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Isaiah 34-36
New English Translation

The Lord Will Judge Edom

34 Come near, you nations, and listen!
Pay attention, you people!
The earth and everything it contains must listen,
the world and everything that lives in it.[a]
2 For the Lord is angry at all the nations
and furious with all their armies.
He will annihilate them and slaughter them.
3 Their slain will be left unburied,[b]
their corpses will stink;[c]
the hills will soak up their blood.[d]
4 All the stars in the sky will fade away,[e]
the sky will roll up like a scroll;
all its stars will wither,
like a leaf withers and falls from a vine
or a fig withers and falls from a tree.[f]
5 He says,[g] “Indeed, my sword has slaughtered heavenly powers.[h]
Look, it now descends on Edom,[i]
on the people I will annihilate in judgment.”
6 The Lord’s sword is dripping with blood,
it is covered[j] with fat;
it drips[k] with the blood of young rams and goats
and is covered[l] with the fat of rams’ kidneys.
For the Lord is holding a sacrifice[m] in Bozrah,[n]
a bloody[o] slaughter in the land of Edom.
7 Wild oxen will be slaughtered[p] along with them,
as well as strong bulls.[q]
Their land is drenched with blood,
their soil is covered with fat.
8 For the Lord has planned a day of revenge,[r]
a time when he will repay Edom for her hostility toward Zion.[s]
9 Edom’s[t] streams will be turned into pitch
and her soil into brimstone;
her land will become burning pitch.
10 Night and day it will burn;[u]
its smoke will ascend continually.
Generation after generation it will be a wasteland,
and no one will ever pass through it again.
11 Owls and wild animals[v] will live there,[w]
all kinds of wild birds[x] will settle in it.
The Lord[y] will stretch out over her
the measuring line of ruin
and the plumb line[z] of destruction.[aa]
12 Her nobles will have nothing left to call a kingdom,
and all her officials will disappear.[ab]
13 Her fortresses will be overgrown with thorns;
thickets and weeds will grow[ac] in her fortified cities.
Jackals will settle there;
ostriches will live there.[ad]
14 Wild animals and wild dogs will congregate there;[ae]
wild goats will bleat to one another.[af]
Yes, nocturnal animals[ag] will rest there
and make for themselves a nest.[ah]
15 Owls[ai] will make nests and lay eggs[aj] there;
they will hatch them and protect them.[ak]
Yes, hawks[al] will gather there,
each with its mate.
16 Carefully read the scroll of the Lord![am]
Not one of these creatures will be missing,[an]
none will lack a mate.[ao]
For the Lord has issued the decree,[ap]
and his own spirit gathers them.[aq]
17 He assigns them their allotment;[ar]
he measures out their assigned place.[as]
They will live there[at] permanently;
they will settle in it through successive generations.

The Land and Its People Are Transformed

35 Let the wilderness and desert be happy;[au]
let the arid rift valley[av] rejoice and bloom like a lily!
2 Let it richly bloom;[aw]
let it rejoice and shout with delight![ax]
It is given the grandeur[ay] of Lebanon,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon.
They will see the grandeur of the Lord,
the splendor of our God.
3 Strengthen the hands that have gone limp,
steady the knees that shake.[az]
4 Tell those who panic,[ba]
“Be strong! Do not fear!
Look, your God comes to avenge;
with divine retribution he comes to deliver you.”[bb]
5 Then blind eyes will open,
deaf ears will hear.
6 Then the lame will leap like a deer,
the mute tongue will shout for joy;
for water will burst forth in the wilderness,
streams in the arid rift valley.[bc]
7 The dry soil will become a pool of water,
the parched ground springs of water.
Where jackals once lived and sprawled out,
grass, reeds, and papyrus will grow.
8 A thoroughfare will be there—
it will be called the Way of Holiness.[bd]
The unclean will not travel on it;
it is reserved for those authorized to use it[be]—
fools[bf] will not stray into it.
9 No lions will be there,
no ferocious wild animals will be on it[bg]—
they will not be found there.
Those delivered from bondage will travel on it,
10 those whom the Lord has ransomed will return that way.[bh]
They will enter Zion with a happy shout.
Unending joy will crown them,[bi]
happiness and joy will overwhelm[bj] them;
grief and suffering will disappear.[bk]

Sennacherib Invades Judah

36 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign,[bl] King Sennacherib of Assyria marched up against all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. 2 The king of Assyria sent his chief adviser[bm] from Lachish to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem, along with a large army. The chief adviser[bn] stood at the conduit of the upper pool that is located on the road to the field where they wash and dry cloth.[bo] 3 Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace supervisor, accompanied by Shebna the scribe and Joah son of Asaph, the secretary, went out to meet him.

