ye have heard of] before I wrote. — ev r& Xoyw r%g g, in the word of the truth) Eph. i. 13. The truth of i knowledge/ ver. 6 [ye — knew — the grace of God], corresponds to the truth of preaching in this verse. Neither admits of arti fice (being tricked out for show).
6. E/s) tic, and ev here are parallel. — xal SGTI, and is) After the participle, the form of expression here takes again the indicative mood; see ver. 26, ch. ii. 13, 14; [of the Gospel] present, i.e. ivhich is come to you, — and (repeat which from the preceding clause) is producing fruit. — Kap<zo(popovfj,t\iov,1 producing fruit) viz. [supply] in all the world. — zaQug, even as) when travelling abroad they recognise with great joy the same fruits of the Gospel in every clime ; and its fruits prove that it is the word of truth. Comp. presently after, even as, ver. 7. For there is an interchange,2 and at length a movement or tendency [of Gospel fructification] towards the Colossians for the propagation of the word. [An inclination arises on the part of the Colossians in their turn to propagate the truth]. — a<p %<;, from what) con strued with in you. — ev afydzfcf,, in truth) i.e. in the truth of the Gospel testimony, and of faith flowing from the testimony and directed toward the testimony.
7. Kad&s, even as) Paul thus confirms and approves the doc trine of Epaphras, which perhaps some had despised. It was Paul's duty to write rather than Epaphras. — fipuv, our) Paul and Timothy. — vvsp vpuv) for you, on your account. — ayacnjv sv Tlvtvftan, love in the Spirit) Love, the fruit of the Spirit ; spiritual love ; comp. ver. 9, at the end.
9. 'Hxou<ra,tt£v? we have heard) ver. 4. — ^poffsv^o^svoi, praying)
1 Ketpwo(popov(x,e»ov x.al av&vopwov, the fuller reading, is referred to those not quite certain on the margin of the older Ed., but is considered better established by the margin of the 2d Ed. and the Germ. Vers. — E. B.
ABCD(A) corrected, Qrfg Vulg. read xal etv%a»6fAevoy. Rec. Text omits the words without any sanction of the oldest authorities. — ED.
2 " Permutatur enim et tandem ad Colossenses inclinatur, ad propaga- tionem sermonis." The Gospel has come to you, even as {>ca,6ug) it has come to all the world, and brings forth fruit in all the world, even as (xoiQus) it does also in you. Beng. seems to mean, There is that kind of interchange whereby the Gospel, being seen by the Colossians when travelling to bear fruit in all the world, reacts on the Colossians themselves by a reflex effect, tending thus to the propagation of the word. — ED.