SIL Translator’s Notes on Colossians 2001 – Page 2

SIL Translator’s Notes on Colossians 1:1

Section 1:1–2

Paul greeted the Colossian believers

Paragraph 1:1–2

1:1a

Paul: Greek people usually began letters by just writing their name, as Paul did here. Then they would state the name of the person to whom they were writing. Today people do not usually start letters in this way, so you may need to use a greeting that is more natural in your language. For example, you could use a phrase in which Paul refers to himself in the first person. For example:

I, Paul, write this letter.
-or-

This letter is from me, Paul,

1:1b

apostle: An apostle was a person whom Jesus had appointed or commissioned to represent him and to teach his message with authority. See the term “apostle” in the glossary and in Key Biblical Terms. If the term you choose for apostle means simply “messenger,” make sure that it does not refer to a person who only delivers a message and then has no further responsibility for the message. An apostle not only taught the message about Christ, but he also had the authority to act on behalf of Christ. He was an ambassador for Christ.

Christ Jesus: In this letter Paul usually referred to Jesus by the name Christ Jesus or “Christ.” He used “Jesus Christ” only once (1:3). The Greek word christos, which is written “Christ” in English, means “Messiah.” However, by the time Paul wrote this letter, people were already using the word “Christ” as another name for Jesus, rather than a title. Most scholars, therefore, believe that there is no difference in meaning between the terms “Christ Jesus” and “Jesus Christ.”

Most English versions (as well as other national language translations) translate “Jesus Christ” and “Christ Jesus” using the same order as the Greek text in each instance. Throughout the Display, the names “Christ Jesus” and “Jesus Christ” follow the word order of the Greek text.

But if the people who read your translation would be confused by the different order of the names, you may decide to use the more familiar order “Jesus Christ” here and in the other places where the Greek text has “Christ Jesus.”

by the will of God: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates the will of God means what God wants and desires. Paul wanted to clarify that when he called himself an apostle, it was not because he had decided that for himself. It was God who had chosen him to be an apostle of Christ Jesus.

Paul was emphasizing his authority by using the phrases “apostle of Christ Jesus” and by the will of God together. You should connect these two phrases in a way that shows this emphasis. The SSA has expressed the relationship between the two phrases as:

an apostle who represents/was-appointed-by Christ Jesus, because God chose ⌊me in order that I should be an apostle⌋

1:1c

Timothy: Timothy was with Paul when he was writing this letter. One possible reason his name was mentioned here may be that Paul dictated the letter to Timothy and Timothy wrote down what he said, but we do not know that for certain. Biblical scholars generally agree that Paul alone was the author of the letter and that Timothy did not contribute to the content.

One way you could translate this part of the verse to avoid implying that Timothy was a co-author would be to say:

I, Paul, together with our(incl.) brother Timothy, am sending this letter to you…

brother: Since God is the Father of all Christians, all Christians are like brothers and sisters. Therefore, people in the NT frequently use the word brother when referring to a fellow Christian. You should translate this term literally in your translation if possible. However, in some languages the word brother can only refer to a blood relative. If this is a problem in your language, you could use a term meaning “fellow Christian.”

© 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 2:4

2:4a

I say this: The word this refers back to what Paul had been saying earlier in 1:24–2:3, especially how very important Christ is (2:3). In some languages it may be better to translate this:

I have written this to you
-or-
I have told you these things in my letter…

2:4b

so that no one will deceive you by smooth rhetoric: Paul had heard that there were people in Colossae who were teaching a false message. (See the Introduction to these Notes.) These teachers wanted to deceive the Colossian Christians, that is, to lead them astray, to cause them to believe their wrong teachings.

smooth rhetoric: This means they tried to make their teaching sound true and reasonable, so that other people would believe what they said.

General Comment about 2:4

One way to translate 2:4 is:

I am saying these things to you so that no one will persuade you to believe their false teachings, even if what they teach sounds believable.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Colossians 3:13

3:13a

Bear with one another: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Bear with means almost the same as the Greek word translated as “patience” in 3:12b. The difference is that the word used in this verse means tolerating the things other people do regularly that are annoying, rather than being patient when someone does something wrong.

Among the Colossian believers, there was a mixture of nationalities. These different groups would have had trouble tolerating the different views of others—in particular the Jews would have found it difficult to Bear with the Gentiles, and the Greeks would have had difficulty “bearing with” the barbarians.

3:13b

complaint: A “complaint” is an accusation or criticism that one person has against another person because of something this other person has done.

3:13c

Forgive as the Lord forgave you: The word as means Paul was comparing two things. There are two possible interpretations:

(1) Paul was comparing the manner the Lord had forgiven the Colossians with the manner they should forgive others. He had forgiven them freely and completely. So they should forgive others freely and completely.

