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the Week of Proper 20 / Ordinary 25
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Read the Bible

King James Version

Colossians 1:17

And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Jesus, the Christ;   Jesus Continued;   Power;   Thompson Chain Reference - Christ;   Divinity;   Divinity-Humanity;   Eternal;   Pre-Existence of Christ;   The Topic Concordance - Atonement;   Blood;   Body;   Creation;   Jesus Christ;   Pleasure;   Reconciliation;   Sacrifice;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Christ Is God;   Power of Christ, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - A;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Colossians, letter to the;   Creation;   Firstborn;   God;   Jesus christ;   Miracles;   Paul;   Providence;   Singing;   Word;   Worship;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Animals;   Body of Christ;   Church, the;   Confess, Confession;   Paul the Apostle;   Time;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Angel;   Generation, Eternal ;   Jesus Christ;   Omnipotence of God;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Creation;   Philippians, Epistle to;   Providence;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Acts of the Apostles;   Genesis, the Book of;   Hebrews, the Epistle to the;   John, the Epistles of;   Providence;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Colossians;   Confessions and Credos;   Creation;   Fall;   Head of the Church;   Incarnation;   King, Christ as;   Lord;   Paul;   Wisdom and Wise Men;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Alpha and Omega;   Atonement;   Gnosticism;   Kenosis;   Life;   Logos;   Perfection;   Person of Christ;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Alpha and Omega (2);   Angels;   Assumption of Moses;   Attributes of Christ;   Colossians, Epistle to the;   Communion (2);   Creator (Christ as);   Death of Christ;   Doxology ;   Elect, Election ;   Enoch Book of;   Ephesians Epistle to the;   First and Last ;   Gospel (2);   Heaven;   Heir;   Humiliation of Christ;   John, Gospel of (Ii. Contents);   Logos;   Mediation Mediator;   Mediator;   Pre-Eminence ;   Pre-Existence;   Pre-Existence of Christ;   Presence (2);   Propitiation (2);   Restoration;   Supremacy;   Union with God;   Unity;   Wisdom of Christ;   World;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Colossians, Epistle to the;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Christ;   Jeremiah;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Scripture;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Creation;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Birthright;   Colossians, Epistle to the;   Consist;   Eschatology of the New Testament;   Hope;   Logos;   Pauline Theology;   Philosophy;   Providence;   World (Cosmological);   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Saul of Tarsus;  

Devotionals:

- Daily Light on the Daily Path - Devotion for November 3;   Every Day Light - Devotion for November 25;  

Parallel Translations

New American Standard Bible (1995)
He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
Legacy Standard Bible
And He is before all things,And in Him all things hold together.
Simplified Cowboy Version
We were made with his hand and still he holds all things together.
Bible in Basic English
He is before all things, and in him all things have being.
Darby Translation
And *he* is before all, and all things subsist together by him.
Christian Standard Bible®
He is before all things, and by Him all things hold together.
World English Bible
He is before all things, and in him all things are held together.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And he is before all things, and by him all things consist, And he is the head of his body the church;
Weymouth's New Testament
And HE IS before all things and in and through Him the universe is a harmonious whole.
King James Version (1611)
And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
Literal Translation
And He is before all things, and all things have subsisted in Him.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and he is before all thinges, and in him all thinges haue their beynge.
Mace New Testament (1729)
and by him all things consist.
Amplified Bible
And He Himself existed and is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. [His is the controlling, cohesive force of the universe.]
American Standard Version
and he is before all things, and in him all things consist.
Revised Standard Version
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
and he is before all thinges and in him all thynges have their beynge.
Update Bible Version
and he is before all things, and in him all things consist.
Webster's Bible Translation
And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
Young's Literal Translation
and himself is before all, and the all things in him have consisted.
New Century Version
He was there before anything was made, and all things continue because of him.
New English Translation
He himself is before all things and all things are held together in him.
Berean Standard Bible
He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
Contemporary English Version
God's Son was before all else, and by him everything is held together.
Complete Jewish Bible
He existed before all things, and he holds everything together.
English Standard Version
And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And hee is before all things, and in him all things consist.
George Lamsa Translation
And he is before all things, and by him all things are sustained.
Hebrew Names Version
He is before all things, and in him all things are held together.
International Standard Version
He himself existed before all things, and byin">[fn] him all things hold together.John 1:1,3; 17:5; 1 Corinthians 8:6;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
and he is before all, and every thing by him subsisteth.
Murdock Translation
and he was prior to all, and by him every thing exists.
New King James Version
And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.
New Living Translation
He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.
New Life Bible
Christ was before all things. All things are held together by Him.
English Revised Version
and he is before all things, and in him all things consist.
New Revised Standard
He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, he, is before all, and, they all, in him, hold together;
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he is before all: and by him all things consist.
Lexham English Bible
and he himself is before all things, and in him all things are held together,
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And he is before all thynges, and in hym all thynges consist.
Easy-to-Read Version
The Son was there before anything was made. And all things continue because of him.
New American Standard Bible
He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
Good News Translation
Christ existed before all things, and in union with him all things have their proper place.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and he is bifor alle, and alle thingis ben in hym.

