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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadHeinrich Meyer Commentary - Colossians 3
Verse Commentaries:
Chapter Level Commentary:
Col_3:5. ὑμῶν ] is wanting, indeed, in B C* à * min. Clem. Or. (five times) Eus., but has all the VSS. in its favour; hence the evidence against it is not sufficient to warrant its rejection, with Tisch. 8, as an inserted supplement.
διʼ ἅ ] C* D* E F G Clar. Germ. read διʼ ὅ or διό . Rightly; the Recepta, though strongly attested, is an alteration to correspond with the plurality of the preceding objects under comparison of Eph_5:6.
ἐπὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς τ . ἀπειθείας ] is wanting in B D* (?) Sahid. Aeth. Clem. Cypr. Ambrosiast., bracketed by Lachm. and omitted by Tisch. The evidence against it is too weak to justify its rejection, especially in the face of the agreement of the passage otherwise with Eph_5:6, and of the incompleteness of the thought which would remain, in case those words were omitted; Reiche properly defends them.
Col_3:7. Instead of τούτοις Elz. and Scholz have αὐτοῖς , in opposition to decisive Codd., although defended by Reiche.
Col_3:11. Before ἐλεύθ . Lachm. inserts καί ; considerably attested, it is true (not by B C à ), but nevertheless an addition which crept in easily in consequence of the first two clauses of the verse; nearly all the same authorities (not A) have it also before Σκύθης .
Col_3:12. Instead of οἰκτιρμοῦ Elz. has οἰκτιρμῶν , in opposition to decisive testimony.
Col_3:13. ὁ Χριστός ] Lachm. reads ὁ κύριος , following A B D* F G 213, Vulg. It. Aug. (once) Pel. Rightly; the Recepta is an interpretation, instead of which ὁ Θεός ( à ) and Deus in Christo (Arm. Aug. once) are also found.
Col_3:14. ὅς ] A B C F G P Vulg. It. Clem. Chrys. read ὅ , which is approved by Griesb. and adopted by Lachm. and Tisch. ὅς ( à *) and the Recepta ἥτις ( à **) are emendations.
Col_3:15. Instead of τοῦ Χριστοῦ Elz. has τοῦ Θεοῦ , in opposition to decisive evidence, from Php_4:7.
Col_3:16. The καί before ὕμν . and ᾠδαῖς should in both cases be omitted (Scholz omits only the first), in accordance with preponderating evidence. Borrowed from Eph_5:19.
ἐν χάρ .] Lachm. and Tisch.: ἐν τῇ χάρ ., which, on the authority of B D* E* F G à ** Clem. Chrys. Theodoret, is to be preferred. The article was passed over as superfluous.
Following far preponderant testimony (also à ), we must read subsequently with Lachm. and Tisch. 8: ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμ . τῷ Θεῷ , not: ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ ὑμ . τῷ κυρίῳ (Elz. Reiche), or: ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ ὑμ . τ . Θεῷ (Tisch. 7). Comp. Eph_5:19.
Col_3:17. κυρίου Ἰησοῦ ] Lachm.: Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ , which is to be adopted on the authority of A C D* F G min. VSS. and Fathers; à has κυρ . Ἰησοῦ Χρ .
καὶ πατρί ] καί is to be omitted, with Lachm. and Tisch., following A B C à min. VSS. and Fathers; from Eph_5:20.
Col_3:18. After τοῖς Elz. reads ἰδίοις , in opposition to decisive evidence; from Eph_5:22.
Col_3:19. After γυναῖκας Lachm. has ὑμῶν , which, with considerable evidence in its favour, is the more especially to be adopted, as in Eph_5:25 ἑαυτῶν is found. The omission easily occurred, because τοῖς ἀνδράσιν previously was also without genitival definition.
Col_3:20. Instead of ἐν κυρίῳ Elz. has τῷ κυρίῳ , which is to be regarded on decisive evidence as an omission of the apparently superfluous ἐν .
Col_3:21. ἐρεθίζετε ] Lachm. and Scholz, as also Griesb, recommend: παροργίζετε , following, it is true, A C D* E* F G K L à ( παροργίζεται ) min. Vulg. It. Theodoret, ms. Theoph.; but it comes from Eph_6:4.
Col_3:22. Elz. and Tisch. have ὀφθαλμοδουλείαις , which Reiche approves. But ὀφθαλμοδουλείᾳ (recommended by Griesb. and adopted by Lachm. and Scholz) is the reading in A B D E F G min. Damasc. Theoph.; and Chrysostom also by κατʼ ὀφθαλμοδουλείαν testifies in favour of the singular. The singular is to be preferred as preponderantly attested, and because the final syllable AI ( ᾳ ) might very easily bring about the conversion into the plural. If the singular had come in from Eph_6:6, “Chrysostom’s reading, κατʼ ὀφθ ., would be more frequent.
Instead of κύριον Elz. has Θεόν , contrary to decisive witnesses.
Col_3:23. καὶ πᾶν ὅ , τι ἐάν ] The reading ὅ , ἐάν , which Griesb. approves, and Lachm. Scholz and Tisch. have adopted, is decisively attested; the Recepta is from Col_3:17.
Col_3:24. τῷ γάρ ] γάρ has so decisive witnesses against it (also à ), that, with Lachm. and Tisch. (Griesb. also condemns it), it is to be deleted as a current connective addition.
Col_3:25. ὁ δέ ] ὁ γάρ is decisively attested (also by à ); it is approved by Griesb., and adopted by Lachm. and Tisch. The antithetical δέ crept in from misunderstanding.
κομιεῖται ] The form κομίσεται (Lachm.) is found in B D *** E K L à ** min. Fathers. To these may be added F G, which have κομίζεται . The Recepta must give way to the more strongly attested κομίσεται . Comp. on Eph_6:8.
CONTENTS.
The generally hortatory second portion of the Epistle, preceded in Col_2:6 merely by a special exhortation against the danger of heresy, does not begin with Col_2:6 (Hofmann), but only now, and seeks to promote in the readers the essential moral direction of the Christian life (Col_3:1-4); after which they are encouraged to lay aside and abandon everything which is contrary to that direction (Col_3:5-11), and to adopt and follow all that is good and edifying in a Christian sense (Col_3:12-17). Then follow exhortations in reference to the various relations of the household (Col_3:18 to Col_4:1).