4 The chief adviser said to them, “Tell Hezekiah: ‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: “What is your source of confidence?[bp] 5 Your claim to have a strategy and military strength is just empty talk.[bq] In whom are you trusting, that you would dare to rebel against me? 6 Look, you must be trusting in Egypt, that splintered reed staff. If someone leans on it for support, it punctures his hand and wounds him. That is what Pharaoh king of Egypt does to all who trust in him! 7 Perhaps you will tell me, ‘We are trusting in the Lord our God.’ But Hezekiah is the one who eliminated his high places and altars and then told the people of Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship at this altar.’ 8 Now make a deal with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you 2,000 horses, provided you can find enough riders for them. 9 Certainly you will not refuse one of my master’s minor officials and trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen.[br] 10 Furthermore it was by the command of the Lord that I marched up against this land to destroy it. The Lord told me, ‘March up against this land and destroy it!’”’”[bs]

11 Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the chief adviser, “Speak to your servants in Aramaic,[bt] for we understand it. Don’t speak with us in the Judahite dialect[bu] in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.” 12 But the chief adviser said, “My master did not send me to speak these words only to your master and to you.[bv] His message is also for the men who sit on the wall, for they will eat their own excrement and drink their own urine along with you!”[bw]

13 The chief adviser then stood there and called out loudly in the Judahite dialect,[bx] “Listen to the message of the great king, the king of Assyria. 14 This is what the king says: ‘Don’t let Hezekiah mislead you, for he is not able to rescue you! 15 Don’t let Hezekiah talk you into trusting in the Lord by saying, “The Lord will certainly rescue us; this city will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.” 16 Don’t listen to Hezekiah!’ For this is what the king of Assyria says, ‘Send me a token of your submission and surrender to me.[by] Then each of you may eat from his own vine and fig tree and drink water from his own cistern, 17 until I come and take you to a land just like your own—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards. 18 Hezekiah is misleading you when he says, “The Lord will rescue us.” Have any of the gods of the nations rescued their lands from the power of the king of Assyria?[bz] 19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim?[ca] Indeed, did any gods rescue Samaria from my power?[cb] 20 Who among all the gods of these lands have rescued their lands from my power? So how can the Lord rescue Jerusalem from my power?’”[cc] 21 They were silent and did not respond, for the king had ordered, “Don’t respond to him.”

