Colossians 2:18

Colossians 2:18 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
• New International Version (NIV)Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind,
• New King James Version (NKJV)Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,

Context of Colossians 2:18

16Therefore let no one judge you in regard to food and drink or in regard to [the observance of] a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day. 17Such things are only a shadow of what is to come and they have only symbolic value; but the substance [the reality of what is foreshadowed] belongs to Christ. Let no one defraud you of your prize [your freedom in Christ and your salvation] by insisting on mock humility and the worship of angels, going into detail about visions [he claims] he has seen [to justify his authority], puffed up [in conceit] by his unspiritual mind, 19and not holding fast to the head [of the body, Jesus Christ], from whom the entire body, supplied and knit together by its joints and ligaments, grows with the growth [that can come only] from God. 20If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were still living in the world, do you submit to rules and regulations, such as,

Colossians 2:18 word by word

μηδεὶς ὑμᾶς καταβραβευέτω θέλων ἐν ταπεινοφροσύνῃ καὶ θρησκείᾳ τῶν ἀγγέλων, ἃ ἑόρακεν ἐμβατεύων εἰκῇ φυσιούμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ νοὸς τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ,Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Letκαταβραβεύωkatabrabeuō · to disqualifyG2603
• no manμηδείςmēdeis mēdemia mēden · nothingG3367
• youσύsu · youG4771
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• a voluntaryθέλωthelō ethelō · to will/desireG2309
• humilityταπεινοφροσύνηtapeinophrosunē · humilityG5012
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• worshippingθρησκείαthrēskeia · religionG2356
• of angelsὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• of angelsἄγγελοςaggelos · angelG32
• intruding intoἐμβατεύωembateuō · to investigateG1687
• those things whichὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• he hathὁράωhoraō · to see: seeG3708
• notμήmē · notG3361
• vainlyεἰκῇeikē · in vainG1500
• puffed upφυσιόωphusioō · to inflateG5448
• byὑπόhupo · by/under: byG5259
• hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• fleshlyσάρξsarx · fleshG4561
• mindνοῦςnous · mindG3563

Cross-references for Colossians 2:18

• Colossians 2:4I say this so that no one will deceive you with persuasive [but thoroughly deceptive] arguments.
• Genesis 3:13Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent beguiled and deceived me, and I ate [from the forbidden tree].”
• Numbers 25:18for they harass you with their tricks, the tricks with which they have deceived you in the matter [of the Baal] of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of the leader of Midian, their sister, who was killed on the day of the plague because [of the Baal] of Peor.”
• Matthew 24:24For false Christs and false prophets will appear and they will provide great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect (God’s chosen ones).
• Romans 16:18For such people do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites and base desires. By smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting [the innocent and the naive].
• 2 Corinthians 11:3But I am afraid that, even as the serpent beguiled Eve by his cunning, your minds may be corrupted and led away from the simplicity of [your sincere and] pure devotion to Christ.
• Ephesians 5:6Let no one deceive you with empty arguments [that encourage you to sin], for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience [those who habitually sin].
• 2 Peter 2:14They have eyes full of adultery, constantly looking for sin, enticing and luring away unstable souls. Having hearts trained in greed, [they are] children of a curse.
• 1 John 2:26These things I have written to you with reference to those who are trying to deceive you [seducing you and leading you away from the truth and sound doctrine].
• 1 John 4:1Beloved, do not believe every spirit [speaking through a self-proclaimed prophet]; instead test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets and teachers have gone out into the world.
• 2 John 1:7For many deceivers [heretics, posing as Christians] have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge and confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh (bodily form). This [person, the kind who does this] is the deceiver and the antichrist [that is, the antagonist of Christ].
• Revelation 3:11I am coming quickly. Hold tight what you have, so that no one will take your crown [by leading you to renounce the faith].
• Revelation 12:9And the great dragon was thrown down, the age-old serpent who is called the devil and Satan, he who continually deceives and seduces the entire inhabited world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
• Revelation 13:8All the inhabitants of the earth will fall down and worship him, everyone whose name has not been written since the foundation of the world in the Book of Life of the Lamb who has been slain [as a willing sacrifice].
• Colossians 2:16Therefore let no one judge you in regard to food and drink or in regard to [the observance of] a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day.
• Colossians 2:23These practices indeed have the appearance [that popularly passes as that] of wisdom in self-made religion and mock humility and severe treatment of the body (asceticism), but are of no value against sinful indulgence [because they do not honor God].

Commentaries on Colossians 2:18

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18Let no man beguile you - ̔ · Let no man take the prize from you which the , brabeus, or judge in the contests, has assigned you, in consequence of your having obtained the victory. This any reader will see, is an allusion to the Olympic and Isthmian games, and to the prizes assigned to these who had obtained the victory in one or more of the contests which there took place. The Colossians had fought and conquered under the direction of Christ, and he, as…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 18Let no man beguile you of your reward - Margin, judge against you. The word used here - ́ katabrabeuō- occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. It is a word which was employed with reference to the distribution of prizes at the Grecian games, and means, to give the prize against anyone, to deprive of the palm. Hence, it means to deprive of a due reward: and the sense here is, that they were to be on their guard lest the “reward” - the crown of victory…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 18-23Verses 18-23 It looked like humility to apply to angels, as if men were conscious of their unworthiness to speak directly to God. But it is not warrantable; it is taking that honour which is due to Christ only, and giving it to a creature. There really was pride in this seeming humility. Those who worship angels, disclaim Christ, who is the only Mediator between God and man. It is an insult to Christ, who is the Head of the church, to use any intercessors…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 18the worship of angels: People in the first century were very interested in spiritual beings. Some Jews believed that angels were present with them during their times of worship, and some people might even have prayed to angels or worshiped them directly. The false teachers claimed to have had visions that made certain ceremonies necessary for the community.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1818. beguile--Translate, "Defraud you of your prize," literally, "to adjudge a prize out of hostility away from him who deserves it" [Trench]. "To be umpire in a contest to the detriment of one." This defrauding of their prize the Colossians would suffer, by letting any self-constituted arbitrator or judge (that is, false teacher) draw them away from Christ," the righteous Judge" and Awarder of the prize (2Ti 4:8; Jas 1:12; 1Pe 5:4), to angel-worship. in a…Read the comment

Topics related to Colossians 2:18

• Angel (a Spirit)
• Doctrines
• Idolatry
• Law
• Minister, Christian
• Philosophy
• Worship

In the dictionaries

• Angel
• Complete
• Conflict
• Essenes
• Subject
• Treasure
• Trespass
• Apostolic Age
• Astrology
• Beguile

Commentaries on Colossians 2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings