is a reluctance to use the word “anger” (or “wrath”) of God because of its connotations; they would prefer to use something like “disaster from God” (so Moule); New English Bible has here “God’s dreadful judgement,” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “God’s judgement,” Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “God’s terrible punishment.” It would be out of keeping with biblical thought, however, to think of this as the mechanical operation of a disembodied principle. What happens is caused by God, and such things happen because God is angry, that is, he is affected. He is not distant and unmoved by human sin, but expresses his anger by punishing sinners.

In translating anger, it is important to avoid the implications of “fury” or “hatred.” God’s anger is not an irrational, emotional reaction but a justified response to man’s willful disobedience and sin. In an attempt to avoid the meaning of unreasonable fury, there is also the danger of introducing a meaning which is essentially equivalent to “being irritable” or simply being irritated because of man’s sin. Such an expression seriously distorts the significance of the context. An additional problem is posed by the English expression God’s anger will come upon those, for it is rare that one may speak of “anger coming.” In general one must say “God will be angry with those.”

Will come (Good News Translation) or “is coming” (Revised Standard Version): the present tense of the Greek verb either expresses a certainty and an immediacy which are better represented by “is coming” or “comes,” or else is a conventional way or speaking of the Day of Judgement, in which case “will come” is more suitable.

Upon those who do not obey him: the phrase seems to have been added here from the parallel Eph 5.6; but a majority of the Committee that prepared the UBS Greek NT judged it to be original, and so included it in the text, though within brackets and graded as a D passage. Many modern translations omit it (Revised Standard Version New English Bible Jerusalem Bible New American Bible Barclay New International Version Traduction œcuménique de la Bible); among those that include it are Good News Translation Bible en français courant Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch Barclay Translator’s New Testament Bible de Jérusalem. The phrase “the sons of disobedience” (Revised Standard Version) is a Semitic way of talking about disobedient people, that is, people who disobey 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 .