John Bengel Commentary - Colossians 3:16 - 3:16

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John Bengel Commentary - Colossians 3:16 - 3:16


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Col 3:16. Ὁ λόγος, the word) by which ye have been called.-ἐνοικείτω, have its indwelling in you) as in a temple, for ever.-ἐν ὑμῖν, in you) in your inner man; comp. full, Rom 15:14.-πλουσίως, richly) The distribution follows: in all wisdom[25]-one another [ἑαυτοὺς, admonishing yourselves]: with grace-in[26] your heart, i.e. mutually and apart. In wisdom, with grace, occur again, ch. Col 4:5-6.-ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ διδάσκοντες, teaching in all wisdom) So it must be construed, comp. ch. Col 1:28. The nominative, by Syllepsis,[27] depends on ἐνοικείτω, “let the peace dwell in you,” i.e. have ye it dwelling in you [and therefore διδάσκοντες, agreeing with ὑμεῖς, is put]; and this construction is the more suitable on this account, that γίνεσθε, be ye, which occurs a little before, has possession of the reader’s mind.-ἑαυτοὺς, yourselves) ἀλλήλους, one another. There are parallel expressions at Col 3:13.-ψαλμαῖς, in Psalms) Eph 5:19.-ἐν χάριτι, with grace) χάρις, חן, Psa 45:3.

[25] Engl. Vers. loses this ‘distribution’ of the rich indwelling of the word of Christ, by putting a semicolon after wisdom, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom;” Lachm. rightly puts (ὁ λογος τοῦ Χριστου ἐνοικίτω ἐν ὑμῖν πλουσίως) in a parenthesis, and thus ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ διδασκουτες, etc., is joined with the previous ἐυχάριοτοι γινεσθε.-ED.

[26] The 2d Ed. prefers, and the Germ. Vers. distinctly expresses the plural, ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις, which is not approved in the margin of the older Ed.-E. B.

[27] Where the concord of the parts of speech is regulated not by strict syntax, but by the meaning in the mind, as here, ἐν ὑμῖν-διδάσκοντες, for διδάσκουσιν. But Lachmann’s punctuation makes this needless. See my note above.-ED.

ABCD(Δ)Gfg Vulg. read ταῖς καρδίαις. So Lachm. Tisch., without any of the oldest authorities, reads as Rec. Text, τῇ καρδίᾳ.-ED.