Colossians 3:5

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 Living Translation (NLT)So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.

Context of Colossians 3:5

3For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, 7in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.

Colossians 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 6:6knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.
• Romans 8:13For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
• Galatians 5:24And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
• Ephesians 5:3But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints;
• Romans 6:13And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
• Romans 7:5For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death.
• James 4:1Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?
• Matthew 15:19For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.
• Mark 7:21For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
• Romans 1:29being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,
• 1 Corinthians 5:1It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s wife!
• 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,
• 2 Corinthians 12:21lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and I shall mourn for many who have sinned before and have not repented of the uncleanness, fornication, and lewdness which they have practiced.
• Galatians 5:19Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,
• 1 Thessalonians 4:3For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality;
• Hebrews 12:16lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright.

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

• Adultery
• Affections
• Chastity
• Commandments
• Continence
• Covetousness
• Depravity of Man
• Holiness
• Lasciviousness
• Righteousness
• Self-Denial
• Worldliness

In the dictionaries

• Admonish
• Affection
• Bond
• Charity
• Concupiscence
• Covetousness
• Discourage
• Fit
• Idolatry
• Lord

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