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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadCambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges - Colossians 3:18 - 3:18
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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:
18–4:1. The social relations of a household
Col 3:18-19. Wives and Husbands.
Col 3:20-21. Children and Fathers.
Col 3:22 to Col 4:1. Slaves and Masters.
(Col 3:18) Wives! subject yourselves to your husbands, as is, after all, fitting in the Lord; (Col 3:19) Husbands! Love your wives and be not severe to them.
(Col 3:20) Children! obey your parents in all things, for this complete obedience is well pleasing in the Lord; (Col 3:21) Fathers! Be not exasperating to your children, lest they be discouraged.
(Col 3:22) Slaves! obey in all things your earthly lords, not in acts of eye-service as pleasers of men, but with a simple, single, aim, fearing the one Lord. (Col 3:23) Whatever ye do, carry it out willingly as to the Lord and not men, (Col 3:24) knowing, as you do, that from the Lord you shall receive as your due the just recompense of your inheritance above. The Lord, even Christ, I say, serve. (Col 3:25) For, even though you are but slaves, he that does wrong to his earthly lord shall receive back the wrong he did—the Lord above makes no distinction, whatever your position or privileges may be. (Col 4:1) Ye lords! Render on your part justice and fairness to your slaves, knowing well that you as well as they have a Lord in heaven.
18–4:1. Exhortations to the constituent parts of a Household. In each case the weaker part is mentioned first, as in || Eph 5:22 to Eph 6:9. Compare 1Pe 2:18 to 1Pe 3:7 and contrast 1Ti 2:8-15.
The reason why St Paul here goes into such detail is not self-evident. It has been suggested (1) that he wishes to counteract any misunderstanding of Col 3:11, as though he were there proclaiming a social revolution; (2) that he wishes to show that whereas the false teachers urged arbitrary asceticism, he finds that “the daily round, the common task,” supplies all that is needed for the manifestation of the Christian life. But (3) it is obvious that after the high, not to say transcendental, description of the basis, and the possibilities, of life in Christ, which he has given us in cc. 1 and 2, it is very natural that he should point out how this life is to manifest itself in the everyday relations of family life. In Col 3:13 he has already given an instance of the way in which Christ is our example and standard.