Colossians 3:23

Colossians 3:23 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
• New International Version (NIV)Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,
• English Standard Version (ESV)Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,
• New King James Version (NKJV)And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,

Context of Colossians 3:23

21Fathers, do not aggravate your children, or they will become discouraged. 22Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Serve them sincerely because of your reverent fear of the Lord. Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 24Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ. 25But if you do what is wrong, you will be paid back for the wrong you have done. For God has no favorites.

Colossians 3:23 word by word

ὃ ἐὰν ποιῆτε, ἐκ ψυχῆς ἐργάζεσθε ὡς τῷ κυρίῳ καὶ οὐκ ἀνθρώποις·Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andκαίkai · andG2532
• whatsoeverπᾶςpas · allG3956
• whatsoeverὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• whatsoeverτιςtis · oneG5100
• whatsoeverἐάνean · ifG1437
• ye doποιέωpoieō · to do/make: doG4160
• doἐργάζομαιergazomai · to workG2038
• ·ἐκek ex · out fromG1537
• heartilyψυχήpsuchē · soulG5590
• asὡςhōs · as/whenG5613
• to the Lordὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• to the Lordκύριοςkurios · lord: GodG2962
• notοὐou · noG3756
• unto menἄνθρωποςanthrōpos · a humanG444

Cross-references for Colossians 3:23

• Colossians 3:17And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.
• 2 Chronicles 31:21In all that he did in the service of the Temple of God and in his efforts to follow God’s laws and commands, Hezekiah sought his God wholeheartedly. As a result, he was very successful.
• Psalms 47:6Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises!
• Psalms 103:1Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.
• Psalms 119:10I have tried hard to find you— don’t let me wander from your commands.
• Ecclesiastes 9:10Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.
• Jeremiah 3:10But despite all this, her faithless sister Judah has never sincerely returned to me. She has only pretended to be sorry. I, the Lord, have spoken!”
• 1 Peter 1:22You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart.
• Zechariah 7:5“Say to all your people and your priests, ‘During these seventy years of exile, when you fasted and mourned in the summer and in early autumn, was it really for me that you were fasting?
• Matthew 6:16“And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get.
• Romans 14:6Those who worship the Lord on a special day do it to honor him. Those who eat any kind of food do so to honor the Lord, since they give thanks to God before eating. And those who refuse to eat certain foods also want to please the Lord and give thanks to God.
• Ephesians 5:22For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord.
• Ephesians 6:6Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart.
• 1 Peter 2:13For the Lord’s sake, submit to all human authority—whether the king as head of state,

Commentaries on Colossians 3:23

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 22-25Verses 22-25 Servants, obey in all things … - ; see the notes at Ephesians 6:5-8.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 18-25Verses 18-25 The epistles most taken up in displaying the glory of the Divine grace, and magnifying the Lord Jesus, are the most particular in pressing the duties of the Christian life. We must never separate the privileges and duties of the gospel. Submission is the duty of wives. But it is submission, not to a severe lord or stern tyrant, but to her own husband, who is engaged to affectionate duty. And husbands must love their wives with tender and…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 22-24Slaves have masters on earth they must obey. Slavery was central to life and the economy in the ancient world. The New Testament does not directly oppose slavery. Yet, Christian faith creates relationships that change the nature of the social structure (see Philemon 1:15–16). It is the Lord Christ you are serving: All Christians, whether slave or free, serve a higher Master. His will is most important.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2323. And--omitted in the oldest manuscripts (compare Ep 6:7, 8). Compare the same principle in the case of all men, Hezekiah (2Ch 31:21; Ro 12:11). do, do it--two distinct Greek verbs, "Whatsoever ye do, work at it" (or "labor at" it). heartily--not from servile constraint, but with hearty good will.Read the comment

Topics related to Colossians 3:23

• Commandments
• Integrity
• Servant

In the dictionaries

• Admonish
• Bond
• Charity
• Covetousness
• Discourage
• Ephesians, Epistle to
• Fit
• Lord
• Member
• Mortify

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