John Bengel Commentary - Colossians 4:8 - 4:8

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John Bengel Commentary - Colossians 4:8 - 4:8


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Col 4:8. Γνῷ τὰ περὶ ὑμῶν) γνῶτε τὰ περὶ ἡμῶν is found in Al. Colb. 7, etc. It has been transferred to this place from Eph 6:22. See App. Crit. Ed. 2.[30] on this passage. The two epistles [Ephesians and Colossians] truly have many points of resemblance to one another, but yet so as that the things that need to be changed are changed in each respectively (mutatis mutandis). And generally in parallelisms of this sort, which the officiousness of transcribers has mixed together [blending the parallel readings of two epistles into one], one reading in the one place, and another in the other, is the genuine reading. Tychicus, and through Tychicus (as it appears) Paul, was to learn the state of the Colossians (whence, instead of γνῷ [third person, viz. Tychicus], γνῶ [first person, viz. Paul] may be also read), just as he learned the state of the Thessalonians through Timothy; that of the Corinthians through Titus; that of the Philippians through Epaphroditus; and more especially did Paul wish to learn that of the Colossians, because he had a great ‘conflict’ on their account [ch. Col 2:1]. Moreover the knowledge of the Colossians concerning Paul is sufficiently indicated (marked), not only by the preceding words, as in the Epistle to the Ephesians, but also by those following, which are peculiar to this Epistle to the Colossians: πάντα ὑμῖν γνωριοῦσι τὰ ὧδε.[31]

[30] Γνῶτε τὰ περὶ ἡμῶν is the reading of ABD corrected, (Δ), Gfg, and so Lachm. But γνῶ-ὑμῶν in C Vulg. and Rec. Text, and so Tisch.-ED.

[31] Therefore Beng. rejects the reading γυῶτε τὰ περὶ ἡμῶν.-ED.