Passage

Colossians 3.22-4.1

Book: Colossians · NASB95

Immediate context (±2 verses)

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Setting

• Speaker: Paul, with "Timothy our brother" named in the greeting (1:1), writing as a prisoner (4:3, 18). Authorship is debated. Many critical scholars hold that a disciple of Paul wrote the letter in his name, pointing to its style and its developed teaching on Christ and the church. Others defend Paul's authorship, noting the letter's close personal ties with Philemon, which is almost universally accepted as Paul's. Some suggest a co-worker such as Timothy drafted it under Paul's direction.
• Audience: "the saints and faithful brethren in Christ that are at Colossæ" (1:2), a small town in the Lycus valley of Phrygia, in the Roman province of Asia, near Laodicea and Hierapolis (4:13). Paul had not founded the church or visited it (2:1). It was planted by Epaphras, "one of you" (1:7; 4:12), and was largely Gentile (1:27; 2:13). A teaching Paul calls "philosophy and vain deceit" (2:8), with food and calendar rules, "worshipping of the angels," visions and severe treatment of the body (2:16-23), was pressing on the church. Scholars debate exactly what this teaching, often called the Colossian error, was.
• Location: an imprisonment, traditionally Rome, with Ephesus and Caesarea as the main alternatives. Tychicus carried the letter, together with Onesimus, "the faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you" (4:7-9). Onesimus is the slave on whose behalf Paul wrote Philemon, and that letter names the same companions, Epaphras, Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke (Philemon 23-24; compare Colossians 4:10-14), with Archippus addressed in both (Philemon 2; Colossians 4:17).
• Time period: c. AD 60-62 if Paul wrote from Rome, or the mid-50s if from Ephesus. Scholars who read the letter as written after Paul's death usually place it later in the first century. The reading below does not depend on the choice.
• Literary context: the household code of 3:18-4:1, the last pair addressed in it. After wives and husbands (3:18-19) and children and fathers (3:20-21), Paul speaks at length to slaves (3:22-25) and briefly to masters (4:1). A closely parallel code appears in Ephesians 6:5-9.

Theological reading

"Servants, obey in all things them that are your masters according to the flesh; not with eye-service, as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing the Lord: whatsoever ye do, work heartily, as unto the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that from the Lord ye shall receive the recompense of the inheritance: ye serve the Lord Christ. For he that doeth wrong shall receive again for the wrong that he hath done: and there is no respect of persons. Masters, render unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven." (Colossians 3:22-4:1, ASV)

Both parties under one Lord. The structure is the point. Slaves are addressed directly as moral agents, and their service is redirected: "ye serve the Lord Christ." Masters are then reminded that they too "have a Master in heaven." Both stand under the same Lord, and "there is no respect of persons" with him. The earthly hierarchy is real, but it is relativized from above.

An inheritance for slaves. People who owned little or nothing in law are promised "the recompense of the inheritance" from the Lord. Their standing before God is that of heirs, whatever their legal position.

Justice required of masters. Masters must give "that which is just and equal." In a world where the law placed slaves at the owner's disposal, this binds masters to a standard they would answer for. The same letter was carried with Onesimus, whom Paul sent back to Philemon "no longer as a servant, but more than a servant, a brother beloved" (Philemon 16). Interpreters still debate how far the code accommodates the existing order and how far it undermines it. Greco-Roman slavery also differed from the race-based chattel slavery of the Atlantic trade, though it was often harsh. See Slavery.

Key words

Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word.

• Key words are listed on the single-verse pages of this chapter.

Quoted in

Arguments and defeaters:

• Argument from the Addressee of Gratitude, via Colossians 3.17
• Argument from the Trans-Instinctual Agency Convergence, via Colossians 3.10
• Argument from the Universal Music Convergence, via Colossians 3.16
• Argument from Transformed Lives, via Colossians 3.1-17
• Argument from Twin Asymmetries, via Colossians 3.13
• Bible Never Says Thou Shalt Not Rape Objection Defeater, via Colossians 3.19
• Biblical Slavery Objection Defeater
• Christianity Is the White Mans Religion Objection Defeater, via Colossians 3, Colossians 3.18
• Christians Not Under Mosaic Law, via Colossians 3
• Gentiles Cannot Be Saved Objection Defeater, via Colossians 3.11
• God Has No Image Objection Defeater, via Colossians 3.10
• Half of Pauls Letters Are Forgeries Objection Defeater, via Colossians 3.4
• Inherited Guilt and Visiting Iniquity Objection Defeater, via Colossians 3
• Isaiah 14 Reverse Slavery Prophecy Objection Defeater
• Islamic Sex Slavery Objection Defeater
• Israelite Slavery Possession-vs-Ownership Defeater
• Khazar Hypothesis Ashkenazi Replacement Objection Defeater, via Colossians 3.11
• Spare the Rod Objection Defeater, via Colossians 3.21

Concepts:

• Atheism, via Colossians 3.21
• Baptism, via Colossians 3.17
• Biblical Dignity, via Colossians 3.10
• Biblical Forgiveness, via Colossians 3.13
• Biblical Slavery Objection, via Colossians 3.22
• Black People Shouldnt Be Christian, via Colossians 3.11
• Concupiscence, via Colossians 3.5
• Conversation Scenarios, via Colossians 3.23
• Eschatology, via Colossians 3.1
• Hearing God, via Colossians 3.15
• Idolatry, via Colossians 3.5
• Imago Dei, via Colossians 3.10
• Imprecatory Psalms Objection, via Colossians 3.5
• Kingdom Business, via Colossians 3.22-24, Colossians 3.23, Colossians 3.23-24
• Misogyny in the Bible Objection, via Colossians 3
• Rebellious Son, OT Stoning vs NT Restoration, via Colossians 3.21
• Resurrection, via Colossians 3.1
• Resurrection of Jesus - Theological Significance, via Colossians 3.1-4
• Romans Road, via Colossians 3.5
• Spare the Rod Objection, via Colossians 3.21
• Spirit of Idolatry, via Colossians 3.5
• Virtue Ethics, via Colossians 3.12, Colossians 3.12-14

People:

• Paul the Apostle, via Colossians 3

Lexicon:

• G1401 - doulos
• G1504 - eikon, via Colossians 3.10
• G2222 - zoe, via Colossians 3.4
• G2673 - katargeo, via Colossians 3.9-10
• G2936 - ktizo, via Colossians 3.10
• G3498 - nekros, via Colossians 3.3
• G3563 - nous, via Colossians 3.10
• G5219 - hypakouo, via Colossians 3.20, Colossians 3.22
• G5293 - hypotasso, via Colossians 3.18
• G5481 - charakter, via Colossians 3.10
• G5544 - chrestotes, via Colossians 3.12
• H6754 - tselem, via Colossians 3.10
• H7356 - rachamim, via Colossians 3.12

Guides:

• Ris3n Arguments, via Colossians 3.16

Notes

Your annotations.

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

• ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
• WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
• KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
• YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.