(2) Paul was comparing the fact that the Lord had forgiven the Colossians with the fact that they should forgive others.

Both these interpretations are possible. Most English versions are ambiguous, but the majority of commentators favor the first option (1), so the Display follows that.

Lord: It is not clear whether the word Lord here refers to the Lord God, or the Lord Jesus. If your translation cannot be ambiguous, you should probably translate it “Lord Jesus.”

SIL Translator’s Notes on Colossians 1:12

1:12a-b

Father, who has qualified you: The Greek verb hikanoō that the Berean Standard Bible translates qualified means to make something or someone fit or capable for a task. The important thing here is that Paul said that it was God who had made the Colossians “fit” or “capable,” it was not something they had done for themselves.

1:12a

you: There is a textual problem in this verse:

(1) Some Greek manuscripts have the pronoun you here. This is followed by nearly every English version.

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

(2) Other Greek manuscripts have the pronoun “us.” This is only followed by some older English versions.

(Revised Standard Version, King James Version, New American Standard Bible)

You should follow the first option (1) since it has the best manuscript support. Also, the majority of English versions follow this option.

to share in the inheritance: The Greek word klēros that the Berean Standard Bible has translated as inheritance means “portion, what has been allotted/promised to someone.” Here it is a figure of speech to refer to what God has promised to give Christians in heaven.

saints: See the note on 1:4b.

in the light: The Berean Standard Bible translates the Greek text literally as in the light. Some other English versions translate this phrase as “kingdom of light” (New International Version, Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New Century Version, Revised English Bible) to contrast this verse with 1:13a which talks about “the dominion/power of darkness.”

There are two ways to interpret the phrase “in the light”:

(1) It is a figure of speech and means “heaven” (SSA). God has promised that all Christians will be with him in heaven—that is the inheritance he has promised that they will all share. It is described as light because God is pure, that is, without sin, and, therefore, heaven is pure. It also refers to the great light surrounding God in heaven.

(2) It refers to the morally upright way in which Christians should behave in this world (as in 1 John 1:5–7, 2:9–10). That is, light refers to moral purity; it refers to Christians behaving in the way that pleases God. For example:

to share the inheritance that belongs to God’s holy people, who live in the light (New Living Translation (2004))

Both these meanings are possible and many English versions leave it ambiguous. If you cannot leave it ambiguous in your translation, it is recommended that you follow the first option for the following two reasons:

(a) Receiving “the lot” or “inheritance” is almost always spoken of in Scripture as something in the future. So it is more logical to see the light here as the light of heaven.

(b) Paul was probably comparing the inheritance that had been promised to Christians to the inheritance that had been promised to the Israelites in the OT. Each Israelite family received their portion/share of the land when they entered the land of Canaan, just as God had promised them. In the same way, Christians will receive what God has promised them when they enter heaven.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Colossians 2:15

2:15a

And having disarmed the powers and authorities: The words powers and authorities are the same words that Paul used in 1:16d and 2:10b. See the notes about these verses. Paul was referring to spirit powers and authorities who were against God and who were controlling people. See also Ephesians 6:12.

disarmed: The Greek word apekdumai that the Berean Standard Bible translates disarmed means “to undress.” In this context it means that God took away the power from these “powers and authorities.”

2:15b

He made a public spectacle of them: This means that God shamed the powers and authorities publicly, and he made it obvious to everyone that he had defeated them.

He: Scholars do not agree about who this pronoun “he” refers to:

(1) Most scholars say that it is God. It was God who “made a public spectacle of” the powers and authorities, in the same way that he “made you alive with Christ” (2:13c). This is how most English versions translate this verse.

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

(2) Some scholars say that Christ is the subject of the verb “triumphing over” (and therefore of the verb “disarmed” in 2:15a). See Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version.

The first option is recommended (1). It is clear that God is the subject of all the main verbs in 2:13–14. If Paul had changed the subject of the verbs in 2:15 to Christ, he probably would have clarified this by using a noun (Christ) rather than a pronoun He.

triumphing over them: The Greek verb thriambeuō that the Berean Standard Bible translates as triumphing over means “to lead in a victory parade.” Paul may have been thinking about the way, after a great victory, a Roman general would lead his prisoners of war in a public procession through the streets of the city of Rome. This is how several English versions translate it (see 2:15 in Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible). When Christ died on the cross, it showed openly that God had defeated Satan and all the evil powers. It was as if God had captured them and was parading them for everyone to see.

by the cross: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the cross is an ambiguous pronoun. It could mean “it” or “him.” It could refer to one of two things:

(1) It could refer to the cross.

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, King James Version, New Century Version, New Living Translation (2004), New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible).

(2) It could refer to Christ.

(Revised Standard Version, God’s Word, New Jerusalem Bible, SSA).