22 Eliakim son of Hilkiah, the palace supervisor, accompanied by Shebna the scribe and Joah son of Asaph, the secretary, went to Hezekiah with their clothes torn[cd] and reported to him what the chief adviser had said.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 34:1 tn Heb “the world and its offspring”; NASB “the world and all that springs from it.”
  2. Isaiah 34:3 tn Heb “will be cast aside”; NASB, NIV “thrown out.”
  3. Isaiah 34:3 tn Heb “[as for] their corpses, their stench will arise.”
  4. Isaiah 34:3 tn Heb “hills will dissolve from their blood.”
  5. Isaiah 34:4 tc Heb “and all the host of heaven will rot.” The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa inserts “and the valleys will be split open,” but this reading may be influenced by Mic 1:4. On the other hand, the statement, if original, could have been omitted by homoioarcton, a scribe’s eye jumping from the conjunction prefixed to “the valleys” to the conjunction prefixed to the verb “rot.”
  6. Isaiah 34:4 tn Heb “like the withering of a leaf from a vine, and like the withering from a fig tree.”
  7. Isaiah 34:5 tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The Lord speaks at this point.
  8. Isaiah 34:5 tn Heb “indeed [or “for”] my sword is drenched in the heavens.” The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has תראה (“[my sword] appeared [in the heavens]”), but this is apparently an attempt to make sense out of a difficult metaphor. Cf. NIV “My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens.”sn In v. 4 the “host of the heaven” refers to the heavenly luminaries (stars and planets, see, among others, Deut 4:19; 17:3; 2 Kgs 17:16; 21:3, 5; 23:4-5; 2 Chr 33:3, 5) that populate the divine/heavenly assembly in mythological and prescientific Israelite thought (see Job 38:7; Isa 14:13). As in 24:21, they are viewed here as opposing God and being defeated in battle.
  9. Isaiah 34:5 sn Edom is mentioned here as epitomizing the hostile nations that oppose God.
  10. Isaiah 34:6 tn The verb is a rare Hotpaal passive form. See GKC 150 §54.h.
  11. Isaiah 34:6 tn The words “it drips” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  12. Isaiah 34:6 tn The words “and is covered” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  13. Isaiah 34:6 tn Heb “for there is a sacrifice to the Lord.”
  14. Isaiah 34:6 sn The Lord’s judgment of Edom is compared to a bloody sacrificial scene.
  15. Isaiah 34:6 tn Heb “great” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
  16. Isaiah 34:7 tn Heb “will go down”; NAB “shall be struck down.”
  17. Isaiah 34:7 tn Heb “and bulls along with strong ones.” Perhaps this refers to the leaders.
  18. Isaiah 34:8 tn Heb “for a day of vengeance [is] for the Lord.”
  19. Isaiah 34:8 tn Heb “a year of repayment for the strife of Zion.” The translation assumes that רִיב (riv) refers to Edom’s hostility toward Zion. Another option is to understand רִיב (riv) as referring to the Lord’s taking up Zion’s cause. In this case one might translate, “a time when he will repay Edom and vindicate Zion.”
  20. Isaiah 34:9 tn Heb “her”; the referent (Edom) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  21. Isaiah 34:10 tn Heb “it will not be extinguished.”
  22. Isaiah 34:11 tn קָאַת (qaʾat) refers to some type of bird (cf. Lev 11:18; Deut 14:17) that was typically found near ruins (see Zeph 2:14). קִפּוֹד (qippod) may also refer to a type of bird (NAB “hoot owl”; NIV “screech owl”; TEV “ravens”), but some have suggested a rodent may be in view (cf. NCV “small animals”; ASV “porcupine”; NASB, NRSV “hedgehog”).
  23. Isaiah 34:11 tn Heb “will possess it” (so NIV).
  24. Isaiah 34:11 tn The Hebrew text has יַנְשׁוֹף וְעֹרֵב (yanshof veʿorev). Both the יַנְשׁוֹף (“owl”; see Lev 11:17; Deut 14:16) and עֹרֵב (“raven”; Lev 11:15; Deut 14:14) were types of wild birds.
  25. Isaiah 34:11 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  26. Isaiah 34:11 tn Heb “stones,” i.e., the stones used in a plumb bob.
  27. Isaiah 34:11 sn The metaphor in v. 11b emphasizes that God has carefully planned Edom’s demise.
  28. Isaiah 34:12 tn Heb “will be nothing”; NCV, TEV, NLT “will all be gone.”
  29. Isaiah 34:13 tn The words “will grow” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  30. Isaiah 34:13 tc Heb “and she will be a settlement for wild dogs, a dwelling place for ostriches.” The translation assumes an emendation of חָצִיר (khatsir, “grass”) to חָצֵר (khatser, “settlement”). One of the Qumran scrolls of Isaiah (1QIsaa) supports this emendation (cf. HALOT 344 s.v. II חָצִיר)
  31. Isaiah 34:14 tn Heb “will meet” (so NIV); NLT “will mingle there.”
  32. Isaiah 34:14 tn Heb “and a goat will call to its neighbor.”
