Kolose 1:10-11

1:10 so that you may live ¹  worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects ²  – bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God, 1:11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for the display of ³  all patience and steadfastness, joyfully

Kolose 1:26-27

1:26 that is, the mystery that has been kept hidden from ages and generations, but has now been revealed to his saints. 1:27 God wanted to make known to them the glorious ⁴  riches of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Kolose 2:1

2:1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you, ⁵  and for those in Laodicea, and for those who have not met me face to face. ⁶ 

Kolose 2:7

2:7 rooted ⁷  and built up in him and firm ⁸  in your ⁹  faith just as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

Kolose 2:20

2:20 If you have died with Christ to the elemental spirits ¹⁰  of the world, why do you submit to them as though you lived in the world?

[1:10]  ¹ tn The infinitive περιπατῆσαι (peripathsai, “to walk, to live, to live one’s life”) is best taken as an infinitive of purpose related to “praying” (προσευχόμενοι, proseucomenoi) and “asking” (αἰτούμενοι, aitoumenoi) in v. 9 and is thus translated as “that you may live.”

[1:10]  ² tn BDAG 129 s.v. ἀρεσκεία states that ἀρεσκείαν (areskeian) refers to a “desire to please εἰς πᾶσαν ἀ. to please (the Lord) in all respects Col 1:10.”

[1:11]  ³ tn The expression “for the display of” is an attempt to convey in English the force of the Greek preposition εἰς (eis) in this context.

[1:27]  ⁴ tn The genitive noun τῆς δόξης (ths doxhs) is an attributive genitive and has therefore been translated as “glorious riches.”

[2:1]  ⁵ tn Or “I want you to know how hard I am working for you…”

[2:1]  ⁶ tn Grk “as many as have not seen my face in the flesh.”

[2:7]  ⁷ tn Or “having been rooted.”

[2:7]  ⁸ sn The three participles rooted, built up, and firm belong together and reflect three different metaphors. The first participle “rooted” (perfect tense) indicates a settled condition on the part of the Colossian believers and refers to horticulture. The second participle “built up” (present passive) comes from the world of architecture. The third participle “firm [established]” (present passive) comes from the law courts. With these three metaphors (as well as the following comment on thankfulness) Paul explains what he means when he commands them to continue to live their lives in Christ. The use of the passive probably reflects God’s activity among them. It was he who had rooted them, had been building them up, and had established them in the faith (cf. 1 Cor 3:5-15 for the use of mixed metaphors).

[2:7]  ⁹ tn The Greek text has the article τῇ (th), not the possessive pronoun ὑμῶν (Jumwn), but the article often functions as a possessive pronoun and was translated as such here (ExSyn 215).

[2:20]  ¹⁰ tn See the note on the phrase “elemental spirits” in 2:8.