Colossians 1:18

Colossians 1:18 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
• New International Version (NIV)And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

Context of Colossians 1:18

16for in him were all things created, in the heavens and upon the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through him, and unto him; 17and he is before all things, and in him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. 19For it was the good pleasure of the Father that in him should all the fulness dwell; 20and through him to reconcile all things unto himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross; through him, I say, whether things upon the earth, or things in the heavens.

Colossians 1:18 word by word

καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν ἡ κεφαλὴ τοῦ σώματος τῆς ἐκκλησίας· ὅς ἐστιν ἀρχή, πρωτότοκος ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν, ἵνα γένηται ἐν πᾶσιν αὐτὸς πρωτεύων·Read the interlinear

• isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• headκεφαλήkephalē · headG2776
• bodyσῶμαsōma · bodyG4983
• churchἐκκλησίαekklēsia · assemblyG1577
• firstbornπρωτότοκοςprōtotokos · firstbornG4416
• deadνεκρόςnekros · deadG3498
• thingsπᾶςpas · allG3956

Cross-references for Colossians 1:18

• Colossians 1:24Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and fill up on my part that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church;
• Colossians 2:10and in him ye are made full, who is the head of all principality and power:
• 1 Corinthians 11:3But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.
• Ephesians 1:10unto a dispensation of the fulness of the times, to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens, and the things upon the earth; in him, I say,
• Ephesians 4:15but speaking truth in love, may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, even Christ;
• Ephesians 5:23For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, being himself the saviour of the body.
• John 1:1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
• 1 John 1:1That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we beheld, and our hands handled, concerning the Word of life
• Revelation 1:8I am the Alpha and the Omega, saith the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.
• Revelation 3:14And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God:
• Revelation 21:6And he said unto me, They are come to pass. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
• Revelation 22:13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.
• John 11:25Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth on me, though he die, yet shall he live;
• Acts 26:23how that the Christ must suffer, and how that he first by the resurrection of the dead should proclaim light both to the people and to the Gentiles.
• 1 Corinthians 15:20But now hath Christ been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of them that are asleep.
• Revelation 1:5and from Jesus Christ, who isthe faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loveth us, and loosed us from our sins by his blood;

Commentaries on Colossians 1:18

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18He is the head of the body - What the apostle has said in the two preceding verses refers to the Divine nature of Jesus Christ; he now proceeds to speak of his human nature, and to show how highly that is exalted beyond all created things, and how, in that, he is head of the Church - the author and dispenser of light, life, and salvation, to the Christian world; or, in other words, that from him, as the man in whom the fullness of the Godhead bodily…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 18And he is the head of the body, the church - Notes Ephesians 1:22; Ephesians 5:23, note. Who is the beginning - In all things - alike in the work of creation and in the church. He is the fountain of authority and power, and commences everything that is designed to uphold the order of the universe, and to save the world. The first-born from the dead - At the head of those who rise from their graves. This does not mean literally that he was the first who…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-23Verses 15-23 Christ in his human nature, is the visible discovery of the invisible God, and he that hath seen Him hath seen the Father. Let us adore these mysteries in humble faith, and behold the glory of the Lord in Christ Jesus. He was born or begotten before all the creation, before any creature was made; which is the Scripture way of representing eternity, and by which the eternity of God is represented to us. All things being created by Him, were…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 18Head of the body, the church: The Greek word kephalē (meaning “head”) often has the sense of authority over or chief when Paul uses it as a metaphor (see also 2:10, 19; 1 Corinthians 11:3–10; Ephesians 4:15; 5:23). of the body: The metaphor of the church as Christ’s body shows the essential unity of Christ and the church (see also Colossians 1:24; 2:19; 3:15; Ephesians 1:23; 2:16; 4:4, 12; 5:23, 30). firstborn from among the dead: See study note on…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1818. Revelation of Christ to the Church and the new creation, as the Originator of both. he--emphatical. Not angels in opposition to the false teachers' doctrine concerning angel-worship, and the power of Oeons or (imaginary) spirit emanations from God (Col 2:10, 18). head of the body, the church--The Church is His body by virtue of His entering into communion corporeally with human nature [Neander], (Ep 1:22). The same One who is the Head of all things…Read the comment

Topics related to Colossians 1:18

• Church
• Jesus Continued
• Temple

In the dictionaries

• Birthright
• Consist
• Darkness
• Dominion
• Fill
• Kingly office of Christ
• Mightily
• Philippians, Epistle to
• Reconcile
• Redemption

Commentaries on Colossians 1

• 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
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• 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