CHAPTER 1
1. Paulus, one sent by Yeshua the Messiah through the will of Elohim, and the brother Timotheus
2. to the holy and faithful brothers in Messiah [who are] in Kolossai: favor to you and shalom from Elohim, our Father!
Kolossai: a city along the Lycus River in inland Asia Minor (present-day Turkey) in which we have no direct record of his ever having visited (and 2:1 seems to prove he had not), though he did spend some time in the region and we know that there was a substantial congregation in nearby Laodikeia, though it is not clear who brought the Glad News there; the book of Revelation suggests that it might have been Yochanan, one of Yeshua’s primary students.
3. We thank The Elohim, Father of our Master, Yeshua the Messiah, every time we pray for you,
4. having heard of your faithfulness in Messiah Yeshua and the commitment that you have toward all the holy ones
5. because of the anticipation of [what is being] stored up for you in the heavens, of which you have previously heard through the message of truth—the Glad News--
Anticipation: or hope, what is expected. In the heavens: He does not say we are going there to receive it, but that we have a “bank account” there into which deposits continue to be made “where moth and rust cannot corrupt and wheat thieves cannot break into to steal”. (Mat. 6:20)
6. the one which has come to you, just as it is bearing fruit and increasing in the whole world in the same way it has among you since the day you heard it and have come to experience the [empowering] favor of Elohim in reality,
Reality: or actuality, rather than just in theory.
7. just as you learned from Epafras, our beloved fellow-servant, who is faithful on your behalf, a servant of Messiah,
On your behalf: literally, over you, suggesting that he is in a position of authority over them but in a beneficial way.
8. who also made known to us your love through the spirit.
Through the spirit: or, in the spirit, possibly referring to the Holy Spirit, but possibly a reference to the depth of their heartfelt love, which overflowed from within the depths of their beings.
9. Because of this, we also, since the day we heard of it, do not stop praying for you and asking that you might be filled with the ability to discern what He desires, with every [kind of] wisdom and spiritual understanding,
Wisdom: a gift given from above, in Hebraic thought, and more related to what we do than with how we reason, though that is a subservient aspect of it. (Yaaqov 3:13-18) Discernment, wisdom (skill), and understanding often go together in mystical Jewish thought. Yeshua’s wisdom (Lukas 2:40) was expressed by the marvelous deeds he did. (Markus 6:2) Wisdom is a gift of grace, achieved through observing YHWH’s statutes and judgments. (Deut. 4:5-6) By doing them (experience), we gain wisdom and understanding. Wisdom is the inventory which we use and apply through understanding, which is its conduit to prevent it from dissipating. It thus becomes practical rather than theoretical. The spirit (a feminine term in Hebrew) gives limitation and shape to the nebulous, conceptual thought. (Avi ben Mordechai)
10. to walk in a manner worthy of the Master into everything that pleases [Him], bringing forth fruit in every good work and [continually] adding to [your] knowledge of Elohim,
11. being energized with every [kind of] ability [to change], according to the dominion [that completes] His honor, into every [kind of] [steadfast] endurance and patience—with joy--
Patience: literally, being very slow to anger, or holding one’s passion in check for a very long time. But to patiently endure and still be joyful—that is truly a miracle.
12. giving thanks to the Father, Who has qualified us to share [a portion] of the inheritance [assigned to] the holy ones in the light,
Qualified us: or, rendered us fit, brought us to a place of sufficiency. In the light: suggesting not just that our deeds are “above board”, able to be exposed without shame, but also that we might again receive the covering of light that Adam and Chawwah lost when they disobeyed YHWH.
13. Who has rescued us from the influence of darkness and transferred us [over[ into the kingdom of the Son of His love,
Influence: or authority, the “kingdom” of a spiritual power, a concept common in the Jewish thought if the day.
14. in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,
Blood: the connection we have to him as “blood brothers”, so that he can be our kinsman redeemer, giving us access again to the covenant our ancestors left because he still remained firmly within it and could therefore reach out and pull us back into it. But his blood was also untainted by the sin in which all the rest of us partake, and therefore he had one foot on more solid ground to be able to pull us out of that dark influence more effectively than anyone before him ever could.
15. who is the image of the invisible Elohim, the firstborn of all creation,
because by means of him all things were created--
By means of him: as the Word of YHWH, who later became fleshed out so that we could more easily understand it. (Yochanan 1:1) Firstborn: but still therefore created himself, and not to be confused with the ever-existing One. He is therefore a re-creation of the original Adam (Gen. 1:27), a restarting of the human race as it was meant to be, not as it now is, tainted by the darkness spoken of in verse 13.
