Colossians 4 · ESV Study Bible

Rules for Christian Households

COLOSSIANS 4 [†]Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.

2[†] c Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it d with thanksgiving. 3[†]At the same time, pray also for us, that God may e open to us a door for the word, f to declare the mystery of Christ, g on account of which I am in prison— 4that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.

5[†] h Walk in wisdom toward i outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6Let your speech always j be gracious, k seasoned with salt, l so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

7[†]Tychicus will tell you m all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant [1] in the Lord. 8I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts, 9[†]and with him n Onesimus, our faithful and o beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here.

10[†] p Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark q the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions— r if he comes to you, welcome him), 11and Jesus who is called s Justus. t These are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and u they have been a comfort to me. 12[†] v Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always w struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand x mature and fully assured in all the will of God. 13[†]For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. 14[†] y Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does z Demas. 15[†]Give my greetings to the brothers [2] at Laodicea, and to Nympha and a the church in her house. 16[†]And when b this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea. 17[†]And say to c Archippus, “See that you fulfill d the ministry that you have received in the Lord.”

18[†]I, Paul, e write this greeting with my own hand. f Remember g my chains. h Grace be with you.

COLOSSIANS—NOTE ON 4:1 treat your bondservants justly and fairly. Paul does not condone the Roman system of servitude but instead provides instructions to believing masters and slaves (or bondservants) regarding their relationship to each other in the Lord. Such instruction clearly sows the seeds for the eventual dismantling of this unjust socioeconomic structure (see note on Eph. 6:5). On the Gk. word doulos, see the esv Preface.

COLOSSIANS—NOTE ON 4:15–17 Greetings to the Christians in Laodicea.

COLOSSIANS—NOTE ON 4:3–4 that God may open to us a door for the word. In spite of his imprisonment and difficult circumstances, Paul asks the Colossians to pray that he will have opportunities to share the good news of Jesus Christ (Eph. 6:18–20; 2 Thess. 3:1). Christians should pray for missionaries and church leaders around the world. to declare the mystery. See note on Col. 1:26–27.

COLOSSIANS—NOTE ON 4:13 in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. These were neighboring towns to Colossae in the Lycus Valley (on Laodicea, see 2:1; Rev. 3:14). Hierapolis (modern Pamukkale) boasts a large mineral spring, famous also in Paul’s day. However, much of what visitors see today dates from the rebuilding and expansion that occurred under Domitian (A.D. 81–96) and later. Hierapolis was known for the worship of Apollo, Leto, and Pluto; yet inscriptions in the ancient cemetery also point to a Jewish presence.

COLOSSIANS—NOTE ON 4:9 Onesimus. This was Philemon’s converted bondservant (see notes on Philemon).

COLOSSIANS—NOTE ON 4:16 when this letter has been read among you. Public reading in the churches points to the authority of Paul’s letters and also assumes that they were written to be understood by ordinary believers. the letter from Laodicea. Although some have thought this might be a reference to Ephesians (understood to be a circular letter, with Laodicea as one of its destinations) or a letter from the Laodiceans to Paul, it is probably best to take it as a reference to a letter Paul wrote to Laodicea that is now lost.

COLOSSIANS—NOTE ON 4:15 Nympha and the church in her house. On house churches, see note on 1 Cor. 16:19.

COLOSSIANS—NOTE ON 4:17 Archippus may have been the son of Philemon and Apphia (see Philem. 2).

COLOSSIANS—NOTE ON 4:12–13 Epaphras. See note on 1:7. Epaphras’s love and prayer for the Colossians and Christians in nearby cities is an example for all believers.

COLOSSIANS—NOTE ON 4:14 Luke the beloved physician is the same Luke who authored Luke’s Gospel and Acts (see also 2 Tim. 4:11; Philem. 24). He accompanied Paul on some of his journeys (see Introduction to Acts: Author and Title) and was apparently with Paul throughout his two-year imprisonment in Caesarea and then in his two-year Roman imprisonment. Since Luke is not identified among “the only men of the circumcision” (Col. 4:9–11), he was probably a Gentile. Lamentably, Demas later followed worldly pursuits and deserted Paul (2 Tim. 4:10).