God’s Word Translation
Colossians 3:5
5Therefore, put to death whatever is worldly in you: your sexual sin, perversion, passion, lust, and greed (which is the same thing as worshiping wealth).
Colossians 3:5 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
- New International Version (NIV)Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
Context of Colossians 3:5
3You have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4Christ is your life. When he appears, then you, too, will appear with him in glory. Therefore, put to death whatever is worldly in you: your sexual sin, perversion, passion, lust, and greed (which is the same thing as worshiping wealth). 6It is because of these sins that God’s anger comes on those who refuse to obey him. 7You used to live that kind of sinful life.
Read all of Colossians 3Colossians 3:5 word by word
Νεκρώσατε οὖν τὰ μέλη τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, πορνείαν, ἀκαθαρσίαν, πάθος, ἐπιθυμίαν κακὴν καὶ τὴν πλεονεξίαν ἥτις ἐστὶν εἰδωλολατρία,Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Mortifyνεκρόωnekroō · to put to deathG3499
- thereforeοὖνoun · therefore/thenG3767
- yourσύsu · youG4771
- membersὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- membersμέλοςmelos · memberG3196
- uponἐπίepi · upon/to/againstG1909
- the earthγῆgē · earth: planetG1093
- fornicationπορνείαporneia · sexual sinG4202
- uncleannessἀκαθαρσίαakatharsia · impurityG167
- inordinate affectionπάθοςpathos · passionG3806
- evilκακόςkakos · evil/harm: evilG2556
- concupiscenceἐπιθυμίαepithumia · desireG1939
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- covetousnessπλεονεξίαpleonexia · greedinessG4124
- whichὅστιςhostis hētis ho6ti · who/whichG3748
- isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- idolatryεἰδωλολατρείαeidōlolatreia · idolatryG1495
Cross-references for Colossians 3:5
- Romans 6:6We know that the person we used to be was crucified with him to put an end to sin in our bodies. Because of this we are no longer slaves to sin.
- Romans 8:13If you live by your corrupt nature, you are going to die. But if you use your spiritual nature to put to death the evil activities of the body, you will live.
- Galatians 5:24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their corrupt nature along with its passions and desires.
- Ephesians 5:3Don’t let sexual sin, perversion of any kind, or greed even be mentioned among you. This is not appropriate behavior for God’s holy people.
- Romans 6:13Never offer any part of your body to sin’s power. No part of your body should ever be used to do any ungodly thing. Instead, offer yourselves to God as people who have come back from death and are now alive. Offer all the parts of your body to God. Use them to do everything that God approves of.
- Romans 7:5While we were living under the influence of our corrupt nature, sinful passions were at work throughout our bodies. Stirred up by the laws in Moses’ Teachings, our sinful passions did things that result in death.
- James 4:1What causes fights and quarrels among you? Aren’t they caused by the selfish desires that fight to control you?
- Matthew 15:19Evil thoughts, murder, adultery, ⌞other⌟ sexual sins, stealing, lying, and cursing come from within.
- Mark 7:21Evil thoughts, sexual sins, stealing, murder,
- Romans 1:29Their lives are filled with all kinds of sexual sins, wickedness, and greed. They are mean. They are filled with envy, murder, quarreling, deceit, and viciousness. They are gossips,
- 1 Corinthians 5:1Your own members are aware that there is sexual sin going on among them. This kind of sin is not even heard of among unbelievers—a man is actually married to his father’s wife.
- 1 Corinthians 6:9Don’t you know that wicked people won’t inherit God’s kingdom? Stop deceiving yourselves! People who continue to commit sexual sins, who worship false gods, those who commit adultery, homosexuals,
- 2 Corinthians 12:21I’m afraid that when I come to you again, my God may humble me. I may have to grieve over many who formerly led sinful lives and have not changed the way they think and act about the perversion, sexual sins, and promiscuity in which they have been involved.
- Galatians 5:19Now, the effects of the corrupt nature are obvious: illicit sex, perversion, promiscuity,
- 1 Thessalonians 4:3It is God’s will that you keep away from sexual sin as a mark of your devotion to him.
- Hebrews 12:16Make sure that no one commits sexual sin or is as concerned about earthly things as Esau was. He sold his rights as the firstborn son for a single meal.
Commentaries on Colossians 3:5
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5Mortify, therefore, you members - · Put them to death: the verb is used metaphorically to signify, to deprive a thing of its power, to destroy its strength. Use no member of your body to sin against God; keep all under dominion; and never permit the beast to run away with the man. To gratify any sensual appetite is to give it the very food and nourishment by which it lives, thrives, and is active. However the body may suffer by excessive sensual…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5Mortify therefore your members - Since you are dead to sin and the world, and are to appear with Christ in the glories of his kingdom, subdue every carnal and evil propensity of your nature. The word mortify means to put to death (Romans 8:13, note; Galatians 5:24, note), and the meaning here is that they were entirely to subdue their evil propensities, so that they would have no remains of life; that is, they were not at all to indulge them. The word…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 5-11Verses 5-11 It is our duty to mortify our members which incline to the things of the world. Mortify them, kill them, suppress them, as weeds or vermin which spread and destroy all about them. Continual opposition must be made to all corrupt workings, and no provision made for carnal indulgences. Occasions of sin must be avoided: the lusts of the flesh, and the love of the world; and covetousness, which is idolatry; love of present good, and of outward…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5Put to death, therefore: We must truly die to this life by how we live each day (3:3) . greed, which is idolatry: Greedy people pursue money, sex, power, and possessions instead of God. They hope to find happiness in those things and treat them like idols.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 55. Mortify--Greek, "make a corpse of"; "make dead"; "put to death." therefore--(See on Col 3:3). Follow out to its necessary consequence the fact of your having once for all died with Christ spiritually at your regeneration, by daily "deadening your members," of which united "the body of the sins of the flesh" consists (compare Col 2:11). "The members" to be mortified are the fleshly instruments of lust, in so far as the members of the body are abused to…Read the comment
Topics related to Colossians 3:5
In the dictionaries
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
Commentaries