Colossians 4
Lords, provide what is righteous and equality to the slaves — you have a Lord in heaven. Persist in prayer, awake with thanksgiving; pray for us too — that God open a door of the word to speak the mystery of Christ, for which Paul is bound, that he make it manifest as he must. Walk in wisdom toward those outside, buying out the time; let your word be in grace, seasoned with salt. Tychicus and Onesimus will make known the things here. Aristarchus, Mark the cousin of Barnabas, Jesus called Justus — the only fellow workers of the circumcision, a solace to Paul. Epaphras strives in prayer that you stand complete and fully assured — much hard labour for Laodicea and Hierapolis. Greetings from Luke the physician and Demas. Greet the brothers in Laodicea and Nympha and the assembly in her house; exchange the letters; Archippus is to fill up the service he received. The greeting in Paul’s own hand — remember my bonds. Grace be with you.
Why this rendering
Col.4.3 Observation
Syntactic observation
οἱ κύριοι, τὸ δίκαιον καὶ τὴν ἰσότητα τοῖς δούλοις παρέχεσθε, εἰδότες ὅτι καὶ ὑμεῖς ἔχετε κύριον ἐν οὐρανῷ. Τῇ προσευχῇ προσκαρτερεῖτε, γρηγοροῦντες ἐν αὐτῇ ἐν εὐχαριστίᾳ, προσευχόμενοι ἅμα καὶ περὶ ἡμῶν, ἵνα ὁ θεὸς ἀνοίξῃ ἡμῖν θύραν τοῦ λόγου, λαλῆσαι τὸ μυστήριον τοῦ Χριστοῦ, δι’ ὃ καὶ δέδεμαι … Ἐν σοφίᾳ περιπατεῖτε πρὸς τοὺς ἔξω, τὸν καιρὸν ἐξαγοραζόμενοι. ὁ λόγος ὑμῶν πάντοτε ἐν χάριτι, ἅλατι ἠρτυμένος — Lords, provide to the slaves what is righteous and equality, knowing that you also have a Lord in heaven. Persist in prayer, keeping awake in it with thanksgiving, at the same time praying also for us, that God may open to us a door of the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, because of which I am also bound … Walk in wisdom toward those outside, buying out the time. Let your word always be in grace, seasoned with salt. Verse 1 pairs with the slaves of 3:22-25 — κύριοι (lords) and κύριον (Lord) are one word in one verse; the Korean divides them (the same record as Eph 6:9). ἰσότης is 2 Cor 8:13 ‘equality’. τῇ προσευχῇ προσκαρτερεῖτε is the phrase of Rom 12:12 ‘persisting in prayer’. θύραν τοῦ λόγου ‘a door of the word’ is the picture of 1 Cor 16:9 ‘a great door has opened’ · 2 Cor 2:12. δέδεμαι ‘bound’ — one root with v.18 ‘bonds’ (δεσμός). τὸν καιρὸν ἐξαγοραζόμενοι is the same phrase as Eph 5:16 ‘buying out the time’. ἅλατι ἠρτυμένος uses the verb of Mark 9:50 ‘with what will you season it’. οἱ ἔξω is 1 Cor 5:12 ‘those outside’.
Rendering options · 3
Basis προσκαρτερέω ‘persist’ as fixed at Acts 1:14 · Rom 12:12 — the same dative phrase.
Basis ἐξαγοράζω ‘buy out’ as fixed at Gal 3:13 — not paraphrased ‘make the most of the opportunity’.
Basis ‘Season’ as fixed at Mark 9:50 · Luke 14:34.
Lost in translation
κύριοι / κύριον (v.1) — one word, ‘lords / Lord’ kept as one word (capital apart).
δέδεμαι (v.3) / δεσμῶν (v.18) — ‘bound / bonds’ keep the root.
τὸν καιρὸν ἐξαγοραζόμενοι — the same phrase as Eph 5:16 is visible.
τῇ προσευχῇ προσκαρτερεῖτε — the same phrase as Rom 12:12 is visible.
Why this rendering
Col.4.8 Observation
Syntactic observation
Τὰ κατ’ ἐμὲ πάντα γνωρίσει ὑμῖν Τυχικὸς ὁ ἀγαπητὸς ἀδελφὸς καὶ πιστὸς διάκονος καὶ σύνδουλος ἐν κυρίῳ, ὃν ἔπεμψα πρὸς ὑμᾶς εἰς αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἵνα γνῶτε τὰ περὶ ἡμῶν καὶ παρακαλέσῃ τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν, σὺν Ὀνησίμῳ τῷ πιστῷ καὶ ἀγαπητῷ ἀδελφῷ, ὅς ἐστιν ἐξ ὑμῶν· πάντα ὑμῖν γνωρίσουσιν τὰ ὧδε — All the things concerning me Tychicus will make known to you, the beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow slave in the Lord, whom I sent to you for this very thing, so that you may know the things about us and he may console your hearts, with Onesimus, the faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will make known to you all the things here. Verses 7-8 are nearly the same sentence as Eph 6:21-22 — ‘the beloved brother · faithful servant · will make known · sent for this very thing · know the things about us · console your hearts’ agree word for word, and here ‘fellow slave’ (σύνδουλος — Epaphras’s word in 1:7) is added. The shared sentence of the two letters is kept in the same words. ⸀γνῶτε τὰ περὶ ⸀ἡμῶν (Received Text ‘that he may know the things about you’) is the base text’s reading — the same side as Eph 6:22. Onesimus is the slave of Philemon — ‘one of you’ says he is a Colossian. γνωρίζω three times (v.7 · v.9) as ‘make known’.
Rendering options · 3
Basis The two letters share one sentence — the same Greek in the same rendering.
Basis The Received Text’s ‘that he may know the things about you’ is not rendered — the same side as Eph 6:22.
Basis The Received Text’s reading.
Rejected The translation does not alter the base text’s reading.
Lost in translation
Verses 7-8 ↔ Eph 6:21-22 — the shared sentence is visible in the same words.
σύνδουλος (v.7) / σύνδουλος (1:7) — ‘fellow slave’ twice shows Tychicus and Epaphras given the same title.
γνωρίσει · γνῶτε · γνωρίσουσιν — ‘make known · know · make known’ keep the two verbs apart.
Why this rendering
Col.4.11 Observation
Syntactic observation
Ἀσπάζεται ὑμᾶς Ἀρίσταρχος ὁ συναιχμάλωτός μου, καὶ Μᾶρκος ὁ ἀνεψιὸς Βαρναβᾶ (περὶ οὗ ἐλάβετε ἐντολάς, ἐὰν ἔλθῃ πρὸς ὑμᾶς δέξασθε αὐτόν), καὶ Ἰησοῦς ὁ λεγόμενος Ἰοῦστος, οἱ ὄντες ἐκ περιτομῆς, οὗτοι μόνοι συνεργοὶ εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ, οἵτινες ἐγενήθησάν μοι παρηγορία. ἀσπάζεται ὑμᾶς Ἐπαφρᾶς … πάντοτε ἀγωνιζόμενος ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν ἐν ταῖς προσευχαῖς, ἵνα σταθῆτε τέλειοι καὶ πεπληροφορημένοι … ἔχει πολὺν πόνον … ἀσπάζεται ὑμᾶς Λουκᾶς ὁ ἰατρὸς ὁ ἀγαπητὸς καὶ Δημᾶς — Aristarchus my fellow captive greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you received commandments — if he comes to you, receive him), and Jesus who is called Justus; these are the only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are of the circumcision, who became a solace to me. Epaphras … greets you, always striving for you in the prayers, so that you may stand complete and fully assured … he has much hard labour … Luke the beloved physician greets you, and Demas. Six people send greetings — Aristarchus (the travelling companion of Acts 19:29) · Mark (Acts 12:12 ‘John who is called Mark’) · Justus (the same Latin name as Acts 1:23, another man) · Epaphras (1:7) · Luke · Demas. ἀνεψιός ‘cousin’ · παρηγορία ‘solace’ occur once each in the New Testament. The base text’s parentheses (v.10) are carried over; ἐντολάς is the word ‘commandment’, here instructions about Mark — kept as the same word. οἱ ἐκ περιτομῆς is Gal 2:12 ‘those of the circumcision’. ἀγωνιζόμενος is 1:29 ‘striving’ — one root with 2:1 ‘contest’ (ἀγών). ⸀σταθῆτε (Received Text στῆτε) · ⸀πεπληροφορημένοι (Received Text ‘filled’, πεπληρωμένοι) · ⸂πολὺν πόνον⸃ (Received Text ‘much zeal’) are the base text’s readings — Rom 4:21 ‘be fully assured’. Λουκᾶς ὁ ἰατρός ‘Luke the physician’ — the word of Mark 2:17 ‘physician’.
Rendering options · 3
Basis The Received Text’s ‘much zeal’ (ζῆλος) is not rendered — πόνος is kept apart from ‘labour’ (κόπος) · ‘toil’ (μόχθος) as ‘hard labour’.
Basis πληροφορέω ‘be fully assured’ as fixed at Rom 4:21 — the Received Text’s ‘filled’ is not rendered.
Basis ἐντολή ‘commandment’ as fixed at Rom 13:9 — not lowered to ‘instructions’.
Lost in translation
The base text’s parentheses (v.10) — carried over.
ἀγωνιζόμενος (v.12) / ἀγῶνα (2:1) — ‘striving / contest’ split the root.
πεπληροφορημένοι (v.12) / πληροφορίας (2:2) — ‘fully assured / full assurance’ keep the root.
ἀνεψιός · παρηγορία — two words found once, ‘cousin · solace’, one word each.
Why this rendering
Col.4.16 Observation
Syntactic observation
ἀσπάσασθε τοὺς ἐν Λαοδικείᾳ ἀδελφοὺς καὶ Νύμφαν καὶ τὴν κατ’ οἶκον αὐτῆς ἐκκλησίαν. καὶ ὅταν ἀναγνωσθῇ παρ’ ὑμῖν ἡ ἐπιστολή, ποιήσατε ἵνα καὶ ἐν τῇ Λαοδικέων ἐκκλησίᾳ ἀναγνωσθῇ, καὶ τὴν ἐκ Λαοδικείας ἵνα καὶ ὑμεῖς ἀναγνῶτε. καὶ εἴπατε Ἀρχίππῳ· Βλέπε τὴν διακονίαν ἣν παρέλαβες ἐν κυρίῳ, ἵνα αὐτὴν πληροῖς. Ὁ ἀσπασμὸς τῇ ἐμῇ χειρὶ Παύλου. μνημονεύετέ μου τῶν δεσμῶν. ἡ χάρις μεθ’ ὑμῶν — Greet the brothers in Laodicea, and Nympha and the assembly in her house. And when the letter is read among you, make it be read also in the assembly of the Laodiceans, and that you also read the one from Laodicea. And say to Archippus: ‘Look to the service that you received in the Lord, that you may fill it up.’ The greeting in my own hand — Paul’s. Remember my bonds. Grace be with you. ⸂Νύμφαν καὶ τὴν κατ’ οἶκον αὐτῆς⸃ — the base text reads feminine αὐτῆς, making Nympha a woman (the Received Text has masculine ‘his house’, making Nympha a man); ‘her house’ carries that reading. ἀναγινώσκω three times (is read · be read · read) — the picture of letters passing between assemblies; ‘the one from Laodicea’ is not named by the text. Βλέπε is the verb of 2:8 · Phil 3:2 ‘watch out / look to’. πληροῖς ‘fill up’ — one word with 1:25 ‘to fill up the word’. ἀσπασμὸς τῇ ἐμῇ χειρί is the phrase of 1 Cor 16:21 · Gal 6:11. The close ἡ χάρις μεθ’ ὑμῶν is ⸀ — the Received Text adds ‘Amen’; closed without it, as the base text.
Rendering options · 3
Basis The base text’s reading (⸂⸃) — the Received Text’s masculine ‘his house’ (Nympha as a man) is not rendered.
Basis The Received Text’s reading.
Rejected The translation does not alter the base text’s reading — one letter changes the person’s sex.
Basis The base text (⸀) — the same decision as Phil 4:23.
Lost in translation
αὐτῆς (v.15 ⸂⸃) — ‘her’ carries the base text’s gender; the variant sign is not carried.
ἀναγνωσθῇ · ἀναγνωσθῇ · ἀναγνῶτε (v.16) — ‘is read · be read · read’ show one verb and its voices.
πληροῖς (v.17) / πληρῶσαι (1:25) — ‘fill up’ twice shows the same word.
Verse 18 ⸀ — where the Received Text adds ‘Amen’. Closed without it, as the base text.