16. things in heaven and things on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or powers or authorities—all things have been created by means of him and for him.
According to Rabbi Akiva, when commenting on Genesis 9:6, Adam was made after an image of an archetype of Elohim. A prayer in the Babylonian Talmud (Ketuboth 8a) says He created man “in the image of the likeness of His form”, giving rise to the idea that the image of Adam was created by the original Adam (called Elohim [thus the erroneous identifying of Yeshua exactly with YHWH], and identified in the Tzohar as the “heavenly man” and the “Spirit of Messiah”, being mirrored in the earthly Adam). (Ben Mordechai)
17. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together,
Before: or above.
18. and he is the head of the Body--the called-out ones--who is the
beginning, the firstborn from among the dead, so that he might be pre-eminent
in all things,
Note the kabbalistic imagery of the body that incorporates the characteristics of YHWH but in a form that can be manifested by human beings. The head is the part of the body that is born first, but needs the rest of the body to carry out its orders. Yeshua is therefore not meant to be unique, but only honored because he “broke ground” for what we are to build on the foundation he established.
19. because He was pleased for all the fulness to dwell in him."
He: the first (capitalized) is YHWH, the Eyn Sof (one without end), the uncreated Creator; the second (uncapitalized) refers to the Word, the first creation which became the means by which the rest of the creation was formed. Fulness: “of the godhead” does not appear in the Aramaic Peshitta (and some Greek texts), and thus was probably an explanatory note added in the Greek margin, then incorporated into the actual text in a later copy, thus giving rise to Trinitarian interpretations in which Yeshua is worshipped, thus missing the point that Yeshua was intended to be a prototype of a pattern in which we, too, could receive of that fullness. (Yochanan 1:16)
20. and to reconcile all things to Himself through him, having made peace through the blood of his crucifixion stake—through him [I emphasize], whether the things on the earth or the things in the heavenly [realms].
Reconcile: completely, decisively change from one relationship, with all the feelings inherent to it, to another, lining things back up with the way they were meant to be but which had been displaced and marred. Made peace: or, established harmony.
21. And you, who were once alienated and hostile [in all the reasonings of your] mind, in your deeds, evil,
Alienated: estranged, excluded. (See Efesians 2:11-17 for a longer explanation.) Hostile: irreconciliably (humanly speaking) bent on doing harm to one another.
22. He has, however, now reconciled through his fleshly body—through death—to present you [as] set apart, and unblemished, and irreproachable under His direct, concentrated gaze.
Present: literally, to stand you up beside [Him] as an exhibit (to demonstrate, as He did with Iyov, what He can make a human being to be). Unblemished: blameless, without fault being found in us. Irreproachable: not culpable either in anyone’s opinion but, more importantly, as properly scrutinized before a court of law and approved.
23. if, indeed, you continue [persistently] in the faith, firmly grounded and steadfast, and not being dislodged from the certain expectation of the Glad News which you have heard, which has been heralded in the whole [realm of] creation under the heavens, of which I (Paulus [speaking]) have become an administrative servant.
Grounded: or established on a firm foundation. Steadfast: well-seated, firmly stationed, fixed in purpose, without fluctuation or moving off course. Realm of creation: possibly a reference to the kabbalistic concept of several worlds through which flow the attributes of YHWH in which we can share, culminating in the world of action, where they are fully fleshed out. Creation is “under the heavens”, but still one of the earlier realms, where they still remain in idea form, insofar as their practicality, though they are established and real at that level, but not yet in a form where they can be proven reliable and effective against the evils we experience. He may be emphasizing the need for it to spread even further throughout the world through their continued cooperation with rather than opposition to what Paulus is doing through being sidetracked by useless teachings.
24. Now, I rejoice in [the sufferings] I am undergoing on your behalf, and in my flesh I am filling up what is [still] needed of the Messiah’s afflictions, for the sake of his Body, which is the called-out [community],
Afflictions: stresses, pressures—possibly the ancient concept of the birthpangs of the Messiah, which “birth” his kingdom.
25. of which I became an administrative servant according to the management of Elohim’s household that was given to me toward you, to fulfill what Elohim has said--
Administrative servant: or minister, but in the sense of one who waits on another like a butler. Management of…household: i.e., stewardship, the term from which we derive the word “economy”.
