SIL Translator’s Notes on Colossians 2001 – Page 12

SIL Translator’s Notes on Colossians 4:4

4:4

Pray that I may declare it clearly: The Greek word phaneroō, that the Berean Standard Bible translates declare it clearly, means “reveal, make known, make plain, tell clearly.” Paul used this same Greek verb in 1:26 and in 3:4. In 1:26, he used it to refer to God’s secret plan that he (God) had hidden and not revealed (made known) to people in the past. In 3:4 he used it to refer to the relationship between Christ and Christians, which is hidden now, but will be revealed (made known) when Christ returns. In both cases it means, “to tell clearly and publicly.” However, there are two ways to interpret it here:

(1) The emphasis is on “proclaiming publicly.” This part of the verse therefore means “Pray that I may proclaim the message publicly,” or “Pray that I will make the message known to people.” (See NET Bible, SSA.)

(2) The emphasis is on “proclaiming clearly.” This part of the verse therefore means “Pray that I may proclaim the message clearly.”

Both of these are acceptable. Most translations use the word clearly here as the Berean Standard Bible has done, and so follow the second interpretation. However, since Paul, in 4:3–4, was again writing about revealing God’s secret plan, it is likely that the emphasis is on “publicly.” So the first interpretation is recommended (1).

as I should: Paul was asking people to pray that he would proclaim the message to many people because this was his duty (Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, God’s Word, New Century Version, Revised English Bible, SSA). This means that Paul wanted to make sure he fulfilled his obligation to tell people about Christ.

© 2001 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Colossians 1:28

1:28a

We: Paul was referring to himself and other people who preached the message about Christ.

proclaim Him: The pronoun Him refers back to Christ in 1:27. In some languages it is not possible to say that a person “proclaims a person.” What Paul meant was that he proclaimed the message about Christ.

1:28b

admonishing…everyone: This means “warning everyone, instructing them not to do something, because it is wrong.”

teaching everyone: When Paul “admonished” people, he was warning them about what they should not do. When he taught them, he was telling them what they should do as Christians.

everyone: In the Greek text Paul emphasized the word everyone. He used it three times: “we warn everyone and we teach everyone… so that we may present everyone complete in Christ.” Paul was probably emphasizing that he did not distinguish between one Christian and another. Every Christian needs to be warned and taught so that they all will become perfect in Christ.

with all wisdom: The Greek says, “in all wisdom.” This type of grammatical construction in Greek usually refers to the manner in which something is done, so most English versions and commentators believe that Paul was saying here that he taught very wisely. You could also translate this:

teaching as wisely as we(excl.) can
-or-
teaching using all the wisdom God has given us(excl.)

1:28c

so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ: Paul wanted this to happen as a result of his teaching—that everyone he told about Christ would believe, grow as a Christian, and so become perfect in Christ.

present: This is the same verb that Paul used in 1:22c. See the note there.

perfect: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as perfect can also mean “complete, mature, grown-up,” and many English translations use that meaning (Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, God’s Word, NET Bible, New Century Version, Revised English Bible). Here Paul meant that he wanted everyone to whom he preached to become a mature (strong) believer in Christ.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Colossians 3:8

3:8a

But now: Paul was contrasting the way the Colossians should behave now that they had trusted Christ with the way they used to behave (3:7).

you must put aside all such things as these: In Greek the verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates put aside can literally mean “take-off/remove” clothes. Here Paul was using it as an idiom. It means almost the same thing as “Put to death” in 3:5a: “Do not do any of these things any more.” This same idiom is used in Romans 13:12; Ephesians 4:22, 4:25; 1 Peter 2:1; and James 1:21.

all such things as these: It is possible that all such things refers back to the list of evil things in 3:5. But most scholars and translations say that these words refer forward to the evil things that Paul listed in 3:8b and 3:9.

3:8b

anger, rage: These two words, anger and rage, mean almost the same thing. If you have two synonyms in your language for anger, you can use them here, otherwise you can combine the two words and say, “do not be angry in any way.”

malice: To act with malice means to act in wicked, hateful ways, to do things to people just to be unkind. Here is another way to translate this word:

hateful feelings (Good News Translation)

slander: This means to say hateful, unkind, insulting things about people. This may mean telling lies about people, but it can also include saying true things about people, but with the intent to hurt them.

filthy language: This probably refers to obscene talk or cursing. If you do not have an expression in your language for speaking in this offensive or profane manner, you may be able to say, “using words that should not be spoken.”

from your lips: The Greek is literally “from your mouth.” Notice that the Berean Standard Bible, along with several other English versions, has translated the Greek word for “mouth” with lips. This is because in English it is more natural to refer to words being “on someone’s lips” than “in their mouth.” In other languages, it may be more natural to refer to the throat or the tongue. You should use the term that is most natural in your language.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Colossians 4:15

Paragraph 4:15–17

Theme: Paul gave the Colossians some final instructions.

