RSV ~ Colossians 4 Notes

Col 4:2 | ISB Notes

prayer: Paul promotes prayer that is vigilant and thankful. He wants readers to seek every grace necessary to withstand temptation and to express gratitude to God for every spiritual and material blessing we have received. The more we recognize both our needs and our blessings, the more frequently we will approach the Lord on our knees (Lk 18:1; 1 Thess 5:17).

• Paul knows that continuance in prayer can make us restless, so he tells us to be “watchful”, that is, to be sober and avoid wandering. For the devil knows the power of a good prayer, and thus he presses heavily upon us when we pray. Paul is also aware how careless many can be at prayer, and so he says “continue” in prayer to remind us that it is hard work (St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on Colossians 10).

Col 4:3 | ISB Notes

I am in prison: Paul is probably writing from Rome, where he lived for two years under house arrest.

See introduction: Date.

Col 4:6 | ISB Notes

seasoned: As salt preserves food and enhances its taste, our conversations should be wholesome, edifying, and pure (3:8). This is one way that Christians can live as “the salt of the earth” (Mt 5:13).

Col 4:7 | ISB Notes

Tychicus: One of Paul’s personal envoys, in charge of delivering this epistle and informing the Colossian Church of the apostle’s situation back in Rome (2 Tim 4:12; Tit 3:12). See note on Eph 6:21.

Col 4:9 | ISB Notes

Onesimus: A runaway slave who fled to Rome but converted to Christianity during Paul’s imprisonment (Philem 10, 16). Paul is sending him back to his master, Philemon, who may have lived in Colossae or one of the nearby cities of Laodicea or Hierapolis.

Col 4:10-17 | ISB Notes

A list of final instructions and personal greetings. Many of these names at the end of Colossians are also listed in Philemon, indicating that the two letters were probably written and delivered at the same time (Philem 2, 10, 23). Traditionally, the Mark (Col 4:10) and Luke (4:14) here mentioned are identified with the evangelists who wrote the second and third Gospels, respectively. Both men were among Paul’s traveling companions (Acts 12:25; 16:10), and both assisted the apostle in the closing years of his life (2 Tim 4:11).

Col 4:10 | ISB Notes

Aristarchus: A believer from Thessalonica. He was a member of Paul’s missionary team (Acts 19:29; 20:4) and traveled with him all the way to Rome (Acts 27:2).

Col 4:16 | ISB Notes

read among you: Most likely in a liturgical context. Very early on Paul’s epistles were recognized as authoritative and even scriptural (2 Pet 3:15-16). the letter from La-odicea: The identity of this letter is uncertain. It may be (1) a letter that Paul wrote to the La-odicea Church that has not survived or (2) another of Paul’s epistles that was circulating in the region, possibly Ephesians. In any case, the Colossians are encouraged to exchange letters with the neighboring La-odiceans.

See introduction to Ephesians: Destination.

Col 4:17 | ISB Notes

fulfil the ministry: Archippus may have been a pastor in the Colossian Church.

Col 4:18 | ISB Notes

I, Paul, write this: It was customary for Paul to dictate his letters to scribes, waiting until the end to pen the farewell himself (1 Cor 16:21; 2 Thess 3:17). These handwritten remarks authenticated the letter, much as a signature does today.