COLOSSIANS 1:10 “to walk worthily of Jehovah”

Kingdom Interlinear: “to walk worthily of the Lord”

REASON(S) FOR RESTORING THE DIVINE NAME: The context indicates that “the Lord” here refers to Jehovah God. At the end of this verse, Paul mentions “the accurate knowledge of God,” and in verse 12, he mentions “the Father.” At 1 Thessalonians 2:12, Paul uses a similar phrase when expressing the wish that his fellow believers “go on walking worthily of God.” Further, the wording Paul uses has a Hebrew Scripture background. For example, at 2 Kings 20:3, King Hezekiah says: “I beg you, O Jehovah, remember, please, how I have walked before you faithfully.” Also, such expressions as “to walk in [someone’s] ways” occur frequently in the Hebrew Scriptures and often together with the divine name. (Deuteronomy 8:6; 10:12; 1 Kings 2:3; Psalm 128:1) Additionally, some scholars have suggested that Paul’s expressions in this passage echo similar wording found in the book of Proverbs. (Proverbs 4:4-6, 12-14) So the context, the similar wording at 1 Thessalonians 2:12, and the Hebrew Scripture background provide reasons for using the divine name in the main text.

SUPPORT:

• Regarding the expression rendered “worthily of Jehovah,” a handbook for Bible translators says: “That is, in a manner that is required by their status as the Lord’s people (see ‘to walk . . . worthily of God’ in 1 Thes[salonians] 2.12).” It goes on to say regarding the next expression (“in order to please him fully”): “One may translate the latter part of the first sentence of verse 10 as ‘will always do what causes God to be happy.’” (Italics ours.)—A Handbook on Paul’s Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon, by Robert G. Bratcher and Eugene A. Nida, 1977, page 16.

• “The apostle and those who are with him pray that the Colossians may ‘walk’ (cf. Gen[esis] 5:22, 24; 6:9, etc.) or conduct themselves in harmony with the responsibilities which their new relationship to God imposes and with the blessings which this new relationship brings. There must be nothing half-hearted about this manner of life. On the contrary, it must be to (his) complete delight . . . , a conscious striving to please God in everything (cf. 1 Cor[inthians] 10:31; 1 Thess[alonians] 4:1).” (Italics ours.)—New Testament Commentary, Exposition of Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon, by William Hendriksen, 1996, page 57.

• Although favoring that “the Lord” here refers to Jesus, one Bible commentary admits: “It is not clear, whether kyrios (Lord) indicates God in harmony with the LXX [Septuagint] use of this title. In 1 Thess[alonians] 2:12, we have almost the same expression, but there it says clearly: to walk worthy of God. The statements in the epistle to the Ephesians also point in the direction of such an interpretation when they deal with becoming ‘God’s imitators’ (Eph[esians] 5:1), with the appointment ‘to the praise of his (God’s) glorious grace’ (Eph[esians] 1:12; cf. Eph[esians] 1:14).”—The Anchor Bible—Colossians, A New Translation With Introduction and Commentary, by Markus Barth and Helmut Blanke, translated by Astrid B. Beck, 1994, Vol. 34B, page 177.

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COLOSSIANS 3:13 “Jehovah freely forgave you”

Kingdom Interlinear: “the Lord graciously forgave to you”

REASON(S) FOR RESTORING THE DIVINE NAME: This verse refers to Jehovah God, who in the Hebrew Scriptures is described as the one who forgives humans their sins. (Numbers 14:19, 20; 2 Samuel 12:13; Psalm 130:4; Jeremiah 31:34; Daniel 9:9) Jehovah is even described as “ready to forgive” (Nehemiah 9:17; Psalm 86:5) and as one who “will forgive in a large way [or “will freely forgive,” ftn.]” (Isaiah 55:7). The usual Greek verb rendered “to forgive” in the Christian Greek Scriptures is a·phiʹe·mi, as at Matthew 6:12, 14 and Romans 4:7 (see study note). Here at Colossians 3:13, however, Paul uses the verb kha·riʹzo·mai (to give freely, or graciously). This verb is related to the Greek noun khaʹris, often rendered “undeserved kindness” or “favor.” When used in the sense of forgiving, the verb conveys the idea of doing so freely, generously. Paul uses the same verb, with God as the subject of the clause, at Colossians 2:13, saying that “God . . . kindly forgave us all our trespasses.” Paul also uses this verb at Ephesians 4:32, where he says “just as God also by Christ freely forgave you.” It is worth noting that although many ancient Greek manuscripts use the term ho Kyʹri·os (the Lord) here at Colossians 3:13, other manuscripts use the Greek terms for “God” or “the Christ.” Such variations in manuscript readings could be another indication that the divine name originally appeared in this verse.