Contextual Overview

12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. 19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; 20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. 21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

he: Colossians 1:15, Proverbs 8:22, Proverbs 8:23, Isaiah 43:11-13, Isaiah 44:6, Micah 5:2, John 1:1-3, John 8:58, John 17:5, 1 Corinthians 8:6, Hebrews 13:8, Revelation 1:8, Revelation 1:11, Revelation 1:17, Revelation 2:8

and by: 1 Samuel 2:8, Psalms 75:3, John 5:17, John 5:18, Acts 17:28, Hebrews 1:3

Reciprocal: Genesis 1:1 - God 1 Chronicles 16:30 - stable 2 Chronicles 2:12 - that made heaven Nehemiah 9:6 - preservest Psalms 33:9 - and it stood Psalms 55:19 - even Psalms 78:69 - earth Isaiah 40:26 - who hath Isaiah 44:24 - by myself Isaiah 66:2 - For all those Jeremiah 51:15 - hath made John 1:3 - General John 1:15 - he was 2 Corinthians 5:18 - all 2 Corinthians 8:9 - though Ephesians 3:9 - created Hebrews 1:2 - appointed Hebrews 2:10 - for 2 Peter 3:5 - standing Revelation 4:11 - for thou

Cross-References

Genesis 9:13
I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.
Job 38:12
Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; and caused the dayspring to know his place;
Psalms 8:1
O Lord , our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.
Psalms 8:3
When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
Acts 13:47
For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he is before all things,.... Not only in dignity, being preferable to angels and men in his nature, names, offices, and works, and worthy of more honour than all creatures; but he is before them in existence, as he must needs be, since they are all made by him; he was not only before John the Baptist, his forerunner, before Abraham who saw his day and was glad, before the first man was made, but before the angels were in being, or the heavens and the earth, or any creature were formed; and therefore must be God, who is from everlasting to everlasting:

and by him all things consist; he upholds all things by the word of his power; the heavens have their stability and continuance from him; the pillars of the earth are bore up by him, otherwise that and the inhabitants of it would be dissolved; the angels in heaven are confirmed in their estate by him, and have their standing and security in him; the elector God are in his hands, and are his peculiar care and charge, and therefore shall never perish; yea, all mankind live and move, and have their being in him; the whole frame of nature would burst asunder and break in pieces, was it not held together by him; every created being has its support from him, and its consistence in him; and all the affairs of Providence relating to all creatures are governed, directed, and managed by him, in conjunction with the Father and the blessed Spirit.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And he is before all things - As he must be, if he created all things. Those who regard this as referring to a moral creation, interpret it as meaning that he has the pre-eminence over all things; not as referring to his pre-existence. But the fair and proper meaning of the word “before” (πρὸ pro) is, that he was before all things in the order of existence; compare Matthew 8:29; John 11:55; John 13:1; Acts 5:36; Acts 21:38; 2 Corinthians 12:2. It is equivalent to saying that he was eternal - for he that had an existence before any thing was created, must be eternal. Thus, it is equivalent to the phrase, “In the beginning;” Genesis 1:1; compare the notes at John 1:1.

And by him all things subsist - Or are sustained; see the notes at Hebrews 1:3. The meaning is, that they are kept in the present state; their existence, order, and arrangement are continued by his power. If unsupported by him, they would fall into disorder, or sink back to nothing. If this be the proper interpretation, then it is the ascription to Christ of infinite power - for nothing less could be sufficient to uphold the universe; and of infinite wisdom - for this is needed to preserve the harmonious action of the suns and systems of which it is composed. None could do this but one who is divine; and hence we see the reason why he is represented as the image of the invisible God. He is the great and glorious and everactive agent by whom the perfections of God are made known.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 17. :-


 
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