English Standard Version
Colossians 1:21
21And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,
Colossians 1:21 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
- New International Version (NIV)Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled
- New Living Translation (NLT)This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions.
Context of Colossians 1:21
19For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Read all of Colossians 1Colossians 1:21 word by word
καὶ ὑμᾶς ποτε ὄντας ἀπηλλοτριωμένους καὶ ἐχθροὺς τῇ διανοίᾳ ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις τοῖς πονηροῖς,Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- Andκαίkai · andG2532
- youσύsu · youG4771
- that wereεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- sometimeποτέpote · once/whenG4218
- alienatedἀπαλλοτριόωapallotrioō · to alienateG526
- enemiesἐχθρόςechthros · enemyG2190
- inδιάνοιαdianoia · mindG1271
- byἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
- wickedπονηρόςponēros · evil/badG4190
- worksἔργονergon · workG2041
- yetδέde · thenG1161
- nowνυνίnuni · nowG3570
- hath he reconciledἀποκαταλλάσσωapokatallassō · to reconcileG604
Cross-references for Colossians 1:21
- Romans 1:30slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,
- Romans 5:9Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.
- Romans 8:7For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot.
- 1 Corinthians 6:9Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,
- Ephesians 2:1And you were dead in the trespasses and sins
- Ephesians 4:18They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.
- James 4:4You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
Commentaries on Colossians 1:21
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21And you, that were sometime alienated - All men are alienated from God, and all are enemies in their minds to him, and show it by their wicked works; but this is spoken particularly of the Gentiles. The word , which we render to alienate, to give to another, to estrange, expresses the state of the Gentiles: while the Jews were, at least by profession, dedicated to God, the Gentiles were alienated, that is, given up to others; they worshipped not the true…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 21And you, that were sometime alienated - In this work of reconciling heaven and earth, you at Colossae, who were once enemies of God, have been reached. The benefit of that great plan has been extended to you, and it has accomplished in you what it is designed to effect everywhere - to reconcile enemies to God. The word “sometime” here - pote- means “formerly.” In common with all other men they were, by nature, in a state of enmity against God; compare the…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. 21The phrase alienated from God probably refers to their former status as Gentiles, who were not part of God's covenant people (see Ephesians 2:12).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2121. The Colossians are included in this general reconciliation (compare Ep 2:1, 12). sometime--"once." alienated--from God and salvation: objectively banished from God, through the barrier which God's justice interposed against your sin: subjectively estranged through the alienation of your own wills from God. The former is the prominent thought (compare Ro 5:10), as the second follows, "enemies in your mind." "Actual alienation makes habitual 'enemies'"…Read the comment
Topics related to Colossians 1:21
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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries