Colossians 1:21

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.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,
• 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 it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— 23if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.

Colossians 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 1:30backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
• Romans 5:9Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
• Romans 8:7Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.
• 1 Corinthians 6:9Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,
• Ephesians 2:1And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,
• Ephesians 4:18having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;
• James 4:4Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants 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

• Atonement
• Character
• Depravity of Man
• God
• Godlessness
• Jesus, the Christ
• Perfection
• Propitiation
• Reconciliation
• Redemption
• Salvation
• Wicked (People)

In the dictionaries

• Consist
• Darkness
• Dominion
• Fill
• Mightily
• Reconcilation
• Reconcile
• Redemption
• Throne
• Alien

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