The commentaries are equally divided about which of these two options they support, so both options are possible. The meaning is almost the same—God triumphed by Christ and his death on the cross.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Colossians 3:24

3:24a

receive an inheritance from the Lord: See the note on inheritance in 1:12b. To receive an inheritance means to receive the benefits that the Lord has promised to give his people.

as your reward: Paul was telling the slaves who are obedient that God would repay/reward them, that is, he would give them the good things/blessings they deserved because of the work they had done.

In this verse, reward and “inheritance” refer to the same thing. Here is one way to translate this part of the verse:

Remember that the Lord will reward you, that is, he will give you your share in the blessings he has prepared ⌊for all his people⌋.

3:24b

It is the Lord Christ you are serving: Remember that in Greek the word kurios means, “Lord” and “master.” An appropriate way to translate this is to say:

The Master you are serving is Christ.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Colossians 1:23

1:23a

if indeed you continue in your faith: Paul’s words in 1:23 are part of the same sentence that he began in 1:21. This verse states the condition for 1:22. 1:22 will only be true if the Colossian Christians continue in their faith.

continue in your faith: In Greek the words that the Berean Standard Bible translates continue in your faith are literally “continue in the faith.” It means “continue to believe” or “keep believing.” The object of their faith is probably the gospel. So if you need to supply the object of the verb “believe” in your language, you could say:

But you must continue to believe in the gospel
-or-
…believe in Jesus

1:23b

established and firm: This is one way the Colossians were to “continue in their faith.” These two words, established and firm, mean almost the same thing.

established: The Greek word themelioō that the Berean Standard Bible translates established means “to place on a firm foundation.” This is a figure of speech here. It means that just as a solid foundation causes a house to be stable and strong, so the Colossians must have faith that is firm and strong.

1:23c

not moved from the hope of the gospel you heard: In Greek this verse part translated literally says: “and not moving/shifting from the hope of the gospel.” The hope of the gospel means “the hope God promised in the gospel.” Some of the things he promised to those who believe are:

(a) to raise them after they die

(b) to make them holy and perfect

See the note on 1:5a for the meaning of the word hope. In many languages it is clearer to translate hope as a verb. In this verse you could say, for example:

you confidently wait for God to do what he promised in the gospel

not moved: There are two ways to understand these words:

(1) It has a passive sense: that is, “do not let anyone/anything move you so that you stop hoping…” For example:

and must not allow yourselves to be shaken from the hope you gained when you heard the gospel (Good News Translation)

(Good News Translation, New Century Version, God’s Word, Revised English Bible)

(2) It has an active sense: “do not stop hoping…” For example:

You must not give up the hope you received when you heard the good news (Contemporary English Version)

(Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation (2004), New Revised Standard Version)

It is recommended that you follow the first interpretation (1) because one reason Paul wrote this letter to the Colossian believers was to warn the Colossians not to be deceived by false teachers.

gospel: See the word gospel in the glossary.

1:23d

has been proclaimed: This refers to the “gospel” (1:23c). If in your language it is necessary to say who had proclaimed the gospel, you could say “[the gospel] that people/God’s workers have proclaimed…”

proclaimed: This means, “announced, made known.”

to every creature under heaven: This probably means the same as “all over the world” in 1:6b. See the note there. Paul was saying that the gospel had been proclaimed “to people all over the world.” For other views, you need to consult commentaries.

1:23e

of which: This refers back to “gospel” in 1:23c.

I, Paul: This is the first time in this letter that Paul used the pronoun I instead of “we.” One reason he did this was to tell his readers that he was about to begin a different topic (in 1:24–2:5).

a servant: In some languages it is difficult to say that someone is a servant of the gospel. A servant is a person who serves another person or works for him. Paul meant that he was a person who worked to proclaim the gospel. In the next paragraph (1:24–29) Paul explained more about his work as a servant of the gospel.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Colossians 3:3

3:3a

For: The conjunction For connects 3:3 with 3:2. It provides the basis for what Paul said in 3:2. He said that since our old sinful nature has died, we should not continually think about earthly things, but rather concentrate on the things of heaven.

you died: See the notes on 2:12a and 2:20a. Again, Paul did not mean that the Colossians had actually died, but that their sinful nature had died.

3:3b

your life is now hidden: The word hidden here contrasts with “appear” in 3:4b. When Paul said that a believer’s new life was hidden, he meant that it was hidden from the world and its evil influences—just as a dead body that has been buried is hidden and cannot be seen. People who do not know God cannot see or understand the believer’s new life.

with Christ: As in 2:12a–b, the phrase with Christ shows identification with Christ. It means “together with Christ.”

in God: Scholars do not agree about how to understand this phrase or how it fits with the rest of this verse. It may mean “in God’s presence” (the SSA discusses this). Most English versions leave it ambiguous.

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Colossians 2001