26. the mystery that was concealed ages and generations ago, but now has been made manifest to His holy ones,
27. to whom Elohim has chosen to make known among the nations what is the wealth of the splendor of this mystery, which is Messiah in you, the anticipation of glory,
Nations: or tribes, ethnic groups, but of first importance the “lost” tribes of Israel, whom YHWH had promised to restore to covenant one day, but, being scattered among all nations, in the process many others could come to share in the benefits. Glory: or renown, honor, splendor—restoration of what we could have been if Adam had not displaced the order YHWH had set up, but which was glimpsed occasionally in Yeshua as a harbinger of what could come for those who attach themselves to him, so that Messiah is also “in” us—his “sap” flowing through us, the branches of the vine (Yochanan 17), what he has accomplished being shared with us as long as we stay connected to him. That is what Paulus is arguing against the Kolossians’ abandoning.
28. which we [openly] announce, warning everyone human being and teaching every human being with every [type of] wisdom, so that we might present every person as fully-developed in the Messiah.
Warning: or admonishing, reasoning to make sure the hearers keep it in mind. Fully-developed: or mature, full-grown, having completely reached the goal aimed for.
29. Unto this I also weary [myself], struggling according to the energizing of Him who is operative in me with the power to effect [marvelous] change.
Struggling: literally agonizing, as in an athletic contest for which one fully exerts himself to the point of great pain, or as in war against a hostile adversary—i.e., giving it everything he has got. Though "Paulus" means “little” or “humble” in Latin (a name he may have taken on in the Roman world), one has to wonder if he also had in mind the Hebrew term which means “hard worker”!
CHAPTER 2
1. I want you to realize how great a struggle I am having over you and those in Laodikeia, and whoever [else] has not seen my face in the flesh.
2. in order that their hearts might be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and into all the wealth of the full development of a well-rounded insight into intuitive perception of the mystery of Elohim—[which is] Messiah
Full development: literally, complete carry-through or full potential. Well-rounded insight: or holistic understanding; synthesizing implicit truths, joining individual facts together, “connecting the dots” through inductive reasoning to get the “big picture”.
3. in whom are stored away all the treasures of wisdom and [experiential] knowledge.
Because Yeshua accomplished what was necessary to restore to mankind a sound mind, receiving of the spirit that motivated him can bring us to a point where life and the previously-isolated facts we knew all makes sense.
4. I say this so that no one will mislead you with a persuasive argument.
Mislead: literally, sidetrack (or distort) your thought processes.
5. Even if I am indeed absent in the flesh, I am nonetheless with you in spirit, and am glad indeed as I observe your orderliness and steadfastness of the trust you place in Messiah.
With you: was he somehow transported into their gatherings through some kind of vision so that he could see what they were doing in their meetings together? Maybe, but in any case he had heard reports of how well they respected one another in their proceedings, keeping rank like a well-trained army, and his spirit responded with a deep sense of kinship with them, though not present in person.
6. So just as you received Messiah Yeshua the Master, walk [the same way] in him,
7. having been rooted and being built up in him, being confirmed in the faith just as you were taught, overflowing (in it) with thanksgiving.
Rooted: i.e., made to take root by someone else’s careful cultivation. Built up: as on a firm foundation, fitting well with the pre-designed specifications on a master plan. Confirmed: made sure because walking on firm, solid, reliable ground. In it: grammatically its antecedent is “the faith” (or the confidence, trust, faithfulness).
8. Be on the alert lest there be anyone who takes you captive through philosophy and pretentious deception, according to human tradition stemming from the rudimentary principles of the [present] world [order] and not derived from [the] Messiah,
Takes you captive: or, through fraud, takes advantage of your gullibility and thereby plunders you. Pretentious: appearing to be substantive but in actuality being hollow, empty, worthless, and ineffective.
9. because in him all the fullness of the characteristics of Elohim dwells bodily,
Dwells: or, is at home, is fixed permanently in the right positions—a clear reference to the mystical concept of the body of “Adam Qadmon”—the original human being in which the image of Elohim was undistorted and which is comprised of a series of particular character traits man derived from Elohim in their proper balance. Yeshua restored that proper arrangement and therefore made it possible for us to renew our minds to come to that same equilibrium unknown since the forbidden fruit upset the balance and which has remained scrambled in every bit of DNA derived from Adam until “the seed of the woman” which was kept was isolated in a protected place through all the generations until it was allowed to surface in him and because he triumphed over temptation where Adam succumbed, the ascendancy of humanity over a nature “subjected to futility” was regained and can be passed on spiritually to anyone who “is rooted” (i.e., transplanted) into his “fertile soil” (v. 7). Those who want to only use us for their own ends (v. 8) will try to use sophisticated-sounding language to scoff at such a hope-filled concept and deny that such a thing is possible.