  33. Isaiah 34:14 tn The precise meaning of לִילִית (lilit) is unclear, though in this context the word certainly refers to some type of wild animal or bird. The word appears to be related to לַיְלָה (laylah, “night”). Some interpret it as the name of a female night demon, on the basis of an apparent Akkadian cognate used as the name of a demon. Later Jewish legends also identified Lilith as a demon. Cf. NRSV “Lilith.”
  34. Isaiah 34:14 tn Heb “and will find for themselves a resting place.”
  35. Isaiah 34:15 tn Hebrew קִפּוֹז (qippoz) occurs only here; the precise meaning of the word is uncertain.
  36. Isaiah 34:15 tn For this proposed meaning for Hebrew מָלַט (malat), see HALOT 589 s.v. I מלט.
  37. Isaiah 34:15 tn Heb “and brood [over them] in her shadow.”
  38. Isaiah 34:15 tn The precise meaning of דַּיָּה (dayyah) is uncertain, though the term appears to refer to some type of bird of prey, perhaps a vulture.
  39. Isaiah 34:16 tn Heb “Seek from upon the scroll of the Lord and read.”sn It is uncertain what particular scroll is referred to here. Perhaps the phrase simply refers to this prophecy and is an admonition to pay close attention to the details of the message.
  40. Isaiah 34:16 tn Heb “one from these will not be missing.” הֵנָּה (hennah, “these”) is feminine plural in the Hebrew text. It may refer only to the birds mentioned in v. 15b or may include all of the creatures listed in vv. 14b-15 (all of which are identified with feminine nouns).
  41. Isaiah 34:16 tn Heb “each its mate they will not lack.”
  42. Isaiah 34:16 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “for a mouth, it has commanded.” The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa and a few medieval mss have פִּיהוּ (pihu, “his mouth [has commanded]”), while a few other medieval mss read פִּי יְהוָה (pi yehvah, “the mouth of the Lord [has commanded]”).
  43. Isaiah 34:16 tn Heb “and his spirit, he gathers them.” The pronominal suffix (“them”) is feminine plural, referring to the birds mentioned in v. 15b or to all of the creatures listed in vv. 14b-15 (all of which are identified with feminine nouns).
  44. Isaiah 34:17 tn Heb “and he causes the lot to fall for them.” Once again the pronominal suffix (“them”) is feminine plural, referring to the birds mentioned in v. 15b or to all of the creatures listed in vv. 14b-15 (all of which are identified with feminine nouns).
  45. Isaiah 34:17 tn Heb “and his hand divides for them with a measuring line.” The pronominal suffix (“them”) now switches to masculine plural, referring to all the animals and birds mentioned in vv. 11-15, some of which were identified with masculine nouns. This signals closure for this portion of the speech, which began in v. 11. The following couplet (v. 17b) forms an inclusio with v. 11a through verbal repetition.
  46. Isaiah 34:17 tn Heb “will possess it” (so NIV); NCV “they will own that land forever.”
  47. Isaiah 35:1 tn The final mem (ם) on the verb יְשֻׂשׂוּם (yesusum) is dittographic (note the initial mem on the following noun מִדְבָּר [midbar]). The ambiguous verbal form is translated as a jussive because it is parallel to the jussive form תָגֵל (tagel). The jussive is used rhetorically here, not as a literal command or prayer.
  48. Isaiah 35:1 tn This verse employs three terms for desolate paces: מִדְבָּר (midbar, “wilderness”), צִיָּה (tsiyyah, “dry place, desert”), and עֲרָבָה (ʿaravah, “rift valley”). A midbar is an area that receives less than twelve inches of rain per year. It may have some pasturage (if receiving six to twelve inches of rain), but often has desert-like qualities. A tsiyyah is not a sandy desert per se, but of the three terms most clearly indicates a dry, desert region. The rift valley includes the Jordan Valley, but it still has a reputation as a dry, desolate place from its conditions near the Dead Sea and southward.
  49. Isaiah 35:2 tn The ambiguous verb form תִּפְרַח (tifrakh) is translated as a jussive because it is parallel to the jussive form תָגֵל (tagel).
  50. Isaiah 35:2 tn Heb “and let it rejoice, yes [with] rejoicing and shouting.” גִּילַת (gilat) may be an archaic feminine nominal form (see GKC 421 §130.b).
  51. Isaiah 35:2 tn Or “glory” (KJV, NIV, NRSV); also a second time later in this verse.
  52. Isaiah 35:3 tn Heb “staggering knees”; KJV, ASV, NRSV “feeble knees”; NIV “knees that give way.”
  53. Isaiah 35:4 tn Heb “Say to the hasty of heart,” i.e., those whose hearts beat quickly from fear.
  54. Isaiah 35:4 tn The jussive form וְיֹשַׁעֲכֶם (veyoshaʿakhem), which is subordinated to the preceding imperfect with vav conjunctive, indicates purpose.
  55. Isaiah 35:6 tn The rift valley (עֲרָבָה, ʿaravah) extends from Galilee to the Gulf of Aqaba. Near the Dead Sea and southward its conditions are very dry and desolate. Other translations render it as “desert” (KJV, NIV, NRSV), “wastelands” (NLT), or by its Hebrew name, “the Arabah” (NASB).
