the Week of Proper 20 / Ordinary 25
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King James Version
Colossians 2:1
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For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face,
For I want you to understand how great a struggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not seen my face in the flesh,
I want y'all to know how hard I'm riding for y'all and the others in Laodicea. This also includes all the cowboys who I have yet to meet personally.
For it is my desire to give you news of the great fight I am making for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not seen my face in the flesh;
For I would have you know what combat I have for you, and those in Laodicea, and as many as have not seen my face in flesh;
For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you, for those in Laodicea, and for all who have not seen me in person.
For I desire to have you know how greatly I strive for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh;
For I would have you know, how great a conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh:
For I would have you know in how severe a struggle I am engaged on behalf of you and the brethren in Laodicea and of all who have not known me personally,
For I would that ye knew what great conflict I haue for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as haue not seene my face in the flesh:
For I want you to know how great a struggle I have concerning you, and those in Laodicea, and as many as have not seen my face in the flesh,
I wolde ye knewe what fightinge I haue for youre sakes, and for them of Laodicea, and for as many as haue not sene my personne in the flesh,
For I wish you knew how great my concern is for you, and for those of Laodicea, and for such as have never seen me in person:
I want you to realize that I continue to work as hard as I know how for you, and also for the Christians over at Laodicea. Not many of you have met me face-to-face, but that doesn't make any difference. Know that I'm on your side, right alongside you. You're not in this alone.
For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those [believers] at Laodicea, and for all who [like yourselves] have never seen me face to face.
For I would have you know how greatly I strive for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh;
For I want you to know how greatly I strive for you, and for those at La-odice'a, and for all who have not seen my face,
I wolde ye knewe what fyghtinge I have for youre sakes and for them of Laodicia and for as many as have not sene my parson in the flesshe
For I would have you know how greatly I strive for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh;
For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and [for] them at Laodicea, and [for] as many as have not seen my face in the flesh;
For I wish you to know how great a conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and as many as have not seen my face in the flesh,
I want you to know how hard I work for you, those in Laodicea, and others who have never seen me.
For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you, and for those in Laodicea, and for those who have not met me face to face.
I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me face to face,
I want you to know what a struggle I am going through for you, for God's people at Laodicea, and for all of those followers who have never met me.
For I want you to know how hard I work for you, for those in Laodicea, and for the rest of those who have not met me personally.
For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face,
For I woulde ye knewe what great fighting I haue for your sakes, and for them of Laodicea, and for as many as haue not seene my person in the flesh,
I WOULD that you knew how I struggled for your sakes and for the sake of those who are at La-od-i-ce''a, and for the rest who have not seen me personally;
For I desire to have you know how greatly I strive for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh;
For I want you to know how much I struggle for you, for those in Laodicea, and for all who have never seen me face to face.my face in the flesh">[fn]Philippians 1:30; Colossians 1:29; 1 Thessalonians 2:2;">[xr]
But I wish you to know what an agony I have for you and for those who are in Laodikia, and for the rest who have not seen my person in the flesh;
And I wish you to know, what a struggle I have for you, and for them of Laodicea, and for the others who have not seen my face in the flesh;
For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh,
I want you to know how much I have agonized for you and for the church at Laodicea, and for many other believers who have never met me personally.
I want you to know how hard I have worked for you and for the Christians in the city of Laodicea and for those who have never seen me.
For I would have you know how greatly I strive for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh;
For I want you to know how much I am struggling for you, and for those in Laodicea, and for all who have not seen me face to face.
For I desire you to know, how great a contest I am having - in behalf of you, and of those in Laodicea, and as many as have not seen my face in the flesh;
For I would have you know what manner of care I have for you and for them that are at Laodicea and whosoever have not seen my face in the flesh:
For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on behalf of you, and those in Laodicea, and all those who have not seen my face in person,
For I woulde that ye knew what great fight I haue for you, and for them that are at Laodicea, and for as many as haue not seene my face in the fleshe,
I want you to know that I am trying very hard to help you. And I am trying to help those in Laodicea and others who have never seen me.