10. and in him, who is the head of every kind of rulership and authority, you are complete--
Rulership: pre-eminence, being based on the word for “beginning” or “initial starting point”. Because Yeshua, through righting the wrong choice Adam made, takes us back to that point of decision and has provided a different track to follow from that point forward, so that our history counts as having been changed, as if we had been on the right track all along, though not because of our own record, but his, in which YHWH allows us to share and partake of, so that we need no other source of sustenance or validation, because any other short-term solutions that have been put in place (e.g., governments or spiritual exercises that may have temporarily kept us out of some trouble along the way) are now subsumed under him, and if we ae connected directly to the head, we do not need other intermediaries.
11. in whom you were “circumcised” (through an operation done without hands) through the removal of the fleshly body in Messiah’s own circumcision,
Fleshly: idiomatically, the human nature inherited from Adam, which, like a foreskin, inhibits and gets in the way of a straightforward, “clean heart” (see Deut. 10:16) because of our stubbornness and inertia. This goes deeper than the physical procedure which is meant to express physically an inner condition—or to alert us to the possibility of that condition being realized, and though many longed and asked for a clean heart (e.g., Psalm 51), Yeshua made it possible for that promise that our heart of stone could be traded for a soft, pliable “heart” and that a new spirit would be put in us (Y’hezq’el 11:19) to actually be implemented because he gave us a firm foundation to build on (see note on v. 7), whereas before we were building on the “sand” of our own unstable Adamic nature (Mat. 7:26).
12. having been “buried” along with him through the immersion in which you were also resurrected with him through the reliability of the effective action of YHWH, the [One] who raised him out from the dead.
This is another picture of the great transfer in which the “self” that was based on Adam “died” and was replaced with a “new self” based on having a different head of the human race now put in place. Note that this is not done by Yeshua himself, but by the One greater than he is, though he willingly complied with it and therefore counts as having been an initiator. (Heb. 12:2)
13. And while you were dead in your sins and uncircumcision of your flesh,
He raised you to life together with him, forgiving you all your sins,
With him: that is, the Messiah.
14. wiping away the handwriting of the ordinances which were against us [the certificate of our indebtedness] which--because of the regulations--indicted us with legal demands, and took it out of the way by nailing it to the crucifixion stake.
As we read in "TanHuma Midrash" , "When a man sins, God writes down the debt of death. If the man repents, the debt is cancelled (i.e. declared invalid). If he does not repent, what is recorded remains genuine (valid)." [vav tzadhe (140b)] So also we find in the "Avinu Malkeynu" prayer, "Our Father, our King, in your grant mercy cancel all our debts". And YHWH has promised, "I , I am He Who blots out (wipes away) your transgressions, for My own sake, and will not remember your sins". [Isa. 43.25] It is false to teach that "the Torah has been nailed to the cross". Rather, Paul teaches that “the debt of death” written down in “the handwriting of the ordinances”—the specific accusations it brings against us as individuals because we have disobeyed it—that is what has been has been "nailed to the cross" when one repents "by the laying down (putting off) of the fleshly body by the circumcision (i.e. death) of the Messiah". [v.11] (Playfair) Out of the way: literally, out of the middle (mesos, the particular part of a Greco-Roman courtroom where accusing witnesses stood to persuade the judge to rule against the defendant). (Pollina)
15. Disarming the rulers and authorities, he has made a public disgrace of them, triumphing over them by the crucifixion stake.
All authority was given to Yeshua (Mat. 28:18) because he gained back what Adam lost (Gen. 1:26), since the spiritual powers wrongfully killed him, who had no sentence of death because he did not sin. They therefore became murderers and lost all their rights. He parades them behind him like war captives now.
16. Therefore, do not let anyone act as your judge with respect to food or drink, or in the matter of a feast, new moon, or Sabbath days,
In the matter of: literally, a part or any particular, a constituent part of a whole. Paulus is not writing about the entire celebration of these things (i.e., whether or not you do them), but a portion of them, possibly referring to the Gnostics, who objected to the “feasting” part of the feast. (Pollina)
17. (which are a shadow of things to come), except the Body of Messiah.
