WHILE Paul was suffering the imprisonment at Rome spoken of at the close of the book of the Acts, he availed himself of the opportunity afforded by the journey of Tychicus, who conveyed the Epistle to the Ephesians to its destination, to write also to two other churches of Asia Minor, namely, those of Colosse and Laodicea. (4:16.) These places were near each other, some distance east of Ephesus. Paul had not personally visited these churches. (2:1.) Epaphras is mentioned (1:7) as their minister. In the exhortations and instructions which the Epistle contains, it resembles that addressed to the Ephesians, which was sent by the same conveyance. Onesimus, the servant of Philemon, who appears to have lived at Colosse, returned at the same time, (4:9) bearing the letter which Paul wrote to his master, known in the sacred canon as the Epistle to Philemon.

      6. In all the world; that is, very generally throughout the then known world.

      7. Epaphras. Epaphras seems to have gone from Colosse to Rome, to confer with Paul: possibly he was the bearer of the Epistle of the Laodiceans, mentioned in this Epistle. (4:16.) A person named Epaphroditus was sent by the Philippians to Paul. Notwithstanding the similarity of the [445] name, however, this last was probably, but perhaps not certainly, a different person.

      8. Your love in the Spirit; your Christian fellowship and affection.

      11. With all might; with all spiritual strength.

      12. Made us meet to be; prepared us to be.

      13. Translated us; transferred us.

      14. Through his blood; through his atoning sufferings.

      15. The image of the invisible God; imbodying, and manifesting to men, the attributes and characteristics of God; or, as it is expressed in 1 Tim. 3:16, God manifest in the flesh.--The first-born of every creature, the head of the whole creation; the expression "the first-born" denoting the chief or head.

      16. By him; by his agency or instrumentality.

      18. The first-born from the dead; the first who rose from death to immortality. (1 Cor. 15:20.)

      19. All fulness; every mark and token of preëminence.

      20. The blood of his cross; the blood shed upon the cross; that is, the sufferings endured in that death.--To reconcile all things; to open the door of reconciliation for all.

      21. Sometime; formerly.

      22. In the body of his flesh; in his earthly body.--Through death, through the sufferings and death which he endured in that body. [446]

      24. That which is behind of the afflictions of Christ; that which remains to me of affliction to be endured in the cause of Christ.

      26. The mystery which hath been hid; the doctrine of free salvation to all, through faith in Christ. This truth is often designated as a mystery; the knowledge of it having long been withheld from mankind.

      27. The riches of, &c.--among the Gentiles; that is, the exceeding preciousness and value of it to the Gentiles, who were before considered beyond the reach of salvation.

      1. Conflict; mental conflict; deep interest and solicitude, including, perhaps, earnestness of prayer.

      2. Unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding; to an abundance and certainty of Christian knowledge.

      4. Enticing words; that is, of false doctrine.

      8. Spoil you; rob you, deprive you of your faith and hope in salvation by grace.

      9. Bodily; really, truly. [447]

      11. Circumcised. The error which seems to have given Paul and the early churches the greatest solicitude, was that of maintaining that circumcision and conformity to the Mosaic law were necessary for the Gentile converts. Hence the frequent allusions to the subject of circumcision, and such assurances as this, that the abandonment of sin through spiritual union with Christ was all the circumcision that was required.

      12. Buried with him in baptism; that is, by baptism, or rather by the union with Christ of which baptism is the symbol, they died to sin, and were, as it were, buried with Christ, thenceforth to rise to a new spiritual life in him. That this is the meaning is shown by the corresponding passage in Rom. 6:3-15, where the idea is more fully and distinctly expressed.--Faith of the operation; faith in the power.

      14. The hand-writing of ordinances; the written law of ordinances, that is, the Mosaic law. The meaning is, that the burdensome requirements of that law are abolished, and all its necessity superseded by the death of Christ.

      15. The meaning of the verse is, that God achieved a victory and triumph over the powers and influences hostile to his kingdom, in the death of Christ.

      16. Judge you in meat, &c.; condemn you on account of any thing relating to these outward ceremonies.--Sabbath days; the various sacred days of the Jews.

      17. The body; the reality.

      18. A voluntary humility and worshipping of angels. It is plain, from the connection, that these clauses refer to certain superstitions ideas and practices prevailing among those who insisted so strenuously upon the obligations of the Mosaic law. Precisely what the nature of these ideas were, as denoted by this language, it is difficult now to ascertain.

      19. Holding the Head; adhering to the Head, that is, to Christ.

      20. Dead--from the rudiments of the world; released from obligation to them, that is, from the Jewish rites. The language of the remainder of this [448] passage (20-23) is not a little obscure. The general sentiment which it has been understood to convey may be expressed thus: Why are ye subject to ordinances and outward prohibitions relating only to the perishable things of this life, that cannot spiritually affect the soul?--prohibitions which rest on the authority of human traditions, and which only make a show of sanctity by means of the outward mortification of the body.

      1. Risen with Christ; 2:12.

      3. Dead; that is, your former life of worldliness and sin was ended by your union with Christ.

      5. Mortify--your members; keep evil propensities under strict subjection.

      7. Sometime; formerly.

      9. The old man; the former man.

      16. The word of Christ; the doctrine of Christ. [449]

      21. Provoke not your children, &c.; that is, in all things deal with them gently and tenderly.

      22. Eye-service; pretended fidelity.--Singleness; honesty and faithfulness.

      23. As to the Lord; that is, feeling a direct responsibility to him.

      1. This direction, and that contained in Eph. 6:9, prescribe very distinctly the duty of masters to slaves. The one forbids that they should employ any violence, even that of words, in exacting service; and the other enjoins the making of an equitable return to them for their labors. The Christian master, therefore, who will not coerce his servants, nor even threaten coercion, who pays them what is justly their due, and treats them kindly, remembering that he has himself a Master in heaven, fulfils the duties of this relation as enjoined upon him in the word of God.

      3. The mystery of Christ; the truth long hidden, but now revealed, that Jesus Christ was the spiritual Redeemer of mankind.

      5. Them that are without; unbelievers.

      6. Salt; the salt of piety.

      7. Tychicus; the bearer of this letter, and also of the one written at the same time to the Ephesians. (Eph. 6:21.)

      9. Onesimus. This Onesimus was [450] the servant of Philemon, who returned with Tychicus to his master at Colosse, with the letter known as the Epistle to Philemon.

      10. Aristarchus. In Acts 19:29, and 20:4, Aristarchus is mentioned as Paul's companion and fellow-sufferer. He accompanied Paul to Rome, as is stated Acts 27:2.--Marcus; Mark John, in regard to whom Paul and Barnabas disagreed, as related Acts 15:37-39. Paul had become afterwards reconciled to him, and had sent for him to come to Rome. (2 Tim. 4:11.)

      11. Jesus. This was not an uncommon name among the Jews. It was the Greek form of the word Joshua. (Heb. 4:8.) Justus is a Latin form, being the name, probably, which he received among the Romans.--Of the circumcision; of the Jewish nation.--These only are, &c.; that is, from among the Jews.

      13. Zeal for you; affectionate interest in you.--Hierapolis; a city near Laodicea and Colosse.

      14. Luke; probably the same Luke who wrote the Gospel which bears his name, and the book of the Acts. He went with the apostle to Rome, as appears from his account of the voyage, in which he uses language which includes himself as one of the company. (Acts 27:1, 2.)

      16. The epistle from Laodicea. We have no other information, in respect to this Epistle, than what is implied in this allusion.

      18. The salutation by the hand of me Paul; the Epistle itself having been written by a person employed as an amanuensis. [451]

[AINT 445-451]