New Living Translation
Colossians 1:17
17He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.
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
15Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, 16for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. 18Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. 19For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ,
Read all of Colossians 1Colossians 1:17 word by word
καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν πρὸ πάντων, καὶ τὰ πάντα ἐν αὐτῷ συνέστηκεν,Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Colossians 1:17
- Colossians 1:15Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,
- Proverbs 8:22“The Lord formed me from the beginning, before he created anything else.
- Isaiah 43:11I, yes I, am the Lord, and there is no other Savior.
- Isaiah 44:6This is what the Lord says—Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies: “I am the First and the Last; there is no other God.
- Micah 5:2But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf.
- John 1:1In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
- John 8:58Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I Am!”
- John 17:5Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began.
- 1 Corinthians 8:6But for us, There is one God, the Father, by whom all things were created, and for whom we live. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things were created, and through whom we live.
- Hebrews 13:8Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
- Revelation 1:8“I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.”
- Revelation 2:8“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Smyrna. This is the message from the one who is the First and the Last, who was dead but is now alive:
- 1 Samuel 2:8He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump. He sets them among princes, placing them in seats of honor. For all the earth is the Lord’s, and he has set the world in order.
- Psalms 75:3When the earth quakes and its people live in turmoil, I am the one who keeps its foundations firm. Interlude
- John 5:17But Jesus replied, “My Father is always working, and so am I.”
- Acts 17:28For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’
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
In the dictionaries
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
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