Except the Body of Messiah: i.e., do not let the Gnostics judge you about how you conduct a feast; let the ekklesia alone do that. Alt., but the reality (which casts the shadow) is Messiah. This view assumes he is referring to a dichotomy between the shadow and the object that cast it. (Pollina) But a shadow gives an accurate outline of that which casts it. That is why YHWH gave them to us, so we could have an accurate understanding of spiritual things, which could otherwise be skewed in any direction men might want, having no parameters within which to interpret them. The kosher laws and feasts do give accurate prophecies of things to come. The text does not say, as some translations read, “which were a shadow of things which were to come”; that is adding words that are not actually present and therefore giving a different slant than he intended. The things YHWH’s commands point to are still to come; they are pictures of the kingdom. And only Messiah’s body—not philosophers, not legalists, not even Jews faithful to the letter but sometimes missing the spirit behind it—have a right to judge on the specifics of how to walk out these commands. The body of Messiah, which has the fuller picture because it understands the fuller meaning he gave to the Torah by getting to the heart of the matter (Mat.5:17), and especially the local body, which knows your direct context, does have the right to judge us based on YHWH’s actual words, not men’s traditions based on them. But as Galatians 6:12-13 says, those who merely want to brag that they have persuaded you to follow their faction have no such right to judge you:
18. Do not let anyone deprive you [of your rightful inheritance], delighting in [self-]humiliation and the ritual worship of angels, taking his stand on [visions] he has seen, being puffed up in his fleshly mind without a basis,
19. and not holding tightly to the Head, out of which the whole body, amply supplied through the joints and ligaments, grows with the increase [brought] by YHWH.
Ligaments: literally, what binds together.
20. If you died along with Messiah to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees,
Elementary principles: See also Galatians 4:9. Aramaic: …and are apart from the principles… why then should you be doomed as the living in the world?
21. such as, “Do not handle”, “Do not taste”, “Do not touch!”
22. (which all refer to things that will perish with the using)—in accordance with the commandments and doctrines of men?
Perish with using: i.e., are used up as they are consumed; Aramaic, These things are customs which are changeable. This tells us plainly that he is not talking about kosher laws from the Torah, etc., but rather (per Avi Ben Mordechai) such things as, “If one was eating figs and had some left over, and took them up to the roof to dry, or grapes, and left some to make raisins, he may not eat of them [on a festival] unless he designates them [as food before the festival]” (Shabbat 45a), not being permitted to move a lamp on the Sabbath unless extinguished (Shabbat 44a), or laws made to get around other laws like the practice of selling leaven to Gentiles and then buying it back after the Feast of Unleavened Bread. (Mishnah Pesachim 2:2 et al) In the face of such innovations of legalistic Pharisaic interpretation, Yeshua said, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me…for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Mat. 11:29)
23. And it appears there is, by some logic, wisdom in these things when presented by the humble person in reverence for Elohim, provided they neglect the things of the flesh, but are not of any [real] value in making the desires of the flesh feel full.
Neglect: Aramaic, disregard. Feel full: i.e., as a permitted sexual outlet (marriage) might make one fulfilled and therefore turn him away from inappropriate sexual activity. That kind of command (true to Torah) does curb the flesh, but the types of rules being discussed here do not do so, but rather tend to make one instead seek more and more of the same so that they have all the more reason to boast. Alt., not honorable, serving only to indulge the pleasures of the flesh—that is, the lust for prestige, the praise of men, or the feeling that one is better than others.
CHAPTER 3
1. So then, if you have been raised together with the Messiah, seek out the things that are above, where Messiah is seated at the right hand of Elohim.
Seek out: search out, inquire into, “get to the bottom of” the matter. Seated: in an official capacity, as on a throne or in a particular role.
2. Direct your minds [to] things above, not [to] the things on the earth,
Direct your minds: regulate your thinking, both viscerally and cognitively, from within, with the perspective being reflected in outward behavior.
3. since you have died toward [them], and your life has been concealed with Messiah within Elohim.
