the Week of Proper 21 / Ordinary 26
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King James Version
Colossians 4:6
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- DailyParallel Translations
Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.
Let your words always be with grace, seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should answer each person.
Use every interaction as an opportunity to reveal God. Be someone they can look up to. Bring value to their lives by showing them grace and mercy. These are the answers to every interaction.
Let your talk be with grace, mixed with salt, so that you may be able to give an answer to everyone.
[Let] your word [be] always with grace, seasoned with salt, [so as] to know how ye ought to answer each one.
Your speech should always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person.
Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every one.
Let your language be always seasoned with the salt of grace, so that you may know how to give every man a fitting answer.
Let your speech bee alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how yee ought to answere euery man.
Let your word be always with grace, having been seasoned with salt, to know how you ought to answer each one.
Let youre speach be allwaye fauorable, seasoned with salt, that ye maye knowe how to answere euery man.
let an air of modesty appear in all your discourse; and let it be seasoned with discretion, in making a proper reply, when you are call'd into question.
Let your speech at all times be gracious and pleasant, seasoned with salt, so that you will know how to answer each one [who questions you].
Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer each one.
Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer every one.
Let youre speache be all wayes well favoured and be powdred with salt that ye maye know how to answer every ma.
Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
Let your speech [be] always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.
your word always in grace -- with salt being seasoned -- to know how it behoveth you to answer each one.
When you talk, you should always be kind and pleasant so you will be able to answer everyone in the way you should.
Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer everyone.
Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
Be pleasant and hold their interest when you speak the message. Choose your words carefully and be ready to give answers to anyone who asks questions.
let your conversation always be gracious and interesting, so that you will know how to respond to any particular individual.
Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
Let your speach be gracious alwayes, and powdred with salt, that ye may know how to answere euery man.
Let your conversation be gracious, seasoned with salt, and you should know how to answer every man.
Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone.Ecclesiastes 10:12; Mark 9:50; Colossians 3:16; 1 Peter 3:15;">[xr]
6 And let your speech at all time be with grace as sprinkled [fn] with salt, each one knowing how it becometh him to return the answer.
And let your speech at all times be with grace; as it were, seasoned with salt: and know ye, how ye ought to give answer to every man.
Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.
Speak with them in such a way they will want to listen to you. Do not let your talk sound foolish. Know how to give the right answer to anyone.
Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer each one.
Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone.
Your discourse being always with benefit, with salt, seasoned, - that ye may know how it behoveth you, unto each one, to be making answer.
Let your speech be always in grace seasoned with salt: that you may know how you ought to answer every man.
Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how it is necessary for you to answer each one.
Let your speache be alway in grace, powdered with salt, to knowe howe ye ought to aunswere euery man.
When you talk, you should always be kind and wise. Then you will be able to answer everyone in the way you should.
Your speech must always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.
Your speech should always be pleasant and interesting, and you should know how to give the right answer to everyone.
Youre word be sauered in salt eueremore in grace; that ye wite, hou it bihoueth you to answere to ech man.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
your: Colossians 3:16, Deuteronomy 6:6, Deuteronomy 6:7, Deuteronomy 11:19, 1 Chronicles 16:24, Psalms 37:30, Psalms 37:31, Psalms 40:9, Psalms 40:10, Psalms 45:2, Psalms 66:16, Psalms 71:15-18, Psalms 71:23, Psalms 71:24, Psalms 78:3, Psalms 78:4, Psalms 105:2, Psalms 119:13, Psalms 119:46, Proverbs 10:21, Proverbs 15:4, Proverbs 15:7, Proverbs 16:21-24, Proverbs 22:17, Proverbs 22:18, Proverbs 25:11, Proverbs 25:12, Ecclesiastes 10:12, Malachi 3:16-18, Matthew 12:34, Matthew 12:35, Luke 4:22, Ephesians 4:29
seasoned: Leviticus 2:13, 2 Kings 2:20-22, Matthew 5:13, Mark 9:50
how: Proverbs 26:4, Proverbs 26:5, Luke 20:20-40, 1 Peter 3:15
Reciprocal: Job 4:3 - Behold Job 6:6 - that which Job 15:3 - he reason Psalms 119:172 - tongue Proverbs 18:4 - words Proverbs 18:21 - Death Song of Solomon 4:3 - lips Song of Solomon 7:9 - the roof Ezekiel 43:24 - cast salt Matthew 5:37 - let Matthew 21:24 - I also Matthew 22:22 - they marvelled Mark 12:34 - And no Luke 6:45 - good man Luke 14:34 - but Luke 20:3 - I will John 8:7 - and said Colossians 4:4 - as James 1:26 - bridleth 1 Peter 4:11 - any
Cross-References
And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord .
And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord .
And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;
And Cain said unto the Lord , My punishment is greater than I can bear.
For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one.
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord : though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Thus saith the Lord , What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?