  56. Isaiah 35:8 tc The Hebrew text reads literally, “and there will be there a road and a way, and the Way of Holiness it will be called.” וְדֶרֶךְ (vederekh, “and a/the way”) is accidentally duplicated; the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa does not reflect the repetition of the phrase.
  57. Isaiah 35:8 tn The precise meaning of this line is uncertain. The text reads literally “and it is for them, the one who walks [on the] way.” In this context those authorized to use the Way of Holiness would be morally upright people who are the recipients of God’s deliverance, in contrast to the morally impure and foolish who are excluded from the new covenant community.
  58. Isaiah 35:8 tn In this context “fools” are those who are morally corrupt, not those with limited intellectual capacity.
  59. Isaiah 35:9 tn Heb “will go up on it”; TEV “will pass that way.”
  60. Isaiah 35:10 tn Heb “and the redeemed will walk, the ransomed of the Lord will return.”
  61. Isaiah 35:10 tn Heb “[will be] on their head[s].” “Joy” may be likened here to a crown (cf. 2 Sam 1:10). The statement may also be an ironic twist on the idiom “earth/dust on the head” (cf. 2 Sam 1:2; 13:19; 15:32; Job 2:12), referring to a mourning practice.
  62. Isaiah 35:10 tn Heb “will overtake” (NIV); NLT “they will be overcome with.”
  63. Isaiah 35:10 tn Heb “grief and groaning will flee”; KJV “sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”
  64. Isaiah 36:1 tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
  65. Isaiah 36:2 sn For a discussion of this title see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 229-30.
  66. Isaiah 36:2 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the chief adviser) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  67. Isaiah 36:2 tn Heb “the field of the washer”; traditionally “the fuller’s field” (so KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).
  68. Isaiah 36:4 tn Heb “What is this object of trust in which you are trusting?”
  69. Isaiah 36:5 tn Heb “you say only a word of lips, counsel and might for battle.” Sennacherib’s message appears to be in broken Hebrew at this point. The phrase “word of lips” refers to mere or empty talk in Prov 14:23.
  70. Isaiah 36:9 tn Heb “How can you turn back the face of an official [from among] the least of my master’s servants and trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen?” In vv. 8-9 the chief adviser develops further the argument begun in v. 6. His reasoning seems to be as follows: “In your weakened condition you obviously need military strength. Agree to the king’s terms, and I will personally give you more horses than you are capable of outfitting. If I, a mere minor official, am capable of giving you such military might, just think what power the king has. There is no way the Egyptians can match our strength. It makes much better sense to deal with us.”
  71. Isaiah 36:10 sn In v. 10 the chief adviser develops further the argument begun in v. 7. He claims that Hezekiah has offended the Lord and that the Lord has commissioned Assyria as his instrument of discipline and judgment.
  72. Isaiah 36:11 sn Aramaic was the diplomatic language of the Assyrian empire.
  73. Isaiah 36:11 tn Or “in Hebrew” (NIV, NCV, NLT); NAB, NASB “in Judean.”
  74. Isaiah 36:12 tn Heb “To your master and to you did my master send me to speak these words?” The rhetorical question expects a negative answer.
  75. Isaiah 36:12 tn Heb “[Is it] not [also] to the men…?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Yes, it is.”sn The chief adviser alludes to the horrible reality of siege warfare, when the starving people in the besieged city would resort to eating and drinking anything to stay alive.
  76. Isaiah 36:13 tn The Hebrew text includes “and he said.”
  77. Isaiah 36:16 tn Heb “make with me a blessing and come out to me.”
  78. Isaiah 36:18 tn Heb “Have the gods of the nations rescued, each his land, from the hand of the king of Assyria?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course not!”
  79. Isaiah 36:19 tn The rhetorical questions suggest the answer, “Nowhere. They seem to have disappeared in the face of Assyria’s might.”
  80. Isaiah 36:19 tn Heb “that they rescued Samaria from my hand?” But this gives the impression that the gods of Sepharvaim were responsible for protecting Samaria, which is obviously not the case. The implied subject of the plural verb “rescued” must be the generic “gods of the nations/lands” (vv. 18, 20).
  81. Isaiah 36:20 tn Heb “that the Lord might rescue Jerusalem from my hand?” The logic runs as follows: Since no god has ever been able to withstand the Assyrian onslaught, how can the people of Jerusalem possibly think the Lord will rescue them?
  82. Isaiah 36:22 sn As a sign of grief and mourning.
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Isaiah 37
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Colossians 2
New English Translation