Concealed: hidden away from the ability of other things to affect the condition of, as well as vested in, to the extent that what benefits accrue to the one will also accrue to those who are connected with him:
4. Whenever Messiah, your life, is made manifest, then your intrinsic value will also be manifested with him.
Your life: the truer nature which has been credited to our account has been underwritten by his merit which YHWH extended to our account, but which then grows to influence our outward actions too until they line up with the potential which has genuinely been placed within us with the view of fully displacing the ruined nature from which our actions and attitudes used to spring. Intrinsic value: which evokes good opinion and honor, despite the much weaker degree to which it may only show up at present.
5. Regard as dead, therefore, whatever aspects of the things on earth [may manifest themselves]: prostitution, impurity, [depraved] passion, evil desire, and the [kind of] ambition which is idolatry.
Regard as dead: or, put to death, as in allow them no quarter in your practices. Prostitution: or fornication, but from a root word meaning “selling off” (i.e., subjecting something of much deeper value to a cheapening by considering it something that can be bought. Ambition: avarice, covetousness, greed, properly a desire for more—to the point where it becomes our obsession or interferes with others’ rights and takes the place in our hearts that rightfully belongs to YHWH.
6. on account of which [things] the wrath of Elohim is coming upon the sons of willful disobedience,
7. among whom you also walked at the time when you were living in these things.
8. But now, you also need to renounce these things--anger, outbursts of rage, malice, abusive language—from out of your mouth.
Malice: or, a wicked disposition, spitefulness. Abusive: or base, lowest-level, vile, disgraceful, improper, sordid, filthy, foul—clearly having a wide range of interpretations, none of which is appropriate for someone who is being restored to purity and goodness. And he adds a few more examples:
9. Do not lie to one another, since you have divested yourself of the old humanity with its practices,
Lie to: or willfully mislead, deceive, or misrepresent. Divested: or taken off, like a garment.
10. and have put on the new—the one being changed step-by-step into experiential knowledge to line up with the One who is creating it--
Put on: using the term for what one does with clothing. Changed: most specifically, renewed constantly by moving from one stage to a more highly-developed one.
11. where there is no [place for] “Jew and Greek”, “circumcised and foreskinned”, “Barbarian/ Skythian”, “slave/free”, but Messiah is the whole and in each [one].
Jew and Greek: Any who wish to be part of Israel have always been eligible to be Israel, and it is wrong in Torah to remind any who become Israel that they were ever anything else. Foreskinned: those never circumcised. “Uncircumcised”, properly, in Greek refers to people who had a reverse operation to hide their circumcision (particularly at the time of Antiochus IV). Such distinctions, where we put some down and unfairly exalt others, are not useful once the Messiah has redeemed a person and made him this “new creation”.
12. So as the ones Elohim has chosen, set-apart and loved, put on [the] deeply-felt compassion, kindness, well-regulated opinion of oneself, gentle reserve, and great patience [for which you have been given the capacity],
Well-regulated opinion: turned down because of inner perspective. Gentle reserve: a well-balanced “brake” on one’s strength and forcefulness. Great patience: long-lasting forbearance that waits sufficient time before expressing anger.
13. continuing to bear with one another and freely extending favor to each other if any may have a complaint against some [other]; just as the Master has forgiven you, you do the same.
Continuing to bear: staying with each other, still bearing up even after going through the necessary sequence of what patience requires (v. 12). One another: literally, people who are other but similar. Favor: including the aspect of pardon where needed.
14. But above all these things, put on loving commitment, which is what binds together and brings the preceding things to the culmination of their fullest maturity,
15. and let the peace of Messiah make the deciding call in your hearts, to which you were called in a single Body—and be thankful.
Make the deciding call: as with a court ruling or an umpire in a sporting dispute, for he is speaking here about getting along with one another (vv. 12-14) during our long journey Home while we are still in our sin-prone bodies which have their natural irritabilities and idiosyncrasies, though we have no choice but to walk together since we are one people.
16. Let the message of Messiah settle into you in great quantity [and come to be at home], with all wisdom teaching and urging one another [to make the right choices], [using] psalms, sacred songs, and spontaneous spiritual melodies of praise, singing to Elohim with gratitude in your hearts.
Message: the term combines the ideas of his ways of thinking as well as what he said. Urging: reasoning with and appealing to each other’s highest motives.
17. And whatever you may do, in word or in action [that carries it out], do all in the name of the master, Yeshua, giving thanks to Elohim, the Father, through him.
We do not address Yeshua in our prayers for he is our fellow-servant, but he has a connection to the Father that is more solid, resilient, and constant than ours, so we approach the Father under his auspices since his record is always pleasing to Him even when ours may not be, trusting that for his sake He will find favor in us, as He did on Moshe’s behalf when most of Israel was going astray.
