Online Resource Library
Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadHeinrich Meyer Commentary - Colossians 1:10 - 1:10
(Show All Books | Show All Chapters)
This Chapter Verse Commentaries:
Col_1:10. The practical aim[18] which that πληρωθῆναι κ . τ . λ . is to accomplish; ἀεὶ τῇ πίστει σὐζεύγνυσι τὴν πολιτείαν , Chrysostom. The Vulgate renders correctly: ut ambuletis (in opposition to Hofmann, see on Col_1:9).
ἀξίως τοῦ κυρίου ] so that your behaviour may stand in morally appropriate relation to your belonging to Christ. Comp. Rom_16:2; Eph_4:1; Php_1:27; 1Th_2:12; 3Jn_1:6. The genitive (and in the N. T. such is always used with ἀξίως ) does not even “perhaps” (Hofmann) belong to the following εἰς π . ἀρεσκ ., especially as ἁρεσκεία , in the Greek writers and in Philo (see Loesner, p. 361), stands partly with, partly without, a genitival definition, and the latter is here quite obvious of itself. Such a combination would be an unnecessary artificial device. Comp. Plat. Conv. p. 180 D: ἀξίως τοῦ Θεοῦ .
εἰς πᾶσαν ἀρεσκείαν ] on behalf of every kind of pleasing, that is, in order to please Him in every way. The word only occurs here in the N. T., but the apostle is not on that account to be deprived of it (Holtzmann); it is found frequently in Polybius, Philo, et al.; also Theophr. Char. 5; LXX. Pro_31:30 (Pro_30:30); Symmachus, Psa_80:12. On πᾶσαν ἀρ . comp. Polybius, xxxi. 26. 5: πᾶν γένος ἀρεσκείας προσφερόμενος . Among the Greeks, ἀρεσκεία (to be accentuated thus, see Winer, p. 50 [E. T. 57]; Buttmann, Neut. Gr. p. 11 [E. T. 12]) bears, for the most part, the sense of seeking to please. Comp. Pro_31:30 : ψευδεῖς ἀρεσκείαι .
ἐν παντὶ ἔργῳ κ . τ . λ .] There now follow three expositions, in order to define more precisely the nature and mode of the περιπατῆσαι ἀξίως κ . τ . λ . We must, in considering these, notice the homogeneous plan of the three clauses, each of which commences with a prepositional relation of the participial idea, viz. (1) ἐν παντὶ ἔργῳ κ . τ . λ ., (2) ἐν πάσῃ δυνάμει , (3) μετὰ χαρᾶς , and ends with a relation expressed by εἰς , viz. (1) εἰς τ . ἐπίγν . τ . Θεοῦ , (2) εἰς πᾶσ . ὑπομ . κ . μακροθυμ ., (3) εἰς τὴν μερίδα κ . τ . λ . The construction would be still more symmetrical if, in the third clause, ἐν πάσῃ χαρᾷ (Rom_15:32) had been written instead of μετὰ χαρᾶς —which was easily prevented by the versatility of the apostle’s form of conception.
ἐν παντὶ ἔργῳ ἀγαθῷ καρποφ . is to be taken together (and then again, αὐξανόμ . εἰς τὴν ἐπίγν . τ . Θεοῦ ), inasmuch as ye by every good work (by your accomplishing every morally good action) bear fruit, as good trees, comp. Mat_7:17. But not as if the καρποφορεῖν and the σὐξάνεσθαι were separate things; they take place, as in Col_1:6, jointly and at the same time, although, after the manner of parallelism, a special more precise definition is annexed to each. Moreover, ἐν παντὶ ἔργ . ἀγ . is not to be connected with εἰς πᾶσαν ἀρεσκ . (Oecumenius, Theophylact, Erasmus, and others, also Steiger); otherwise we mistake and destroy the symmetrical structure of the passage.
καὶ αὐξανόμ . εἰς τ . ἐπίγν . τ . Θ .] and, inasmuch as with this moral fruit-bearing at the same time ye increase in respect to the knowledge of God, that is, succeed in knowing Him more and more fully. The living, effective knowledge of God, which is meant by ἐπίγν . τ . Θεοῦ (Col_1:6; Col_3:10; Col_2:2), sustains an ethically necessary action and reaction with practical morality. Just as the latter is promoted by the former, so also knowledge grows through moral practice in virtue of the power of inward experience of the divine life (the ζωὴ τοῦ Θεοῦ , Eph_4:18), by which God reveals Himself more and more to the inner man. The fact that here τοῦ Θεοῦ generally is said, and not τοῦ θελήματος Θεοῦ repeated, is in keeping with the progressive development set forth; there is something of a climax in it. On εἰς , used of the telic reference, and consequently of the regulative direction of the growth, comp. on Eph_4:15; 2Pe_1:8. The reading τῇ ἐπιγνώσει τ . Θ . would have to be taken as instrumental, with Olshausen, Steiger, Huther, de Wette, Bleek, who follow it, but would yield after Col_1:9 something quite self-evident. We may add that αὐξάν ., with the dative of spiritual increase by something, is frequent in Plato and classic writers.
As to the nominatives of the participles, which are not to be taken with πληρωθ . (Beza, Bengel, Reiche, and others), but relate to the logical subject of περιπατ . ἀξίως , comp. on Eph_4:2; 2Co_1:7.
[18] Not to be attached as object of the request immediately to προσευχόμενοι , and all that intervenes to be assigned to the interpolator (Holtzmann, p. 85). Yet, according to Holtzmann, p. 123, ἐν παντὶ ἔργῳ down τοῦ Θεοῦ is alleged to be simply an interpolated duplicate of ver. 6; in which case, however, it would not be easy to see why καρποφορούμενοι was not written, after the precedent of ver. 6, but on the contrary καρποφοροῦντες .