2 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you,[a] and for those in Laodicea, and for those who have not met me face to face.[b] 2 My goal is that[c] their hearts, having been knit together[d] in love, may be encouraged, and that[e] they may have all the riches that assurance brings in their understanding of the knowledge of the mystery of God, namely, Christ,[f] 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I say this so that no one will deceive you through arguments[g] that sound reasonable.[h] 5 For though[i] I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit, rejoicing to see[j] your morale[k] and the firmness of your faith in Christ.

Warnings Against the Adoption of False Philosophies

6 Therefore, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord,[l] continue to live your lives[m] in him, 7 rooted[n] and built up in him and firm[o] in your[p] faith just as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. 8 Be careful not to allow anyone to captivate you[q] through an empty, deceitful philosophy[r] that is according to human traditions and the elemental spirits[s] of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him all the fullness of deity lives[t] in bodily form, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head over every ruler and authority. 11 In him you also were circumcised—not, however,[u] with a circumcision performed by human hands, but by the removal[v] of the fleshly body,[w] that is,[x] through the circumcision done by Christ. 12 Having been buried with him in baptism, you also have been raised with him through your[y] faith in the power[z] of God who raised him from the dead. 13 And even though you were dead in your[aa] transgressions and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he nevertheless[ab] made you alive with him, having forgiven all your transgressions. 14 He has destroyed[ac] what was against us, a certificate of indebtedness[ad] expressed in decrees opposed to us. He has taken it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 Disarming[ae] the rulers and authorities, he has made a public disgrace of them, triumphing over them by the cross.[af]

