Christian Standard Bible
Colossians 1:17
17He is before all things, and by him all things hold together.
Colossians 1:17 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
- New International Version (NIV)He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.
Context of Colossians 1:17
15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and by him all things hold together. 18He is also the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. 19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,
Read all of Colossians 1Colossians 1:17 word by word
καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν πρὸ πάντων, καὶ τὰ πάντα ἐν αὐτῷ συνέστηκεν,Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Colossians 1:17
- Colossians 1:15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
- Proverbs 8:22“The Lord acquired me at the beginning of his creation, before his works of long ago.
- Isaiah 43:11I — I am the Lord. Besides me, there is no Savior.
- Isaiah 44:6This is what the Lord, the King of Israel and its Redeemer, the Lord of Armies, says: I am the first and I am the last. There is no God but me.
- Micah 5:2Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah; one will come from you to be ruler over Israel for me. His origin is from antiquity, from ancient times.
- John 1:1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
- John 8:58Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.”
- John 17:5Now, Father, glorify me in your presence with that glory I had with you before the world existed.
- 1 Corinthians 8:6yet for us there is one God, the Father. All things are from him, and we exist for him. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ. All things are through him, and we exist through him.
- Hebrews 13:8Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
- Revelation 1:8“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “the one who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
- Revelation 2:8“Write to the angel of the church in Smyrna: Thus says the First and the Last, the one who was dead and came to life:
- 1 Samuel 2:8He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the trash heap. He seats them with noblemen and gives them a throne of honor. For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s; he has set the world on them.
- Psalms 75:3When the earth and all its inhabitants shake, I am the one who steadies its pillars.Selah
- John 5:17Jesus responded to them, “My Father is still working, and I am working also.”
- Acts 17:28For in him we live and move and have our being, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring.’
Commentaries on Colossians 1:17
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17And he is before all things - As he must be, if he created all things. Those who regard this as referring to a moral creation, interpret it as meaning that he has the pre-eminence over all things; not as referring to his pre-existence. But the fair and proper meaning of the word “before” ( ̀ pro) is, that he was before all things in the order of existence; compare Matthew 8:29; John 11:55; John 13:1; Acts 5:36; Acts 21:38; 2 Corinthians 12:2. It is…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. 15-20Paul describes Jesus as the ultimate creator and redeemer (1:15–17; 1:18–20). Three main things suggest these verses quote an early Christian hymn about Jesus: These verses are brief statements. These verses have contain high praise and special honor for Christ (he is exalted). These verses use similar language and ideas. Paul applied this hymn to the situation of the church in Colossae.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1717. (Joh 8:58.) Translate as Greek, "And He Himself (the great He) is (implying divine essential being) before all things," in time, as well as in dignity. Since He is before all things, He is before even time, that is, from eternity. Compare "the first-born of every creature" (Col 1:15). by him--Greek, "IN Him" (as the conditional element of existence, Col 1:16) [Alford]. consist--"subsist." Not only are called into being from nothing, but are maintained…Read the comment
Topics related to Colossians 1:17
In the dictionaries
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
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