God’s Word Translation
Colossians 2:18
18Let no one who delights in ⌞false⌟ humility and the worship of angels tell you that you don’t deserve a prize. Such a person, whose sinful mind fills him with arrogance, gives endless details of the visions he has seen.
Colossians 2:18 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
- New International Version (NIV)Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind,
- New King James Version (NKJV)Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
Context of Colossians 2:18
16Therefore, let no one judge you because of what you eat or drink or about the observance of annual holy days, New Moon Festivals, or weekly days of rest—holy days. 17These are a shadow of the things to come, but the body ⌞that casts the shadow⌟ belongs to Christ. Let no one who delights in ⌞false⌟ humility and the worship of angels tell you that you don’t deserve a prize. Such a person, whose sinful mind fills him with arrogance, gives endless details of the visions he has seen. 19He doesn’t hold on to ⌞Christ,⌟ the head. Christ makes the whole body grow as God wants it to, through support and unity given by the joints and ligaments. 20If you have died with Christ to the world’s way of doing things, why do you let others tell you how to live? It’s as though you were still under the world’s influence.
Read all of Colossians 2Colossians 2:18 word by word
μηδεὶς ὑμᾶς καταβραβευέτω θέλων ἐν ταπεινοφροσύνῃ καὶ θρησκείᾳ τῶν ἀγγέλων, ἃ ἑόρακεν ἐμβατεύων εἰκῇ φυσιούμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ νοὸς τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ,Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Letκαταβραβεύωkatabrabeuō · to disqualifyG2603
- no manμηδείςmēdeis mēdemia mēden · nothingG3367
- youσύsu · youG4771
- inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
- a voluntaryθέλωthelō ethelō · to will/desireG2309
- humilityταπεινοφροσύνηtapeinophrosunē · humilityG5012
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- worshippingθρησκείαthrēskeia · religionG2356
- of angelsὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- of angelsἄγγελοςaggelos · angelG32
- intruding intoἐμβατεύωembateuō · to investigateG1687
- those things whichὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
- he hathὁράωhoraō · to see: seeG3708
- notμήmē · notG3361
- vainlyεἰκῇeikē · in vainG1500
- puffed upφυσιόωphusioō · to inflateG5448
- byὑπόhupo · by/under: byG5259
- hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- fleshlyσάρξsarx · fleshG4561
- mindνοῦςnous · mindG3563
Cross-references for Colossians 2:18
- Colossians 2:4I say this so that no one will mislead you with arguments that merely sound good.
- Genesis 3:13Then the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done?” “The snake deceived me, and I ate,” the woman answered.
- Numbers 25:18because they treated you as enemies. They plotted to trick you in the incident that took place at Peor. They used their sister Cozbi, daughter of a Midianite leader, who was killed on the day of the plague caused by the incident at Peor.”
- Matthew 24:24False messiahs and false prophets will appear. They will work spectacular, miraculous signs and do wonderful things to deceive, if possible, even those whom God has chosen.
- Romans 16:18People like these are not serving Christ our Lord. They are serving their own desires. By their smooth talk and flattering words they deceive unsuspecting people.
- 2 Corinthians 11:3However, I’m afraid that as the snake deceived Eve by its tricks, so your minds may somehow be lured away from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
- Ephesians 5:6Don’t let anyone deceive you with meaningless words. It is because of sins like these that God’s anger comes to those who refuse to obey him.
- 2 Peter 2:14They’re always looking for an adulterous woman. They can’t stop looking for sin as they seduce people who aren’t sure of what they believe. Their minds are focused on their greed. They are cursed.
- 1 John 2:26I’m writing to you about those who are trying to deceive you.
- 1 John 4:1Dear friends, don’t believe all people who say that they have the Spirit. Instead, test them. See whether the spirit they have is from God, because there are many false prophets in the world.
- 2 John 1:7Many people who deceive others have gone into the world. They refuse to declare that Jesus Christ came in flesh and blood. This is the mark of a deceiver and an antichrist.
- Revelation 3:11I am coming soon! Hold on to what you have so that no one takes your crown.
- Revelation 12:9The huge serpent was thrown down. That ancient snake, named Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world, was thrown down to earth. Its angels were thrown down with it.
- Revelation 13:8Everyone living on earth will worship it, everyone whose name is not written in the Book of Life. That book belongs to the lamb who was slaughtered before the creation of the world.
- Colossians 2:16Therefore, let no one judge you because of what you eat or drink or about the observance of annual holy days, New Moon Festivals, or weekly days of rest—holy days.
- Colossians 2:23These things look like wisdom with their self-imposed worship, ⌞false⌟ humility, and harsh treatment of the body. But they have no value for holding back the constant desires of your corrupt nature.
Commentaries on Colossians 2:18
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18Let no man beguile you - ̔ · Let no man take the prize from you which the , brabeus, or judge in the contests, has assigned you, in consequence of your having obtained the victory. This any reader will see, is an allusion to the Olympic and Isthmian games, and to the prizes assigned to these who had obtained the victory in one or more of the contests which there took place. The Colossians had fought and conquered under the direction of Christ, and he, as…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 18Let no man beguile you of your reward - Margin, judge against you. The word used here - ́ katabrabeuō- occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. It is a word which was employed with reference to the distribution of prizes at the Grecian games, and means, to give the prize against anyone, to deprive of the palm. Hence, it means to deprive of a due reward: and the sense here is, that they were to be on their guard lest the “reward” - the crown of victory…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. 18the worship of angels: People in the first century were very interested in spiritual beings. Some Jews believed that angels were present with them during their times of worship, and some people might even have prayed to angels or worshiped them directly. The false teachers claimed to have had visions that made certain ceremonies necessary for the community.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1818. beguile--Translate, "Defraud you of your prize," literally, "to adjudge a prize out of hostility away from him who deserves it" [Trench]. "To be umpire in a contest to the detriment of one." This defrauding of their prize the Colossians would suffer, by letting any self-constituted arbitrator or judge (that is, false teacher) draw them away from Christ," the righteous Judge" and Awarder of the prize (2Ti 4:8; Jas 1:12; 1Pe 5:4), to angel-worship. in a…Read the comment
Topics related to Colossians 2:18
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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