Colossians

4:2-6

5. Exhortations for Christian living. 3:1-4:6

iv] Pray and witness

Before getting into final personal greetings 4:7-17, Paul gives some last minute advice to the Colossian Christians. He has just given advice on how a believer should behave in their family life, and now he gives some general instructions. He touches on prayer, behavior in the world, and "seasoned" conversation.

proskartereite (proskarterew) pres. imp. "devote yourselves" - persevere, persist in / adhere to, stay close to / be engaged in, devoted to. The exact sense is unclear, but probably "continue steadfastly in prayer", ESV, "steadfastness of action", Barth, "busy oneself with", Wilson, rather than in the sense of bending God's arm over a particular prayer point.

grhgorounteV (grhgorew) pres. part. "being watchful" - staying awake, keeping watch. This participle is probably adverbial, possibly imperatival, "be both alert and thankful as you pray", Phillips, or modal, expressing the manner in which the Colossians should busy themselves in prayer, or even instrumental expressing the means, namely. "Being watchful en auth/ in it", ie. "in prayer" = temporal, "when you pray", Barclay." Moo suggests an eschatological edge to this exhortation such that "the devotion to prayer that Paul calls for should be characterized by a strong sense of expectation about Christ's near return."

en eucaristia/ (a) "and thankful" - in thanksgiving. This variant is usually accepted, but it is a phrase often added to a statement about prayer. Attendant circumstance construction so "with thanksgiving", NRSV.

proseucomenoi (proseucomai) pres. part. "pray [for us also]" - praying [together also concerning us]. The participle is adverbial, possibly imperatival, as NIV, but also possibly modal or instrumental, as for "being watchful". So, the Colossians are to devote themselves to prayer, being watchful, and also presenting the needs of Paul's apostolic ministry to God.

iJna + subj. "that [God may open]" - Introducing a dependent statement expressing the content of the prayer request, so O'Brien.

tou logou (oV) gen. "[a door] for [our] message" - [to us a door] of the word. The genitive may be objective, as NIV, expressing more particularly "an opportunity of preaching the gospel", Lightfoot, but it could also be subjective, cf. BDF#166, or even a simple adjectival genitive, "a door of the word" = "a door which is of the word type" = "a means of gospel access."

lalhsai (lalew) aor. inf. "so that we may proclaim" - to speak. The infinitive here forms a final clause expressing purpose / hypothetical result, as NIV.

to musthrion (on) "the mystery" - God's secret plan of salvation realized in Christ = the gospel of God's grace, cf. 1:26, 27, 2:2, "mystery", Eph.1:9.

tou Cristou (oV) gen. "of Christ" - The genitive is adjectival, epexegetic, explaining the content of the message; "the hidden truths / gospel about Christ."

dia "for [which]" - because of [which]. Causal, the gospel has caused Paul to be arrested.

iJna + subj. "Pray that [I may proclaim]" - Forming a dependent statement, indirect speech, expressing the content of the prayer request, v3; "pray for us too that ..... I may declare it (the mystery / gospel) openly ....", Cassirer.

wJV "as" - Probably here expressing manner, "as / in the way I ought to speak", although possibly cause "because I must speak", although divine compulsion is probably not the point Paul is making.

dei pres. "I should" - it is necessary [me to speak]. Often used to express divine compulsion, but probably not here. The infinitive lalhsai "to speak" functions as the subject of the verb "it is necessary" = "to speak is necessary." The accusative pronoun functions as the subject of the infinitive forming an accusative infinitive construction. "Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should", O'Brien.

peripateite (peripatew) pres. imp. "be [wise]" - walk [in wisdom]. "Walk" as in "conduct oneself". "In wisdom", en sofia/ expresses the manner of the walking / living / behaving, so "live wisely"; "use your heads as you live and work with outsiders", Peterson.

exagorazomenoi (exagorazw) pres. mid. part. "make the most of [every opportunity]" - buy out of, redeem [the time]. The participle is adverbial, possibly modal, expressing the manner in which the action of "being wise" is accomplished, although probably better as attendant circumstance expressing action accompanying the imperative "walk wisely"; "live wisely and redeem the time", or probably better, "live wisely; redeem the time", as NIV . Being middle the action is possibly for oneself, "redeeming for myself". The prefix expresses "buying out of" = "redeeming", but most commentators think it is only functioning to intensify the verb rather than give direction, so "buy thoroughly / totally", Paul is "encouraging us to buy up all the time that is available to us", Moo. "Take advantage of the remaining time with all its possibilities", Barth.

"The final exhortation explicitly envisages a church in communication with those around it, not cut off in a holy huddle speaking only the language of Zion to insiders, but engaged in regular conversation with others, and in such a way as to allow plenty of opportunity to bear testimony to their faith", Dunn.

en cariti (iV ewV) "full of grace" - in grace. The preposition is probably functioning instrumentally so expressing manner, the way that the "conversation" is expressed, namely "by grace". "Grace" is without an article so "divine grace" may be intended, although something more down-to-earth is probably in Paul's mind; "gracious", Hendriksen, "friendly", Barth, even "attractiveness of speech", Wilson. "Christians should speak to other people with courtesy, kindness, sincerity and loving concern", Pfitzner.

hrtumenoV (artuw) perf. pas. part. "seasoned [with salt]" - having been seasoned [with/by/in salt]. The participle is adverbial, and as with en cariti, is probably instrumental / attendant circumstance, "and by being seasoned with salt." As such the phrase describes a "second characteristic of the Colossian's speech", O'Brien. The sense of "salty speech" is somewhat unclear and prompts numerous suggestions, but speech that is "never insipid", REB, possibly "wholesome", Moule, may be what Paul intends, but see "so that you may know" below.

eidenai (oida) perf. inf. "so that you may know" - to know. Lightfoot, so also Wilson, argues that this infinitive forms a consecutive clause, expressing consequence, "so as to know ..." (technically final, "in order to know", hypothetical result, "so that you may know"). Yet read this way the infinitival clause seems a rather illogical qualification of the main clause. Quite a few translators opt for an imperatival infinitive. Such a construction is rare and would be a somewhat inappropriate construction here, yet it does make sense. So the two clauses would be joined by "and", so Moffatt, a semicolon, so Cassirer, or full stop, so Barclay; "Your conversation must always have charm and wit. You must study the art of giving the right answer to everyone you talk to." Barth suggests an epexegetic infinitive. The infinitival clause would then serve to explain / clarify the phrase "by being seasoned with salt", "seasoned with salt in the sense that you have learned (know) how best to answer (how you must answer) each person [who questions you]." "Let your speech always be gracious and so well reasoned out that you will know how to reply to each individual", Berkeley.

apokrinesqai (apokrinomai) pres. inf. "to answer" - The infinitive functions as the subject of the verb dei "it is necessary", so "to answer is necessary", and this with its accusative subject uJmaV "you", "how for you to answer is necessary". As above, "how one should / must answer", rather how it is necessary to answer, so "how best to answer."

Colossians Introduction

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