COL 1:3-14

Thanksgiving and Prayer

3We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, always praying for you,

4having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints,

5because of the hope laid up for you in the heavens — which you heard of before in the word of truth, the gospel

6that has come to you, just as in all the world it is bearing fruit and growing, so also among you, from the day you heard it and fully knew the grace of God in truth,

7just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on your behalf,

8the one who also made known to us your love in the Spirit.

9For this reason we also, from the day we heard it, have not ceased praying for you and asking that you be filled with the full knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding,

10so that you may walk worthily of the Lord, pleasing him in every way, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the full knowledge of God,

11being empowered with all power according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy,

12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

13He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of his love,

14in whom we have the redemption — the forgiveness of sins.

In the world it was spoken into

In the Greco-Roman world, expressions of gratitude and prayer were deeply embedded in social and religious practices, often tied to reciprocity and patronage. The Colossian community, likely a mix of Jewish and Gentile believers, would have understood this thanksgiving as a recognition of their shared identity in Christ. The mention of 'faith' would have resonated as a term of loyalty and trust, akin to fidelity in a patron-client relationship. The 'hope laid up in the heavens' reflects a Jewish apocalyptic expectation, contrasting with the transient rewards of Roman civic religion. The emphasis on 'knowing the grace of God in truth' would have signaled a profound, experiential understanding, distinct from mere intellectual assent. The global spread of the gospel ('in all the world') would have underscored the universal scope of this new movement, challenging local and imperial loyalties.

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How other translations render this

COL 1:3

KJV: We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
BSB: We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
Koinōnos: We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, always praying for you,

COL 1:4

KJV: Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints,
BSB: because we have heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all the saints—
Koinōnos: having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints,

COL 1:5

KJV: For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;
BSB: the faith and love proceeding from the hope stored up for you in heaven, of which you have already heard in the word of truth, the gospel
Koinōnos: because of the hope laid up for you in the heavens — which you heard of before in the word of truth, the gospel

COL 1:6

KJV: Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:
BSB: that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood the grace of God.
Koinōnos: that has come to you, just as in all the world it is bearing fruit and growing, so also among you, from the day you heard it and fully knew the grace of God in truth,

COL 1:7

KJV: As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ;
BSB: You learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf,
Koinōnos: just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on your behalf,

COL 1:8

KJV: Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.
BSB: and who also informed us of your love in the Spirit.
Koinōnos: the one who also made known to us your love in the Spirit.

COL 1:9

KJV: For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
BSB: For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
Koinōnos: For this reason we also, from the day we heard it, have not ceased praying for you and asking that you be filled with the full knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding,

COL 1:10

KJV: That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
BSB: so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,
Koinōnos: so that you may walk worthily of the Lord, pleasing him in every way, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the full knowledge of God,

COL 1:11

KJV: Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;
BSB: being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have full endurance and patience, and joyfully
Koinōnos: being empowered with all power according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy,

COL 1:12

KJV: Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
BSB: giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.
Koinōnos: giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

COL 1:13

KJV: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
BSB: He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of His beloved Son,
Koinōnos: He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of his love,

COL 1:14

KJV: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
BSB: in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Koinōnos: in whom we have the redemption — the forgiveness of sins.

Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.

Translator's notes

COL 1:4

faith:The word translated 'faith' here implies a deep trust and reliance, a persuasion that leads to action, rather than merely intellectual assent.

COL 1:6

and:The word translated 'and' in this context carries the sense of coming to fully know or recognize something, often with a deeper understanding or appreciation.

COL 1:7

beloved:The term used here, translated 'beloved,' literally means 'fellow slave' or 'co-worker,' emphasizing a shared status and service rather than just affection.

COL 1:9

knowledge:The word translated 'knowledge' suggests a full, precise, or experiential knowledge, often implying a deeper understanding or recognition rather than just factual information.