Gill's Notes on the Bible
Let your speech be always with grace,.... "In grace, or concerning grace": let grace be the subject matter of your speech and conversation. When saints meet together they should converse with each other about the work of grace upon their souls, how it was begun, and how it has been carried on, and in what case it now is; they should talk of the great things and wonders of grace, which God has done for them, which would be both comfortable and edifying to them, and make for the glory of the grace of God; and also, they should confer together about the doctrines of grace, and so instruct, establish, and build up one another in them; and at least their conversation should always turn on things graceful and acceptable, such as may minister grace unto the hearer, and be useful and edifying; wherefore all obscene words, unchaste expressions, filthiness, foolish talking, and jesting, ought not to be used. Or this may regard the manner of the speech, and language of the saints; it should be in the exercise of grace; it should be in truth, faithfulness, and sincerity, without lying, dissimulation, and flattery; it should be in consistence with the grace of love, therefore evil should not be spoken one of another; nor should there be whisperings, backbitings, or anything said that is injurious to the character, credit, and reputation of another; for this is contrary to love, and so not with grace: and whatever is said should be spoken in the fear of God; the reason why so many evil things proceed out of the mouths of men is, because the fear of God is not before their eyes. Moreover, the speech of the saints ought to be in a graceful way, with a cheerful and pleasant countenance, in an affable and courteous manner, and not after a morose, churlish, and ill natured fashion: and this should be "alway" the case; not that they should be always talking, for there is a time to keep silence, as well as a time to speak; but the sense is, that when they do speak, it should be both graceful things, and in a graceful manner; so that there is never any room and place for vain discourse, unprofitable talk, and idle words, which must all be accounted for in the day of judgment.
Seasoned with salt. The Syriac version adds, איך, "as" and reads it, "as if it was seasoned with salt": grace being that to speech, as salt is to meat; as salt makes meat savoury and agreeable to the palate, so grace, prudence, and holiness, which may be meant by salt, see Mark 9:50, make discourse savoury, pleasant, and acceptable to a spiritual man, who savours the things that be of God, as all such things are that relate to the grace of God, the work or doctrines of it; and as salt preserves flesh from putrefaction and corruption, so when grace goes along with speech, it makes it pure and incorrupt, sound speech which cannot be condemned: and the apostle's view is, in this exhortation, that nothing unsavoury and corrupt proceed out of the mouths of believers; see Ephesians 4:29,
that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. The Syriac and Arabic versions render it, "and know ye how", c. and make it to be a fresh exhortation to the saints to be concerned for such a share of spiritual knowledge, that they may be able to give a proper and pertinent answer, with meekness and fear, to such as shall ask a reason of the hope that is in them and to make suitable returns to persons according to their age, sex, capacities, and circumstances; for everyone is not to be answered alike, nor the same man under different circumstances; a fool is sometimes to be answered according to his folly, and sometimes not; and this seems to be a better reading than ours, which makes this to be the end of gracious, savoury, and incorrupt speech; whereas knowledge is not acquired by speaking, but ought to go before it; though indeed a person that uses himself to speaking with prudence, purity, and grace, is at all times ready to give an agreeable answer, in a graceful and acceptable manner, to everyone.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Let your speech - Your conversation. In the previous verse the apostle had given a general direction that our conduct toward those who are not professing Christians should be wise and prudent; he here gives a particular direction in regard to our conversation.
Be alway with grace - Imbued with the spirit of religion. It should be such as religion is fitted to produce; such as to show that the grace of God is in our hearts. Bloomfield supposes that this means “courteous and agreeable, not morose and melancholy.” But though this may be included, and though the rule here laid down would lead to that, it cannot be all that is intended. It rather means that our conversation should be such as to show that we are governed by the principles of religion, and that there is unfeigned piety in the heart. This will indeed make us mild, courteous, agreeable, and urbane in our conversation; but it will do more than this. It will imbue our discourse with the spirit of religion, so as to show that the soul is under the influence of love to the Redeemer.
Seasoned with salt - Salt, among the Greeks, was the emblem of wit. Here the meaning seems to be, that our conversation should be seasoned with piety or grace in a way similar to that in which we employ salt in our food. It makes it wholesome and palatable. So with our conversation. If it be not imbued with the spirit of piety, it is flat, insipid, unprofitable, injurious. The spirit of piety will make it what it should be - useful, agreeable, beneficial to mankind. This does not mean that our conversation is to be always, strictly speaking, religious - wherever we may be - any more than our food should be mere salt; but it means that, whatever be the topic, the spirit of piety should be diffused through it - as the salt in our food should properly season it all - whatever the article of food may be.
That ye may know how ye ought to answer every man - Be imbued with the spirit of piety, that you may not utter any thing that would be rash and foolish, but be prepared to answer anyone who may question you about your religion in a way that will show that you understand its nature, and that will tend to edification. This remark may be extended further. It may be understood as meaning also, “be imbued with the spirit of religion, and you will be able to answer any man appropriately on any subject. If he asks you about the evidence or the nature of religion, you will be able to reply to him. If he converses with you on the common topics of the day, you will be able to answer him in a mild, kind, affable spirit. If he asks you of things of which you are ignorant; if he introduces some topic of science with which you are not acquainted, you will not be ashamed to confess your ignorance, and to seek instruction. If he addresses you in a haughty, insolent, and overbearing manner, you will be able to repress the risings of your temper, and to answer him with gentleness and kindness; compare Luke 2:46.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse 6. Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt — Let it be such as has a tendency to oppose and preserve from the corruption of sin. The rabbins say: "He who, in prayer, omits any word, should begin again at the beginning; for he who does not is like boiled pottage, in which there is no salt." Berachoth, fol. 34, 1. Let all your conversation be such as may tend to exemplify and recommend Christianity; let it not only be holy, but wise, gracious, and intelligent. A harsh method of proposing or defending the doctrines of Christianity only serves to repel men from those doctrines, and from the way of salvation. Salt, from its use in preserving food from corruption, and rendering it both savoury and wholesome, has always been made the emblem of wisdom. The word has been also used to express in composition or conversation what is terse, comprehensive, useful, elegant, and impressive. The term Attic salt has been used to express some of the principal beauties of the Greek tongue; of such beauties the Gospel of Christ has an endless store. Matthew 5:13, and "Mark 9:50".
How ye ought to answer every man. — That your discourse may be so judiciously managed, that ye may discern how to treat the prejudices and meet the objections both of Jews and Gentiles.
