Colossians 1:17

Colossians 1:17 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
• New International Version (NIV)He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

Context of Colossians 1:17

15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation: 16for by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18He is also the head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. 19For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him,

Colossians 1:17 word by word

καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν πρὸ πάντων, καὶ τὰ πάντα ἐν αὐτῷ συνέστηκεν,Read the interlinear

• is beforeπρόpro · beforeG4253
• allπᾶςpas · allG3956
• holdσυνίστημι, συνιστάωsunistaō sunistanō sunistēmi · to commendG4921

Cross-references for Colossians 1:17

• Colossians 1:15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation:
• Proverbs 8:22“The Lord created me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old.
• Isaiah 43:11I, only I, am the Lord, And there is no savior besides Me.
• Isaiah 44:6“This is what the Lord says, He who is the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of armies: ‘I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me.
• Micah 5:2But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will come forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His times of coming forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.”
• John 1:1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
• John 8:58Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.”
• John 17:5And now You, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world existed.
• 1 Corinthians 8:6yet for us there is only one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.
• Hebrews 13:8Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, and forever.
• Revelation 1:8“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
• Revelation 2:8“And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life, says this:
• 1 Samuel 2:8He raises the poor from the dust, He lifts the needy from the garbage heap To seat them with nobles, And He gives them a seat of honor as an inheritance; For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, And He set the world on them.
• Psalms 75:3The earth and all who inhabit it are unsteady; It is I who have firmly set its pillars. Selah
• John 5:17But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.”
• Acts 17:28for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His descendants.’

Commentaries on Colossians 1:17

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17And he is before all things - As he must be, if he created all things. Those who regard this as referring to a moral creation, interpret it as meaning that he has the pre-eminence over all things; not as referring to his pre-existence. But the fair and proper meaning of the word “before” ( ̀ pro) is, that he was before all things in the order of existence; compare Matthew 8:29; John 11:55; John 13:1; Acts 5:36; Acts 21:38; 2 Corinthians 12:2. It is…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. 15-20Paul describes Jesus as the ultimate creator and redeemer (1:15–17; 1:18–20). Three main things suggest these verses quote an early Christian hymn about Jesus: These verses are brief statements. These verses have contain high praise and special honor for Christ (he is exalted). These verses use similar language and ideas. Paul applied this hymn to the situation of the church in Colossae.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1717. (Joh 8:58.) Translate as Greek, "And He Himself (the great He) is (implying divine essential being) before all things," in time, as well as in dignity. Since He is before all things, He is before even time, that is, from eternity. Compare "the first-born of every creature" (Col 1:15). by him--Greek, "IN Him" (as the conditional element of existence, Col 1:16) [Alford]. consist--"subsist." Not only are called into being from nothing, but are maintained…Read the comment

Topics related to Colossians 1:17

• Jesus Continued
• Jesus, the Christ
• Power

In the dictionaries

• Consist
• Creation
• Darkness
• Dominion
• Fill
• Mightily
• Philippians, Epistle to
• Providence
• Reconcile
• Redemption

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