Kolose 2:20

2:20 If you have died with Christ to the elemental spirits ¹  of the world, why do you submit to them as though you lived in the world?

Kolose 2:8

2:8 Be careful not to allow anyone to captivate you ²  through an empty, deceitful philosophy ³  that is according to human traditions and the elemental spirits ⁴  of the world, and not according to Christ.

Kolose 1:6

1:6 that has come to you. Just as in the entire world this gospel ⁵  is bearing fruit and growing, so it has also been bearing fruit and growing ⁶  among you from the first day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth.

Kolose 3:22

3:22 Slaves, ⁷  obey your earthly ⁸  masters in every respect, not only when they are watching – like those who are strictly people-pleasers – but with a sincere heart, fearing the Lord.

Kolose 3:5

3:5 So put to death whatever in your nature belongs to the earth: ⁹  sexual immorality, impurity, shameful passion, ¹⁰  evil desire, and greed which is idolatry.

Kolose 3:2

3:2 Keep thinking about things above, not things on the earth,

Kolose 1:26

1:26 that is, the mystery that has been kept hidden from ages and generations, but has now been revealed to his saints.

Kolose 2:1

2:1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you, ¹¹  and for those in Laodicea, and for those who have not met me face to face. ¹² 

Kolose 2:18

2:18 Let no one who delights in humility and the worship of angels pass judgment on you. That person goes on at great lengths ¹³  about what he has supposedly seen, but he is puffed up with empty notions by his fleshly mind. ¹⁴ 

Kolose 2:13

2:13 And even though you were dead in your ¹⁵  transgressions and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he nevertheless ¹⁶  made you alive with him, having forgiven all your transgressions.

Kolose 2:9

2:9 For in him all the fullness of deity lives ¹⁷  in bodily form,

Kolose 3:7

3:7 You also lived your lives ¹⁸  in this way at one time, when you used to live among them.

Kolose 2:11

2:11 In him you also were circumcised – not, however, ¹⁹  with a circumcision performed by human hands, but by the removal ²⁰  of the fleshly body, ²¹  that is, ²²  through the circumcision done by Christ.

Kolose 2:15

2:15 Disarming ²³  the rulers and authorities, he has made a public disgrace of them, triumphing over them by the cross. ²⁴ 

Kolose 2:23

2:23 Even though they have the appearance of wisdom ²⁵  with their self-imposed worship and false humility ²⁶  achieved by an ²⁷  unsparing treatment of the body – a wisdom with no true value – they in reality result in fleshly indulgence. ²⁸ 

Kolose 1:23

1:23 if indeed you remain in the faith, established and firm, ²⁹  without shifting ³⁰  from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has also been preached in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become its servant.

Kolose 2:22

2:22 These are all destined to perish with use, founded as they are ³¹  on human commands and teachings. ³² 

Kolose 3:3

3:3 for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Kolose 1:16

1:16 for all things in heaven and on earth were created by him – all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, ³³  whether principalities or powers – all things were created through him and for him.

[2:20]  ¹ tn See the note on the phrase “elemental spirits” in 2:8.

[2:8]  ² tn The Greek construction here is somewhat difficult and can be literally rendered “Be careful, lest someone shall be the one who takes you captive.”

[2:8]  ³ tn The Greek reads τῆς φιλοσοφίας καὶ κενῆς ἀπάτης (th" filosofia" kai kenh" apath"). The two nouns φιλοσοφίας and κενῆς are joined by one article and probably form a hendiadys. Thus the second noun was taken as modifying the first, as the translation shows.

[2:8]  ⁴ tn The phrase κατὰ τὰ στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου (kata ta stoiceia tou kosmou) is difficult to translate because of problems surrounding the precise meaning of στοιχεῖα in this context. Originally it referred to the letters of the alphabet, with the idea at its root of “things in a row”; see C. Vaughn, “Colossians,” EBC 11:198. M. J. Harris (Colossians and Philemon [EGGNT], 93) outlines three probable options: (1) the material elements which comprise the physical world; (2) the elementary teachings of the world (so NEB, NASB, NIV); (3) the elemental spirits of the world (so NEB, RSV). The first option is highly unlikely because Paul is not concerned here with the physical elements, e.g., carbon or nitrogen. The last two options are both possible. Though the Gnostic-like heresy at Colossae would undoubtedly have been regarded by Paul as an “elementary teaching” at best, because the idea of “spirits” played such a role in Gnostic thought, he may very well have had in mind elemental spirits that operated in the world or controlled the world (i.e., under God’s authority and permission).

[1:6]  ⁵ tn Grk “just as in the entire world it is bearing fruit.” The antecedent (“the gospel”) of the implied subject (“it”) of ἐστιν (estin) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:6]  ⁶ tn Though the participles are periphrastic with the present tense verb ἐστίν (estin), the presence of the temporal indicator “from the day” in the next clause indicates that this is a present tense that reaches into the past and should be translated as “has been bearing fruit and growing.” For a discussion of this use of the present tense, see ExSyn 519-20.

[3:22]  ⁷ tn On this word here and in 4:1, see the note on “fellow slave” in 1:7.

[3:22]  ⁸ tn The prepositional phrase κατὰ σάρκα (kata sarka) does not necessarily qualify the masters as earthly or human (as opposed to the Master in heaven, the Lord), but could also refer to the sphere in which “the service-relation holds true.” See BDAG 577 s.v. κύριος 1.b.

[3:5]  ⁹ tn Grk “the members which are on the earth.” See BDAG 628 s.v. μέλος 1, “put to death whatever in you is worldly.”

[3:5]  ¹⁰ tn Or “lust.”