SUPPORT:

• Note the following comments on whom “the Lord” at Colossians 3:13 refers to:

• “On the basis of Col[ossians] 1:13, 14 and 2:13 . . . , the reference is to God rather than to Christ, though the difference is minor. When God forgives he does so ‘in Christ’ (Eph[esians] 4:32; cf Matt[hew] 18:35).”—New Testament Commentary, Exposition of Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon, by William Hendriksen, 1996, page 157.

• “In [Colossians] 2:13 the act of forgiveness is attributed to God. This could suggest that, unusually, ὁ κύριος [ho kyʹri·os, “the Lord”] here refers after all to God (the thought would then be directly parallel to that of Matt[hew] 6:12, 14-15; 18:23-35 . . . ).”—The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon: A Commentary on the Greek Text, by James D. G. Dunn, 1996, page 231.

SUPPORTING REFERENCES: J^{23, 96, 145, 147, 310}

COLOSSIANS 3:16 “singing . . . to Jehovah”

Kingdom Interlinear: “singing . . . to the God”

REASON(S) FOR RESTORING THE DIVINE NAME: The Hebrew Scriptures abound with references to singing and making music in connection with the worship of Jehovah. (Exodus 15:1, 21; 1 Chronicles 16:23; Psalm 96:1; 104:33; 149:1; Jeremiah 20:13) Among first-century Christians, the inspired psalms continued to be used in praising God. The Greek word for “psalm” (psal·mosʹ) used here at Colossians 3:16 is also found at Luke 20:42; 24:44; Acts 1:20; 13:33, where it refers to psalms from the Hebrew Scriptures. Also, the Greek term rendered “singing” is frequently used in the Septuagint to translate Hebrew expressions where the divine name appears. (See the scriptures mentioned above.) Here at Colossians 3:16, some Greek manuscripts use the term The·osʹ (God) and other manuscripts use the term Kyʹri·os (Lord). In later copies of the Septuagint that are available today, Kyʹri·os is often employed as a substitute for the divine name in the Hebrew text but at times The·osʹ is used in the same way. (See Exodus 15:1, LXX, where the verse discusses singing and where both The·osʹ and Kyʹri·os are used as substitutes for the divine name.) Such variations in manuscript readings could be another indication that the divine name originally appeared in this verse. A number of translations of the Christian Greek Scriptures into Hebrew and other languages use the divine name here at Colossians 3:16.

SUPPORT:

• “In singing we should regard ourselves as speaking directly to God, and the words, therefore, should be spoken with a solemnity and awe becoming such a direct address to the great Jehovah.”—Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Epistles of Paul to the Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians, by Albert Barnes, 1850, pages 119, 320 (in a comment on the similar expression found at Ephesians 5:19).

• See also supporting quotes in the comment on Ephesians 5:19.

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SUPPORT:

• Regarding the Greek verb here rendered “with fear of,” one lexicon says “have deep respect . . . for God as the highest entity L[uke] 23:40; Col[ossians] 3:22; 1 P[eter] 2:17; R[evelation] 19:5.”—The Concise Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, by Frederick William Danker with Kathryn Krug, 2009, page 374.

• One scholar makes the following comment regarding the same Greek verb used here at Colossians 3:22: “Never does the NT [New Testament] say that the Lord Christ is to be ‘feared’ by his believers; God alone is.” A footnote goes on to say: “That is why it is only here and at [Revelation 15:4] (but with reference to God) that we find the expression [fearing the Lord]; otherwise in the NT [New Testament] it is always [fearing God], e.g. [Luke 18:2, 4; 23:40; Acts 10:2, 22, 35; 13:16, 26; 1 Peter 2:17; Revelation 11:18; 14:7; 19:5].” The book also mentions that in the Septuagint, expressions such as “fearing the Lord” are often found. These expressions appear where the Hebrew text uses the Tetragrammaton.—Die Briefe an die Philipper, an die Kolosser und an Philemon, by Ernst Lohmeyer, 1930, page 158.