16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you with respect to food or drink, or in the matter of a feast, new moon, or Sabbath days— 17 these are only[ag] the shadow of the things to come, but the reality[ah] is Christ![ai] 18 Let no one who delights in false humility[aj] and the worship of angels pass judgment on you. That person goes on at great lengths[ak] about what he has supposedly seen, but he is puffed up with empty notions by his fleshly mind.[al] 19 He has not held fast[am] to the head from whom the whole body, supported[an] and knit together through its ligaments and sinews, grows with a growth that is from God.[ao]

20 If you have died with Christ to the elemental spirits[ap] of the world, why do you submit to them as though you lived in the world? 21 “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!” 22 These are all destined to perish with use, founded as they are[aq] on human commands and teachings.[ar] 23 Even though they have the appearance of wisdom[as] with their self-imposed worship and humility achieved by an[at] unsparing treatment of the body—a wisdom with no true value—they in reality result in fleshly indulgence.[au]

Footnotes

  1. Colossians 2:1 tn Or “I want you to know how hard I am working for you…”
  2. Colossians 2:1 tn Grk “as many as have not seen my face in the flesh.”
  3. Colossians 2:2 tn Verse two begins a subordinate ἵνα (hina) clause which was divided up into two sentences for the sake of clarity in English. Thus the phrase “My goal is that” is an attempt to reflect in the translation the purpose expressed through the ἵνα clauses.
  4. Colossians 2:2 tn BDAG 956 s.v. συμβιβάζω 1.b reads “unite, knit together.” Some commentators take the verb as a reference to instruction, “instructed in love.” See P. T. O’Brien, Colossians, Philemon (WBC), 93.
  5. Colossians 2:2 tn The phrase “and that” translates the first εἰς (eis) clause of v. 2 and reflects the second goal of Paul’s striving and struggle for the Colossians—the first is “encouragement” and the second is “full assurance.”
  6. Colossians 2:2 tc There are at least a dozen variants here, almost surely generated by the unusual wording τοῦ θεοῦ, Χριστοῦ (tou theou, Christou, “of God, [namely,] Christ”; so P46 B Hil). Scribes would be prone to conform this to more common Pauline expressions such as “of God, who is in Christ” (33), “of God, the Father of Christ” (א* A C 048vid 1175 bo), and “of the God and Father of Christ” (א2 Ψ 365 945 1505). Several witnesses, especially later Byzantines, read “of the God and Father, and of Christ” (D2 K L 075 [0208 0278] M). Even though the external support for the wording τοῦ θεοῦ, Χριστοῦ is hardly overwhelming, it clearly best explains the rise of the other readings and should thus be regarded as authentic.
  7. Colossians 2:4 tn BDAG 812 s.v. πιθανολογία states, “persuasive speech, art of persuasion (so Pla., Theaet. 162e) in an unfavorable sense in its only occurrence in our lit. ἐν πιθανολογίᾳ by specious arguments Col 2:4 (cp. PLips 40 III, 7 διὰ πιθανολογίας).”
  8. Colossians 2:4 sn Paul’s point is that even though the arguments seem to make sense (sound reasonable), they are in the end false. Paul is not here arguing against the study of philosophy or serious thinking per se, but is arguing against the uncritical adoption of a philosophy that is at odds with a proper view of Christ and the ethics of the Christian life.
  9. Colossians 2:5 tn The conditional particle εἰ (ei) together with καί (kai) here indicates a first class condition in Greek and carries a concessive force, especially when seen in contrast to the following phrase which begins with ἀλλά (alla).
  10. Colossians 2:5 tn Grk “rejoicing and seeing.”
  11. Colossians 2:5 tn The Greek word τάξις can mean “order,” “discipline,” or even “unbroken ranks” (REB).
  12. Colossians 2:6 tn Though the verb παρελάβετε (parelabete) does not often take a double accusative, here it seems to do so. Both τὸν Χριστὸν ᾿Ιησοῦν (ton Christon Iēsoun) and τὸν κύριον (ton kurion) are equally definite insofar as they both have an article, but both the word order and the use of “Christ Jesus” as a proper name suggest that it is the object (cf. Rom 10:9, 10). Thus Paul is affirming that the tradition that was delivered to the Colossians by Epaphras was Christ-centered and focused on him as Lord.
  13. Colossians 2:6 tn The present imperative περιπατεῖτε (peripateite) implies, in this context, a continuation of something already begun. This is evidenced by the fact that Paul has already referred to their faith as “orderly” and “firm” (2:5), despite the struggles of some of them with this deceptive heresy (cf. 2:16-23). The verb is used literally to refer to a person “walking” and is thus used metaphorically (i.e., ethically) to refer to the way a person lives his or her life.
  14. Colossians 2:7 tn Or “having been rooted.”
  15. Colossians 2:7 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).
  16. Colossians 2:7 tn Or “the.” The Greek text has the article τῇ (tē), not the possessive pronoun ὑμῶν (humōn), but the article often functions as a possessive pronoun and was translated as such here (ExSyn 215).
  17. Colossians 2:8 tn The Greek construction here is somewhat difficult and can be literally rendered “Be careful, lest someone shall be the one who takes you captive.”
  18. Colossians 2:8 tn The Greek reads τῆς φιλοσοφίας καὶ κενῆς ἀπάτης (tēs philosophias kai kenēs apatēs). The two nouns φιλοσοφίας and ἀπάτης are joined by one article and probably form a hendiadys. Thus the second noun was taken as modifying the first, as the translation shows.
  19. Colossians 2:8 tn The phrase κατὰ τὰ στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου (kata ta stoicheia tou kosmou) is difficult to translate because of problems surrounding the precise meaning of στοιχεῖα in this context. Originally it referred to the letters of the alphabet, with the idea at its root of “things in a row”; see C. Vaughn, “Colossians,” EBC 11:198. M. J. Harris (Colossians and Philemon [EGGNT], 93) outlines three probable options: (1) the material elements which comprise the physical world; (2) the elementary teachings of the world (so NEB, NASB, NIV); (3) the elemental spirits of the world (so NEB, RSV). The first option is highly unlikely because Paul is not concerned here with the physical elements, e.g., carbon or nitrogen. The last two options are both possible. Though the Gnostic-like heresy at Colossae would undoubtedly have been regarded by Paul as an “elementary teaching” at best, because the idea of “spirits” played such a role in Gnostic thought, he may very well have had in mind elemental spirits that operated in the world or controlled the world (i.e., under God’s authority and permission).
