EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Colossians 2:23
23They teach you ideas about what you must do to worship God. They teach you to serve other people like a slave. They say that you must hurt yourself. You must show that you control your body. Rules like that may seem to be wise, but really they are not worth anything. They cannot stop our weak human nature from doing the bad things that we want to do.
Colossians 2:23 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.
- New International Version (NIV)Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.
- English Standard Version (ESV)These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.
- New King James Version (NKJV)These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.
Context of Colossians 2:23
21They teach, ‘Do not touch things like that!’ Or, ‘Do not eat that kind of food!’ Or, ‘Keep away from that thing!’ 22Rules like that are only about things that spoil when you use them. They are rules that come from human ideas. They teach you ideas about what you must do to worship God. They teach you to serve other people like a slave. They say that you must hurt yourself. You must show that you control your body. Rules like that may seem to be wise, but really they are not worth anything. They cannot stop our weak human nature from doing the bad things that we want to do.
Read all of Colossians 2Colossians 2:23 word by word
ἅτινά ἐστιν λόγον μὲν ἔχοντα σοφίας ἐν ἐθελοθρησκίᾳ καὶ ταπεινοφροσύνῃ καὶ ἀφειδίᾳ σώματος, οὐκ ἐν τιμῇ τινι πρὸς πλησμονὴν τῆς σαρκός.¶Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Whichὅστιςhostis hētis ho6ti · who/whichG3748
- thingsλόγοςlogos · wordG3056
- haveεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- indeedμένmen · on the other handG3303
- a shewἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
- of wisdomσοφίαsophia · wisdomG4678
- inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
- will worshipἐθελοθρησκείαethelothrēskeia · self-made religionG1479
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- humilityταπεινοφροσύνηtapeinophrosunē · humilityG5012
- neglectingἀφειδίαapheidia · unsparingG857
- of the bodyσῶμαsōma · bodyG4983
- notοὐou · noG3756
- anyτιςtis · oneG5100
- honourτιμήtimē · honorG5092
- toπρόςpros · to/withG4314
- the satisfyingπλησμονήplēsmonē · gratificationG4140
- of the fleshὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- of the fleshσάρξsarx · fleshG4561
Cross-references for Colossians 2:23
- Genesis 3:5God knows that when you eat the fruit from this tree, you will understand things. You will become like God himself. You will know about good things and evil things.’
- Matthew 23:27It will be very bad for you, teachers of God's law and Pharisees. You are hypocrites! You are like a grave that has nice white paint on the outside and it looks beautiful. But on the inside it is full of bones and disgusting things.
- 2 Corinthians 11:13Those people are false apostles. They do not work in an honest way. They try to make people think that Christ has sent them as his apostles.
- 1 Timothy 4:3They say that it is wrong for anyone to marry. They tell people not to eat certain kinds of food. But God made those foods for people to eat! We should understand God's true message and trust him. Then we will receive the food that he has given us and we will thank him for it.
- Colossians 2:8Be careful that you do not believe any false teachers. The ideas that they teach may seem clever. But they really want to deceive you. They are ideas that have come from the human minds of our ancestors. Or ideas that come from spirits that belong to this world. They are not the true message about Christ.
- Ephesians 5:29There is nobody who hates his own body. Everyone feeds his body and he takes care of it. In the same way, the church is like Christ's body that he takes care of.
Commentaries on Colossians 2:23
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 23Which things have indeed a show of wisdom - All these prescriptions and rites have indeed the appearance of wisdom, and are recommended by plausible reasons; but they form a worship which God has not commanded, and enjoin macerations of the body, accompanied with a humiliation of spirit, that are neither profitable to the soul, nor of any advantage to the body; so that the whole of their religion is nothing worth. What is here termed will-worship…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 23Which things - Which scrupulous observance of the numerous precepts enjoining rites and ceremonies, the observance of days, and the distinctions between meats and drinks. Have indeed a show of wisdom - Have a great appearance of piety and of regard for the will of God They have a show of “wisdom,” too, or of a deep acquaintance with divine things. They who insist on them appear to be learned in what constitutes religion, and to have a deep insight into…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. 23they are of no value: These rules come from the world, not from Christ (2:19). They cannot conquer a person's evil desires.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2323. have--Greek, "are having"; implying the permanent characteristic which these ordinances are supposed to have. show of wisdom--rather, "a reputation of wisdom" [Alford]. will-worship--arbitrarily invented worship: would-be worship, devised by man's own will, not God's. So jealous is God of human will-worship, that He struck Nadab and Abihu dead for burning strange incense (Le 10:1-3). So Uzziah was stricken with leprosy for usurping the office of…Read the comment
Topics related to Colossians 2:23
In the dictionaries
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
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