For I want you to know how great a struggle I have in your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face,
Let me tell you how hard I have worked for you and for the people in Laodicea and for all others who do not know me personally.
But Y wole that ye wite, what bisynesse Y haue for you, and for hem that ben at Laodice, and whiche euere saien not my face in fleisch,
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
what: Colossians 1:24, Colossians 1:29, Colossians 4:12, Genesis 30:8, Genesis 32:24-30, Hosea 12:3, Hosea 12:4, Luke 22:44, Galatians 4:19, Philippians 1:30, 1 Thessalonians 2:2, Hebrews 5:7
conflict: or, fear, or, care
at: Colossians 4:13, Colossians 4:15, Colossians 4:16, Revelation 1:11, Revelation 3:14-22
not: Colossians 2:5, Acts 20:25, Acts 20:38, 1 Peter 1:8
Reciprocal: Leviticus 23:2 - the feasts Luke 11:8 - because of Acts 6:4 - prayer Romans 15:30 - that 2 Corinthians 11:28 - the care Ephesians 3:8 - unsearchable Philippians 1:8 - how Philippians 1:22 - live Hebrews 10:32 - ye endured
Cross-References
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens,
And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.
And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;
And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.
For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you,.... This is occasioned by what he had said in Colossians 1:29, that he laboured and strove according to the energy of divine power in him, to present every man perfect in Christ; and lest these Colossians should think that these labours and strivings of his were only for all and every of those persons among whom he was, and to whom he personally preached, he would have them know, observe, and assure themselves, that the great conflict, strife, and agony, in which he was engaged, was for them also; by which he means, his fervent prayers and wrestlings with God, the conflicts he had in his own mind, with his own spirit, about the good of the churches of Christ, the care of which were upon him, and even of those to whom he was by face unknown, sometimes hoping, sometimes fearing, sometimes rejoicing, at other times weeping, at what he heard concerning them; also his combats with the false apostles, striving and earnestly contending for the faith of the Gospel, giving no place to them, no, not for an hour, defending truth, refuting error, and fighting the good fight of faith, by preaching, writing, and disputing; likewise the various persecutions, great afflictions, and hardships he met with from men, for the sake of the Gospel; add to all this, the frequent battles he had with the enemy of souls, his wrestlings against principalities and powers, the many temptations of Satan with which he was attacked, to draw him off from the service of Christ, to weaken his hands, and hinder his success in it; all which he endured and went through with a greatness of mind, and that for the good of the churches of Christ, and the glory of his name, which were the great things he had in view and among others, for the good of these Colossians,
and [for] them at Laodicea; the saints of that place, the church of Christ which was there; and is the rather mentioned, because near to Colosse: it was a famous city by the river Lycus, first called Diospolis, and then Rhoas p, and afterwards Laodicea; it was the metropolis of Phrygia, in which Colosse stood: hence this epistle is ordered to be read to them also, they being infested with false teachers, and in the same situation and circumstances as the Colossians were; and though the apostle was unknown to both of them, having never been at either place, yet was heartily concerned for each of their welfare, and he strove for them as he did for others; one of Stephens's copies adds, "and them in Hierapolis"; see Colossians 4:13.
And [for] as many as have not seen my face in the flesh; meaning the churches in Christ, and believers in him; such as had never heard him preach, nor had any personal knowledge of him, and conversation with him, which tend to knit the hearts of Christians more firmly together; yet his heart was towards them, he laboured for them, by praying for them, writing to them, suffering all things for their sakes, for the confirmation of them, and of the Gospel of Christ. Christian love and care, and the benefit of the labours and sufferings of Gospel ministers, extend and reach to persons that never saw them.
p Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 29.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
For I would that ye knew - I wish you knew or fully understood. He supposes that this would deeply affect them if they understood the solicitude which he had had on their account.