4:15a

brothers: See the note on 1:2a.

4:15b

Nympha and the church that meets at her house: Nympha is a woman’s name. If your language uses the same pronoun for “his” and “her,” it may not be clear in your translation that Nympha was a woman. This is acceptable. You do not have to make this information explicit unless there is a natural way to do so. One way to do this is to use a form of the name Nympha that would be used only for women’s names.

the church that meets at her house: See the note on 1:18a and the word “church” in the glossary. Remember that the Greek word ekklēsia, which is usually translated church in English, means “assembly, congregation.” It never refers to a building. When Paul was writing this letter, Christians did not meet in special buildings. They usually met in people’s houses.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Colossians 1:7

1:7a

You learned it from Epaphras: The word it refers back to “the word of truth, the gospel” in 1:5. In some languages, it may be necessary to say “Epaphras taught this message to you” rather than You learned it from Epaphras.

Epaphras: Epaphras was the main person who had taught the message about Christ to the Colossians.

1:7b

our: The word our refers to Paul and Timothy and perhaps other Christians who were with them.

fellow servant: When Paul said Epaphras was his fellow servant (the Greek is literally “co-slave”), he meant that Epaphras was Christ’s slave just as Paul and Timothy were.

In 1:5–7 Paul emphasized that God had given only one true message—the message about Christ that Epaphras had originally taught to the Colossians. In 1:7 Paul emphasized that just as he and Timothy were messengers of Jesus, Epaphras was also. So Paul was saying that if the Colossian Christians rejected Epaphras, they would also be rejecting him and Timothy.

1:7c

faithful minister of Christ: In 1:7b Paul called Epaphras his “fellow servant.” Here in 1:7c he called him a minister of Christ. The word minister means “worker, servant.” The words “servant” in 1:7b and minister in 1:7c translate different Greek words, but they have similar meanings.

faithful: This means that Epaphras was reliable. He continued to work for Christ—he didn’t give up when he faced pressure.

on our behalf: Some Greek manuscripts say, “on our behalf,” and others say, “on your behalf.” English versions differ as to which manuscript they follow:

(1) The Berean Standard Bible says “on our behalf.” This means that Paul was saying that Epaphras faithfully served Christ among the Colossians as a representative of Paul (and Timothy).

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Good News Translation, Revised Standard Version, New Century Version, NET Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible)

(2) Other versions say “on your behalf.” This can mean one of two things:

(a) that Epaphras was serving Christ by teaching the Colossians, that is, “for the Colossians.”

(King James Version, Contemporary English Version).

(b) that Epaphras was faithfully serving Christ by being a representative of the Colossians to Paul (and Timothy).

(God’s Word, New Living Translation (2004)).

The first option (1) is recommended because it has the best support among the Greek manuscripts. It also fits the context, since Paul was emphasizing Epaphras’ work among the Colossians.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Colossians 2:10

2:10a

And you have been made complete in Christ: The Berean Standard Bible used the word “fullness” in 2:9, where it referred to God’s nature. However, the meaning is not the same in this verse. Here it means “you are complete because you are united to Christ.” If someone trusts in Christ, he has all that he needs in order to be saved, so he does not need to listen to what false teachers say.

2:10b

who is the head over: This is a figure of speech that means “who rules over, who is chief over.” See the note on 1:18a.

every ruler and authority: When Paul used the words ruler and authority together in this way, he probably referred to all spirit beings, such as angels and demons. He used the same words in 1:16d. See the note there. You can translate this in one of two ways:

• In a general sense. For example:

every ruler and authority (Berean Standard Bible)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Revised Standard Version, Contemporary English Version, God’s Word, New Century Version, NET Bible, New Living Translation (2004), Revised English Bible)

• In a way that refers specifically to spirits. (See 2:10 in the USB Handbook.). For example:

every spiritual ruler and authority (Good News Translation)

(Good News Translation)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Colossians 3:19

3:19b

and do not be harsh with them: One specific way that husbands can love their wives is by not treating them harshly. To treat someone harshly is the opposite of the qualities that Paul listed in 3:12 (compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience). It is best to translate this as a negative command: “do not…” But if it is difficult to translate it this way, you can translate it as a positive command. For example:

and be gentle with them (New Century Version)

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Colossians 2001