  20. Colossians 2:9 sn In him all the fullness of deity lives. The present tense in this verse (“lives”) is significant. Again, as was stated in the note on 1:19, this is not a temporary dwelling, but a permanent one. Paul’s point is polemical against the idea that the fullness of God dwells anywhere else, as the Gnostics believed, except in Christ alone. At the incarnation, the second person of the Trinity assumed humanity, and is forever the God-man.
  21. Colossians 2:11 tn The terms “however” and “but” in this sentence were supplied in order to emphasize the contrast.
  22. Colossians 2:11 tn The articular noun τῇ ἀπεκδύσει (tē apekdusei) is a noun which ends in -σις (-sis) and therefore denotes action, i.e., “removal.” Since the head noun is a verbal noun, the following genitive τοῦ σώματος (tou sōmatos) is understood as an objective genitive, receiving the action of the head noun.
  23. Colossians 2:11 tn Grk “in the removal of the body of flesh.” The genitive τῆς σαρκός (tēs sarkos) has been translated as an attributive genitive, “fleshly body.”
  24. Colossians 2:11 tn The second prepositional phrase beginning with ἐν τῇ περιτομῇ (en tē peritomē) is parallel to the prepositional phrase ἐν τῇ ἀπεκδύσει (en tē apekdusei) and gives a further explanation of it. The words “that is” were supplied to bring out this force in the translation.
  25. Colossians 2:12 tn The article with the genitive modifier τῆς πίστεως (tēs pisteōs) is functioning as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).
  26. Colossians 2:12 tn The genitive τῆς ἐνεργείας (tēs energeias) has been translated as an objective genitive, “faith in the power.”
  27. Colossians 2:13 tn The article τοῖς (tois) with παραπτώμασιν (paraptōmasin) is functioning as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).
  28. Colossians 2:13 tn The word “nevertheless,” though not in the Greek text, was supplied in the translation to bring out the force of the concessive participle ὄντας (ontas).
  29. Colossians 2:14 tn The participle ἐξαλείψας (exaleipsas) is a temporal adverbial participle of contemporaneous time related to the previous verb συνεζωοποίησεν (sunezōopoiēsen), but has been translated as a finite verb because of the complexity of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences. For the meaning “destroy” see BDAG 344-45 s.v. ἐξαλείφω 2.
  30. Colossians 2:14 tn On the translation of χειρόγραφον (cheirographon), see BDAG 1083 s.v. which refers to it as “a certificate of indebtedness.”
  31. Colossians 2:15 tn See BDAG 100 s.v. ἀπεκδύομαι 2.
  32. Colossians 2:15 tn The antecedent of the Greek pronoun αὐτῷ (autō) could either be “Christ” or the “cross.” There are several reasons for choosing “the cross” as the antecedent for αὐτῷ in verse 15: (1) The nearest antecedent is τῷ σταυρῷ (tō staurō) in v. 14; (2) the idea of ἐδειγμάτισεν ἐν παρρησία (edeigmatisen en parrēsia, “made a public disgrace”) seems to be more in keeping with the idea of the cross; (3) a reference to Christ seems to miss the irony involved in the idea of triumph—the whole point is that where one would expect defeat, there came the victory; (4) if Christ is the subject of the participles in v. 15 then almost certainly the cross is the referent for αὐτῷ. Thus the best solution is to see αὐτῷ as a reference to the cross and the preposition ἐν (en) indicating “means” (i.e., by means of the cross) or possibly (though less likely) location (on the cross).
  33. Colossians 2:17 tn The word “only,” though not in the Greek text, is supplied in the English translation to bring out the contrast inherent between the two parts of the verse.
  34. Colossians 2:17 tn Grk “but the body of Christ.” The term body here, when used in contrast to shadow (σκιά, skia) indicates the opposite meaning, i.e., the reality or substance itself.
  35. Colossians 2:17 tn The genitive τοῦ Χριστοῦ (tou Christou) is appositional and translated as such: “the reality is Christ.”
  36. Colossians 2:18 tn Though the apostle uses the term ταπεινοφροσύνῃ (tapeinophrosunē) elsewhere in a positive sense (cf. 3:12), here and in v. 23 the sense is negative and reflects the misguided thinking of Paul’s opponents.
  37. Colossians 2:18 tn For the various views on the translation of ἐμβατεύων (embateuōn), see BDAG 321 s.v. ἐμβατεύω 4. The idea in this context seems to be that the individual in question loves to talk on and on about his spiritual experiences, but in reality they are only coming out of his own sinful flesh.
  38. Colossians 2:18 tn Grk “by the mind of his flesh.” In the translation above, σαρκός (sarkos) is taken as an attributive genitive. The phrase could also be translated “by his sinful thoughts,” since it appears that Paul is using σάρξ (sarx, “flesh”) here in a morally negative way.
  39. Colossians 2:19 tn The Greek participle κρατῶν (kratōn) was translated as a finite verb to avoid an unusually long and pedantic sentence structure in English.
  40. Colossians 2:19 tn See BDAG 387 s.v. ἐπιχορηγέω 3.
  41. Colossians 2:19 tn The genitive τοῦ θεοῦ (tou theou) has been translated as a genitive of source, “from God.”
  42. Colossians 2:20 tn See the note on the phrase “elemental spirits” in 2:8.
  43. Colossians 2:22 tn The expression “founded as they are” brings out the force of the Greek preposition κατά (kata).
  44. Colossians 2:22 tn Grk “The commands and teachings of men.”
  45. Colossians 2:23 tn Grk “having a word of wisdom.”
  46. Colossians 2:23 tc ‡ The vast bulk of witnesses, including some very significant ones (א A C D F G H Ψ 075 0278 33 1175 1881 2464 M lat sy), have καί (kai) here, but the shorter reading is supported by some early and significant witnesses (P46 B 1739 b m Hil Ambst Spec). The καί looks to be a motivated reading in that it makes ἀφειδία (apheidia) “the third in a series of datives after ἐν, rather than an instrumental dative qualifying the previous prepositional phrase” (TCGNT 556). At the same time, the omission of καί could possibly have been unintentional. A decision is difficult, but the shorter reading is slightly preferred. NA28 puts καί in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.
  47. Colossians 2:23 tn The translation understands this verse to contain a concessive subordinate clause within the main clause. The Greek particle μέν (men) is the second word of the embedded subordinate clause. The phrase οὐκ ἐν τιμῇ τινι (ouk en timē tini) modifies the subordinate clause, and the main clause resumes with the preposition πρός (pros). The translation has placed the subordinate clause first in order for clarity instead of retaining its embedded location. For a detailed discussion of this grammatical construction, see B. Hollenbach, “Col 2:23: Which Things Lead to the Fulfillment of the Flesh,” NTS 25 (1979): 254-61.
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