Colossians 3:14

Colossians 3:14 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
• New International Version (NIV)And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
• New King James Version (NKJV)But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.

Context of Colossians 3:14

12God has chosen you to be his own special people. You belong to him and he loves you very much. So this is how you should live: Be kind to other people and help them. Do not think that you are better than other people. Instead, respect them and be patient with them. 13Do not become angry with each other. If you think that someone has done something wrong against you, forgive them. Remember that the Lord has forgiven you. So you should also forgive other people. And you must also love each other. That is the most important thing that you should do. Love holds all these good things completely together. 15Christ has given you peace in your minds. So let that peace rule your thoughts. God has chosen you to be like one body, as his people. So he wants you to live together in peace. Thank God for everything that he gives to you. 16Let Christ's message always be in your thoughts, with all the good things that it brings. Use that message to teach and to warn each other. Be very wise as you do that. And also sing all kinds of spiritual songs to praise God. Sing psalms and Christian songs. As you sing, thank God from inside yourselves.

Colossians 3:14 word by word

ἐπὶ πᾶσιν δὲ τούτοις τὴν ἀγάπην, ὅ ἐστιν σύνδεσμος τῆς τελειότητος.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andδέde · thenG1161
• aboveἐπίepi · upon/to/againstG1909
• allπᾶςpas · allG3956
• these thingsοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
• charityὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• charityἀγάπηagapē · loveG26
• whichὅστιςhostis hētis ho6ti · who/whichG3748
• isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• the bondσύνδεσμοςsundesmos · bond(age)G4886
• of perfectnessτελειότηςteleiotēs · perfectionG5047

Cross-references for Colossians 3:14

• Colossians 2:2I want all the believers to become strong in their spirits. I want them to help each other because they love one another. Then God will bless them very much, because they understand God's secret message very well. They will be completely sure of it. And they will know Christ himself, who is God's secret.
• John 13:34I give a new rule to you. Love each other. You must love each other as I have loved you.
• John 15:12This is the rule that I give to you: You must love each other, in the same way that I have loved you.
• Romans 13:8Always pay your debts to people. The only debt that you should have is to love each other. Anyone who loves other people has obeyed God's Law completely.
• 1 Corinthians 13:1I may be able to speak many different languages that people or angels speak. But that is worth nothing if I do not love other people. I would only be making a loud noise, like someone who hits a piece of metal.
• Ephesians 5:2Show that you love other people. Remember how much Christ loved us. He gave himself as a sacrifice on our behalf. He offered himself in a way that pleased God, like a sacrifice with a lovely smell.
• 1 Thessalonians 4:9But I do not need to write to you about how you should love other believers. God himself has taught you how to love each other.
• 1 Timothy 1:5We need to teach people to love one another with pure thoughts. They need to be sure in their minds that they are living in a good way. They need to trust God completely.
• 1 Peter 4:8Continue to love each other very much. That is more important than anything else. If you love people, you will forgive them for any wrong things that they have done.
• 2 Peter 1:7You should not only please God, but you should be kind to other believers. You should not only love other believers, but you must also love all people.
• 1 John 3:23This is God's command to us: we must believe that Jesus Christ is his Son. And we must love each other, as Jesus commanded us.
• 1 John 4:21This is the command that God has given us. He has told us that anyone who loves him should love other Christians too.
• Ephesians 1:4Before God made the world, he chose us to be his people because of Christ. He chose us so that we would please him. Because we belong to Christ, God accepts us as completely good. This shows how much he loves us.
• Ephesians 4:3Do your best to let God's Spirit keep you united. You belong together so live in peace with each other.
• 1 John 4:7My friends, we should all love each other. It is God who makes us able to love other people. Everyone who loves other people has become a child of God. That person knows God.

Commentaries on Colossians 3:14

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 14And above all these things - · Upon all, over all; as the outer garment envelopes all the clothing, so let charity or love invest and encompass all the rest. Even bowels of mercy are to be set in motion by love; from love they derive all their feeling, and all their power and promptitude to action. Let this, therefore, be as the upper garment; the surtout that invests the whole man. Which is the bond of perfectness - Love to God and man is not only to…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 14And above all these things - Over, or upon all these things; compare the notes at Ephesians 6:16. Charity - Love. Notes, 1 Corinthians 13:1. Which is the bond of perfectness - The bond of all perfection; the thing which will unite all other things, and make them complete; compare the parallel place in Ephesians 4:3. The idea seems to be that love will bind all the other graces fast together, and render the whole system complete. Without love, though there…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 12-17Verses 12-17 We must not only do no hurt to any, but do what good we can to all. Those who are the elect of God, holy and beloved, ought to be lowly and compassionate towards all. While in this world, where there is so much corruption in our hearts, quarrels will sometimes arise. But it is our duty to forgive one another, imitating the forgiveness through which we are saved. Let the peace of God rule in your hearts; it is of his working in all who are…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12-17Paul explains the new life of those who have been raised with Christ (3:1). Their good qualities and actions contribute to the peace and strength of the Christian community.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1414. above--rather "over," as in Ep 6:16. Charity, which is the crowning grace, covering the multitude of others' sins (1Pe 4:8), must overlie all the other graces enumerated. which is--that is, "for it is"; literally, "which thing is." bond of perfectness--an upper garment which completes and keeps together the rest, which, without it, would be loose and disconnected. Seeming graces, where love is wanting, are mere hypocrisy. Justification by faith is…Read the comment

Topics related to Colossians 3:14

• Catholicity
• Charitableness
• Commandments
• Holiness
• Kindness
• Perfection
• Righteousness
• Works

In the dictionaries

• Admonish
• Bands
• Bond
• Charity
• Covetousness
• Discourage
• Ephesians, Epistle to
• Fit
• Lord
• Member

Commentaries on Colossians 3

• 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