18. [Those of you who are] wives, place yourselves in subjection to your husbands insofar as is fitting in the Master.
Subjection: in rank, so there can be orderliness in Israel again, with a proper chain of command and all can be done through channels that flow smoothly. Fitting: becoming, appropriate, suitable, acceptable—i.e., do not obey them if they command you to do something that goes against His commands.
19. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh toward them.
Love: not according to your moods or feelings, but with a commitment vowed and witnessed before Elohim and His representatives. Harsh: with anger, spitefulness, or anything that would make their lives bitter.
20. Children, [listen to and] obey your parents according to all [kinds of] things, for this is [indeed acceptable and] well-pleasing to YHWH.
21. Fathers, do not irritate your children, so that they will not become discouraged.
Irritate: or provoke to anger; i.e., do not use the authority granted in v. 20 to abuse them psychologically in any way. Discouraged: or despondent, “losing heart”, being broken so as to be spiritless, i.e., only going through the motions because they have to, not because they are motivated from within by a love for YHWH. We as fathers represent Him to them, being at times the only role model that gives them an idea of what He is like, and if we wear them out, even with religious rigor, they may be “turned off” to any reminder of Him when they are out on their own.
22. Servants, obey your earthly masters in all things, not only while they are watching, as men-pleasers [do], but with sincerity of heart, out of awestruck respect for YHWH.
Sincerity: simplicity, purity, literally “without any wrinkles”. Earthly: literally, according to the flesh. I.e., ultimately your Master is YHWH and we answer finally to Him, but while we are in this present body some of us may be under circumstances we cannot escape, and we should not resent this, but even when it is not appreciated or we mistreated, do the right thing for YHWH’s sake if we cannot do it for men, because of who we now are—people of the light and of integrity—even if they do not necessarily deserve it:
23. Whatever you may do, work hard from the depths of your being, as for YHWH and not for human beings,
24. knowing that from YHWH you will receive back the repayment your heritage deserves; [it is] Messiah you [really] serve as master.
Repayment your heritage deserves: or due recompense, your assigned inheritance, according to who you are eternally as an Israelite, not according to what your present circumstances may rob you of either in dignity or possessions, or both.
25. The one who does wrong will be paid back for any injury or injustice, and there is no favoritism.
Favoritism: or partiality, “respect of persons”. I.e., this applies both to the one who oppresses you and you yourself if you react in kind with spite and bitterness, giving him only the minimal effort or seeking to subvert the results to get him back.
CHAPTER 4
1. [You] who are masters, give your servants what is just and what is fair, knowing that you also have a Master in Heaven.
Whatever earthly advantage some may have, YHWH is concerned for the welfare of all of His children, and will not be pleased if we say we serve Him but mistreat our fellow servants. (Mat. 18:32; 1 Yoch. 2:9; 4:20)
2. Persevere in prayer, watchful [and alert] in it with thanksgiving,
Verse 1 might seem to fit better with the previous chapter, but 1 Kefa (Peter) 3:7 shows that the way we treat other people can restrict the effectiveness of our relationship with YHWH in prayer.
3. at the same time praying also in regard to us, that YHWH might open to us a door for the message, to speak of the mystery of the Messiah--on account of which I have also been detained--
4. in order that I may present it with clarity, since it is absolutely necessary that I do speak.
Paulus was known even to the original Envoys (Apostles) as one who used hard-to-understand language which could easily be misconstrued (2 Kefa 3:15-16), and it seems he was aware of this and wanted to be sure he could communicate simply and unequivocally enough to get the main message through, because he did not have the option of remaining silent just because he might be misinterpreted.
5. Choose your steps wisely toward those who are outside, redeeming the time,
Wisely: skillfully, carefully, circumspectly, aware of possible dangers. Time: or more particularly, season. Redeeming: i.e., making the most fruitful use of the occasions we have to interact with people who are not part of our community, not wasting these “appointments” on useless small talk, but having what may be the only occasion to get the message (vv. 3-4) to some of them, take advantage of the open doors YHWH provides and do not drag your feet!
6. Let your speech always be inclined to kindness, having been “seasoned with salt” to know how you should answer each one.