What great conflict - Margin, fear, or care. The Greek word is “agony” - ἀγῶνα agōna. It is not, however, the word rendered “agony” in Luke 22:44 - ἀγωνία agōnia - though that is derived from this. The word is rendered conflict in Philippians 1:30; contention, 1 Thessalonians 2:2; fight, 1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Timothy 4:7; and race, Hebrews 12:1. It properly refers to the combats, contests, struggles, efforts at the public games; the toil and conflict to obtain a victory. It refers here to the anxious care, the mental conflict, the earnest solicitude which he had in their behalf, in view of the dangers to which they were exposed from Judaizing Christians and Pagan philosophy. This mental struggle resembled that which the combatants had at the public games; compare the 1 Corinthians 9:25, note, 27, note. And for them at Laodicea For Christians there, who were exposed to similar danger. Laodicea was the capital of Phrygia, in Asia Minor, and a little south of Colossae. See Introduction, Section 1. 6. Notes, Colossians 4:16. There was a church early planted there - the “lukewarm” church mentioned in Revelation 3:14. Being in the vicinity of Colossae, the church there would be exposed to the same perils, and the rebuke in Revelation 3:14, showed that the fears of Paul were well founded, and that the arts of the false teachers were too successful.
And for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh - That is, evidently in that region. He had, doubtless, a general solicitude for all Christians, but his remark here has reference to those in the neighborhood of the church at Colossae, or in that church. On the question which has been raised, whether this proves that the apostle Paul had never been at Colossae or Laodicea, see Introduction, Section 2, 4. This passage does not seem to me to prove that he had not been there. It may mean that he had great solicitude for those Christians there whom he knew, and for all others there, or in the vicinity, even though he was not personally acquainted with them. He may refer:
(1) To some churches in the neighborhood formed since he was there; or.
(2) To strangers who had come in there since he was with them; or.
(3) To those who had been converted since he was there, and with whom he had no personal acquaintance. For all these he would feel the same solicitude, for they were all exposed to the same danger. To “see one’s face in the flesh,” is a Hebraism, meaning to become personally acquainted with him.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
CHAPTER II.
The apostle shows his great concern for the Church at Colosse
and at Laodicea; and exhorts them to steadfastness in the
faith, and to beware of being seduced by specious and enticing
words, 1-5.
And to walk in Christ, as they had been taught, and to abound in
faith and holiness, 6, 7.
To beware of false teachers, who strove to pervert the Gospel,
and to lead their minds from him in whom the fulness of the
Godhead dwells; with whom they were filled; by whom they had
received spiritual circumcision; and into whom they were
baptized and were quickened, and raised from a death of sin to
a life of righteousness, 8-12.
He points out their former state, and the great things which
Christ had done for them, 13-15.
Warns them against particular tenets of the Judaizing teachers
relative to meats, drinks, holydays, festivals, and the
specious pretences of deceivers, 16-19.
And shows that all the things taught by these, though they had
a show of wisdom, yet perished in the using, and were the
commandments and doctrines of men, 20-23.
NOTES ON CHAP II.
Verse Colossians 2:1. What great conflict — The word αγων, which we here render conflict, is to be understood as implying earnest care and solicitude, accompanied, undoubtedly, with the most fervent application to the throne of grace in their behalf. The αγωνιζομενος of the preceding verse gave the apostle occasion to use the word αγων here. He agonized with God, and his agony was for them.
Laodicea — A city of Asia Minor, on the borders of Caria, Phrygia, and Lydia. It was originally called Diospolis, or the city of Jupiter, and afterwards Rhoas; but obtained the name of Laodicea from Laodice, the wife of Antiochus. It is now called Ladik. It was formerly celebrated for its commerce, and the fine black wool of its sheep. Colosse, or the city of the Colossians, lay between it and Hierapolis. This Hierapolis was also a town of Phrygia, famous for its hot baths: it is now called Bambukholasi.
As many as have not seen my face in the flesh — From this it has been conjectured that St. Paul had never been at either Colosse or Laodicea, and this, from the letter of the text, appears probable; and yet, his having passed more than once through this country, preaching and strengthening the Churches, renders it very improbable. It is, therefore, most likely that we should understand the apostle as speaking collectively; that he had the most earnest concern, not only for the welfare of those Churches with which he was acquainted, such as Colosse and Laodicea, but also for those to whom he was not personally known.
