translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: COL

label: NET translator note

text: Or “I want you to know how hard I am working for you…”


text: Grk “as many as have not seen my face in the flesh.”


text: Verse two begins a subordinate ἵνα ( Jina ) clause which was divided up into two sentences for the sake of clarity in English. Thus the phrase “My goal is that” is an attempt to reflect in the translation the purpose expressed through the ἵνα clauses.


text: BDAG 956 s.v. συμβιβάζω 1.b reads “ unite, knit together .” Some commentators take the verb as a reference to instruction, “instructed in love.” See P. T. O’Brien, Colossians , Philemon (WBC), 93.


text: The phrase “and that” translates the first εἰς ( eis ) clause of v. 2 and reflects the second goal of Paul’s striving and struggle for the Colossians – the first is “encouragement” and the second is “full assurance.”


text: Ψ 075 0278 365 1505 pc ). Even though the external support for the wording τοῦ θεοῦ , Χριστοῦ is hardly overwhelming, it clearly best explains the rise of the other readings and should thus be regarded as authentic.


text: BDAG 812 s.v. πιθανολογία states, “ persuasive speech, art of persuasion (so Pla., Theaet. 162e) in an unfavorable sense in its only occurrence in our lit. ἐν πιθανολογίᾳ by specious arguments Col 2:4 (cp. PLips 40 III, 7 διὰ πιθανολογίας ).”


text: The conditional particle εἰ ( ei ) together with καί ( kai ) here indicates a first class condition in Greek and carries a concessive force, especially when seen in contrast to the following phrase which begins with ἀλλά ( alla ).


text: Grk “rejoicing and seeing.”


text: The Greek word τάξις can mean “order,” “discipline,” or even “unbroken ranks” (REB).


text: Though the verb παρελάβετε ( parelabete ) does not often take a double accusative, here it seems to do so. Both τὸν Χριστὸν ᾿Ιησοῦν ( ton Criston Ihsoun ) and τὸν κύριον ( ton kurion ) are equally definite insofar as they both have an article, but both the word order and the use of “Christ Jesus” as a proper name suggest that it is the object (cf. Rom 10:9, 10 ). Thus Paul is affirming that the tradition that was delivered to the Colossians by Epaphras was Christ-centered and focused on him as Lord.


text: The present imperative περιπατεῖτε ( peripateite ) implies, in this context, a continuation of something already begun. This is evidenced by the fact that Paul has already referred to their faith as “orderly” and “firm” ( 2:5 ), despite the struggles of some of them with this deceptive heresy (cf. 2:16-23 ). The verb is used literally to refer to a person “walking” and is thus used metaphorically (i.e., ethically) to refer to the way a person lives his or her life.


text: Or “having been rooted.”


text: The Greek text has the article τῇ ( th ), not the possessive pronoun ὑμῶν ( Jumwn ), but the article often functions as a possessive pronoun and was translated as such here ( ExSyn 215).


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


text: 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.


text: 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).


text: The terms “however” and “but” in this sentence were supplied in order to emphasize the contrast.


text: 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.


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


text: 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.


text: The article with the genitive modifier τῆς πίστεως ( th" pistew" ) is functioning as a possessive pronoun ( ExSyn 215).


text: The genitive τῆς ἐνεργείας ( th" energeia" ) has been translated as an objective genitive, “faith in the power. ”


text: The article τοῖς ( tois ) with παραπτώμασιν ( paraptwmasin ) is functioning as a possessive pronoun ( ExSyn 215).


text: 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 ).


text: The participle ἐξαλείψας ( exaleiyas ) is a temporal adverbial participle of contemporaneous time related to the previous verb συνεζωοποίησεν ( sunezwopoihsen ), but has been translated as a finite verb because of the complexity of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences. For the meaning “destroy” see BDAG 344-45 s.v. ἐξαλείφω 2.


text: On the translation of χειρόγραφον ( ceirografon ), see BDAG 1083 s.v. which refers to it as “ a certificate of indebtedness .”


text: See BDAG 100 s.v. ἀπεκδύομαι 2.


text: 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).


text: The word “only,” though not in the Greek text, is supplied in the English translation to bring out the force of the Greek phrase.


text: Grk “but the body of Christ.” The term body here, when used in contrast to shadow ( σκιά , skia ) indicates the opposite meaning, i.e., the reality or substance itself.


text: The genitive τοῦ Χριστοῦ ( tou Cristou ) is appositional and translated as such: “the reality is Christ. ”


text: 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.


text: 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.


text: The Greek participle κρατῶν ( kratwn ) was translated as a finite verb to avoid an unusually long and pedantic sentence structure in English.


text: See BDAG 387 s.v. ἐπιχορηγέω 3.


text: The genitive τοῦ θεοῦ ( tou qeou ) has been translated as a genitive of source, “from God.”


text: See the note on the phrase “elemental spirits” in 2:8 .


text: The expression “founded as they are” brings out the force of the Greek preposition κατά ( kata ).


text: Grk “The commands and teachings of men.”


text: Grk “having a word of wisdom.”


text: 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.


text: puts καί in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.