Inclined to kindness: i.e., winsome, not repelling those for whom our message is strange and new. As salt brings out different flavors in different foods, there are many examples in the Proverbs and elsewhere about how “a soft answer turns away anger” or our words—or lack of them—can otherwise have a major impact on the outcome of our interactions. (See also Yaaqov/James 3:2-6.)
7. Tükhikos, the beloved brother and faithful administrator and fellow-servant in the Master, will inform you about all the things concerning me.
8. I sent him to you for this very [reason], so that you might know the [new]s about us, and so he might encourage your hearts,
9. along with Onesimus, the faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will let you know everything about the [state of] things here.
Is one of you: or, came from you. The story of Onesimus and how he came to be “faithful and beloved” is told more fully in Philemon 10-18. Apparently Philemon lived in Kolossai.
10. Aristarkhos, my fellow prisoner, pays his respects to you, as does Markos, Bar-Naba’s nephew, concerning whom you have received directions; if he should come toward you, accept him.
Accept: or receive in a welcoming manner. This represents a major rapprochement on Paulus’ part, as he at one time had found Markos to be unreliable and even broke with his traveling partner Bar-Naba because the latter saw more potential in him. Paulus had now seen the wisdom in his friend’s approach, probably since Markos had proven to go beyond Paulus’ expectations.
11. Also Yeshua whom they call Iustus—these three are the only fellow-workers toward the Kingdom of Elohim from among the circumcision who have turned out to be a consolation to me.
Iustus: Latin for “the just or righteous one”. This other name may have been given partly to distinguish him in some way from the better-known Yeshua (which itself is an Aramaic nickname for Y’hoshua). Circumcision: at that time, usually synonymous with “the Jews”. Turned out: He may have been emphasizing the contrast with so many rabbinical Jews who had “cramped his style”, or simply emphasizing how these three, who had (like Onesimus) once been a bane to him, were now very valuable to him.
12. Epafras, who is one of your own, also greets you; [he is] a servant of Yeshua the Messiah who always wrestles for your sakes in [his] prayers, that you might stand firm, mature, and [operating at your] full capacity in what YHWH wants.
Full capacity: or, fully persuaded of what YHWH wants.
13. I can vouch for his having a great concern for you and for those in Laodikeia and those in Hierapolis.
Great concern: or distress, having taken pains and struggled very hard on their behalf. Hierapolis, another major town close to these two which has been excavated much more extensively than Kolossai.
14. Lukas, the beloved physician, also greets you, as does Demas
Lukas: the author of the eponymous account of Yeshua’s life as well as of the Activities of the Envoys (much of it written in the first person, as he accompanied Paulus, probably to attend to what appears to have been an eye condition). Demas: one who later abandoned Paulus, finding the present world order more exciting or comfortable. (2 Timotheus 4:10)
15. Give my regards to the brothers [and sisters] in Laodikeia, and also Nümpha and the called-out community [that meets] in her house.
16. And whenever the letter has been read [and understood] among you, make sure you also have it read in the called-out congregation of the Laodikeans, and that you also read the one from the Laodikeans.
Laodikeans: This is a letter that is no longer known to be extant, but was also apparently meant to be circulated like this one was, so he does not mind that we “read someone else’s mail” in such cases.
17. And tell Arkhippos, “Pay careful attention to the ministry that you have received through the Master, so that you will finish accomplishing it.
LETTER OF SHA'UL
to the
Kolossians
INTRODUCTION: Thought (based on 4:3, 18) to have been written during Paulus’ first imprisonment in Rome (Acts 28:16, 30) in the 50s C.E., the recipients lived in a city which is now nothing more than a tel with very scant excavation other than some tombs nearby. The congregation’s leader, Epafras (1:7), is thought to have visited Paulus just before the letter was written to respond to his report of the internal condition of the congregation there. Rather than just reprimanding them and telling them to do better, Paulus pulls back the curtain and lets us see what is going on behind the scenes in the spirit realm and the magnificent possibilities that Yeshua’s life, death, and resurrection have opened up for us, which run far deeper than the things we usually think about from day to day. This perspective makes it much easier to be patient with not only our circumstances but with one another. The confusion about Yeshua’s nature that has stemmed from a misreading of this letter is largely resolved by reading the Aramaic version and by understanding Kabbalistic teaching about the "Ancient Adam", the prototype for the image of Elohim which the earthly Adam reflected, and Yeshua restored.
An ancient painting of Kolossai (Colossae)
Remnants of Laodikea
Hierapolis
Laodikea