• A handbook for translators says regarding the same expression: “It is that sense of awe, reverence, fear, that in the OT [Old Testament] specially characterizes the attitude of the devout member of the believing community toward God.” Although this handbook favors that “the Lord” here refers to the Lord Jesus Christ, it does acknowledge: “Some manuscripts have ‘God’ . . . , but this seems an obvious conformance to the OT [Old Testament] expression, where ‘Lord’ is Yahweh, that is, God.”—A Handbook on Paul’s Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon, by Robert G. Bratcher and Eugene A. Nida, 1977, page 95.

• A translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures into Hebrew by the scholars Isaac Salkinson and Christian D. Ginsburg, 1886, uses the Tetragrammaton in the main text of this verse.

• A translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures into Hebrew by the United Bible Societies, 1976, uses the Tetragrammaton in the main text of this verse.

• The Aramaic Peshitta New Testament Translation, by Janet M. Magiera, 2006, uses “LORD” in the main text of this verse. The introduction of this Bible states: “LORD is MARYA, meaning LORD of the Old Testament, YAHWEH.”

• Pablo Besson’s El Nuevo Testamento (New Testament, in Spanish), 1919, uses “Señor” (Lord) in the main text of Colossians 3:22 with a footnote referring to “Jehová.”

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COLOSSIANS 3:23 “as for Jehovah, and not for men”

 Kingdom Interlinear: “as to the Lord and not to men”

REASON(S) FOR RESTORING THE DIVINE NAME: In the Christian Greek Scriptures, the Greek term Kyʹri·os (Lord) often refers to Jehovah God or to Jesus Christ. It may also refer to humans having authority over others. (Colossians 3:22; 4:1) In this context, the Greek term kyʹri·os is used several times. At Colossians 3:22 and 4:1, the plural form is rendered “masters.” Here at Colossians 3:23, it is obvious that kyʹri·os does not refer to a human master. The identity of “the Lord” mentioned here is indicated by the context. (See the  comment on Colossians 3:22.) Another indication that “the Lord” mentioned here refers to Jehovah God is the phrase “work at it whole-souled.” Both in the Hebrew Scriptures and in the Christian Greek Scriptures, references to doing something with one’s whole soul are always connected with Jehovah God.—Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27.

SUPPORT:

• For quotes on whom “the Lord” refers to in this verse, see the comment on Ephesians 6:7, where Paul uses the same expression.

SUPPORTING REFERENCES: J^{7, 8, 17, 18, 22, 23, 32, 65, 95, 96, 100, 101, 106, 115, 125, 145-147, 322-324}

COLOSSIANS 3:24 “from Jehovah you will receive”

Kingdom Interlinear: “from Lord you will receive back”

REASON(S) FOR RESTORING THE DIVINE NAME: The reasons for using the divine name in the main text of this verse are generally the same as the reasons for using it at Colossians 3:23. (See  comment on Colossians 3:23.) It is also worth noting that before the Greek word Kyʹri·os (Lord) in this verse, there is no Greek definite article, where it would be expected according to standard grammatical usage. The absence of the definite article makes Kyʹri·os tantamount to a proper name. It is also worth noting that it is God, not Jesus, who is described as the one giving spirit-anointed Christians their inheritance. (Romans 8:17; 1 Peter 1:3, 4) At Colossians 1:12, God is referred to as “the Father, who made you qualify to share in the inheritance of the holy ones in the light.” So in view of the context and the absence of the definite article in Greek, the divine name is used in the main text.

SUPPORT:

• Commenting on whom “Lord” refers to in this verse, one scholar said: “The omission of the article with [a·poʹ Ky·riʹou, ‘from Lord’] occasions questioning. Where one finds the anarthrous ‘Lord’ [that is, ‘Lord’ without the definite article in Greek], there is generally a LXX [Septuagint] reference. For ‘the Lord’ (that is, JEHOVAH) has no article in the Greek O.T. [Old Testament]. There is no phrase in the ancient scriptures corresponding to what we read here, but (if one may say so) there is about it an O.T. [Old Testament] flavour.”—A Letter to Asia, Being a Paraphrase and Brief Exposition of the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Believers at Colossæ, by Frederick Brooke Westcott, 1914, page 165.

• For more quotes on whom “Lord” refers to in this verse, see the comment on Ephesians 6:8, where Paul expresses a similar thought.

SUPPORTING REFERENCES: J^{7, 8, 14, 16-18, 22-24, 32, 33, 65, 95, 96, 100, 101, 115, 145-147, 310, 322-324}