Robertson Word Pictures - Colossians 2:15 - 2:15

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Robertson Word Pictures - Colossians 2:15 - 2:15


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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:

Having put off from himself (apekdusamenos). Only here and Col 3:9 and one MS. of Josephus (apekdus). Both apoduō and ekduō occur in ancient writers. Paul simply combines the two for expression of complete removal. But two serious problems arise here. Is God or Christ referred to by apekdusamenos? What is meant by “the principalities and the powers” (tas archas kai tas exousias)? Modern scholars differ radically and no full discussion can be attempted here as one finds in Lightfoot, Haupt, Abbott, Peake. On the whole I am inclined to look on God as still the subject and the powers to be angels such as the Gnostics worshipped and the verb to mean “despoil” (American Standard Version) rather than “having put off from himself.” In the Cross of Christ God showed his power openly without aid or help of angels.

He made a show of them (edeigmatisen). First aorist active indicative of deigmatizō, late and rare verb from deigma (Jud 1:7), an example, and so to make an example of. Frequent in the papyri though later than paradeigmatizō and in N.T. only here and Mat 1:19 of Joseph’s conduct toward Mary. No idea of disgrace is necessarily involved in the word. The publicity is made plain by “openly” (en parrēsiāi).

Triumphing over them on it (thriambeusas autous en autōi). On the Cross the triumph was won. This late, though common verb in Koiné[28928]š writers (ekthriambeuō in the papyri) occurs only twice in the N.T., once “to lead in triumph” (2Co 2:14), here to celebrate a triumph (the usual sense). It is derived from thriambos, a hymn sung in festal procession and is kin to the Latin triumphus (our triumph), a triumphal procession of victorious Roman generals. God won a complete triumph over all the angelic agencies (autous, masculine regarded as personal agencies). Lightfoot adds, applying thriambeusas to Christ: “The convict’s gibbet is the victor’s car.” It is possible, of course, to take autōi as referring to cheirographon (bond) or even to Christ.