[2:1]  ¹¹ tn Or “I want you to know how hard I am working for you…”

[2:1]  ¹² tn Grk “as many as have not seen my face in the flesh.”

[2:18]  ¹³ tn For the various views on the translation of ἐμβατεύων (embateuwn), see BDAG 321 s.v. ἐμβατεύω 4. The idea in this context seems to be that the individual in question loves to talk on and on about his spiritual experiences, but in reality they are only coming out of his own sinful flesh.

[2:18]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “by the mind of his flesh.” In the translation above, σαρκός (sarkos) is taken as an attributive genitive. The phrase could also be translated “by his sinful thoughts,” since it appears that Paul is using σάρξ (sarx, “flesh”) here in a morally negative way.

[2:13]  ¹⁵ tn The article τοῖς (tois) with παραπτώμασιν (paraptwmasin) is functioning as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).

[2:13]  ¹⁶ tn The word “nevertheless,” though not in the Greek text, was supplied in the translation to bring out the force of the concessive participle ὄντας (ontas).

[2:9]  ¹⁷ sn In him all the fullness of deity lives. The present tense in this verse (“lives”) is significant. Again, as was stated in the note on 1:19, this is not a temporary dwelling, but a permanent one. Paul’s point is polemical against the idea that the fullness of God dwells anywhere else, as the Gnostics believed, except in Christ alone. At the incarnation, the second person of the Trinity assumed humanity, and is forever the God-man.

[3:7]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “you also walked.” The verb περιπατέω (peripatew) is commonly used in the NT to refer to behavior or conduct of one’s life (L&N 41.11).

[2:11]  ¹⁹ tn The terms “however” and “but” in this sentence were supplied in order to emphasize the contrast.

[2:11]  ²⁰ tn The articular noun τῇ ἀπεκδύσει (th apekdusei) is a noun which ends in -σις (-sis) and therefore denotes action, i.e., “removal.” Since the head noun is a verbal noun, the following genitive τοῦ σώματος (tou swmatos) is understood as an objective genitive, receiving the action of the head noun.

[2:11]  ²¹ tn Grk “in the removal of the body of flesh.” The genitive τῆς σαρκός (th" sarko") has been translated as an attributive genitive, “fleshly body.”

[2:11]  ²² tn The second prepositional phrase beginning with ἐν τῇ περιτομῇ (en th peritomh) is parallel to the prepositional phrase ἐν τῇ ἀπεκδύσει (en th apekdusei) and gives a further explanation of it. The words “that is” were supplied to bring out this force in the translation.

[2:15]  ²³ tn See BDAG 100 s.v. ἀπεκδύομαι 2.

[2:15]  ²⁴ tn The antecedent of the Greek pronoun αὐτῷ (autw) could either be “Christ” or the “cross.” There are several reasons for choosing “the cross” as the antecedent for αὐτῷ in verse 15: (1) The nearest antecedent is τῷ σταυρῷ (tw staurw) in v. 14; (2) the idea of ἐδειγμάτισεν ἐν παρρησία (edeigmatisen en parrhsia, “made a public disgrace”) seems to be more in keeping with the idea of the cross; (3) a reference to Christ seems to miss the irony involved in the idea of triumph – the whole point is that where one would expect defeat, there came the victory; (4) if Christ is the subject of the participles in v. 15 then almost certainly the cross is the referent for αὐτῷ. Thus the best solution is to see αὐτῷ as a reference to the cross and the preposition ἐν (en) indicating “means” (i.e., by means of the cross) or possibly (though less likely) location (on the cross).

[2:23]  ²⁵ tn Grk “having a word of wisdom.”

[2:23]  ²⁶ tn Though the apostle uses the term ταπεινοφροσύνῃ (tapeinofrosunh) elsewhere in a positive sense (cf. 3:12), here the sense is negative and reflects the misguided thinking of Paul’s opponents.

[2:23]  ²⁷ tc ‡ The vast bulk of witnesses, including some important ones (א A C D F G H Ψ 075 0278 33 1881 Ï lat sy), have καί (kai) here, but the shorter reading is supported by some early and important witnesses (Ì⁴⁶ B 1739 b m Hil Ambst Spec). The καί looks to be a motivated reading in that it makes ἀφειδία (afeidia) “the third in a series of datives after ἐν, rather than an instrumental dative qualifying the previous prepositional phrase” (TCGNT 556). At the same time, the omission of καί could possibly have been unintentional. A decision is difficult, but the shorter reading is slightly preferred. NA²⁷ puts καί in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

[2:23]  ²⁸ tn The translation understands this verse to contain a concessive subordinate clause within the main clause. The Greek particle μέν (men) is the second word of the embedded subordinate clause. The phrase οὐκ ἐν τιμῇ τινι (ouk en timh tini) modifies the subordinate clause, and the main clause resumes with the preposition πρός (pros). The translation has placed the subordinate clause first in order for clarity instead of retaining its embedded location. For a detailed discussion of this grammatical construction, see B. Hollenbach, “Col 2:23: Which Things Lead to the Fulfillment of the Flesh,” NTS 25 (1979): 254-61.

[1:23]  ²⁹ tn BDAG 276 s.v. ἑδραῖος suggests “firm, steadfast.”

[1:23]  ³⁰ tn BDAG 639 s.v. μετακινέω suggests “without shifting from the hope” here.

[2:22]  ³¹ tn The expression “founded as they are” brings out the force of the Greek preposition κατά (kata).

[2:22]  ³² tn Grk “The commands and teachings of men.”

[1:16]  ³³ tn BDAG 579 s.v. κυριότης 3 suggests “bearers of the ruling powers, dominions” here.