Ver. 7. καθὼς, {.ε., in the manner in which. Paul thus sets the seal of his approval on the form of the Gospel which they had learnt from their teacher, and also on the teacher himself.—’Ewadpa. Epaphras was apparently the founder of the Colossian Church, ἐμάθετε referrin co the same time as ἠκούσατε. Heh remained in connexion with it (iv. 12), and seems to have come to Paul to in- form him of the teaching that was threatening its welfare. He is not to be identified with Epaphroditus (Phil. ii. 25 sq., iv. 18), who was connected with Philippi. The name was common.—
σατε καὶ ἐπέγνωτε τὴν χάριν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν ἀληθείᾳ: 7. καθὼς ἐμάθετε ἀπὸ ᾿Επαφρᾶ τοῦ ἀγαπητοῦ ᾿ συνδούλου ἡμῶν, ὅς ἐστιν πιστὸς ὑπὲρ ἀπᾶάτοτ. ἡμῶν } διάκονος τοῦ Χριστοῦ, 8. ὁ καὶ " δηλώσας ἡμῖν τὴν ὑμῶν ἀγάπην ἐν πνεύματι. 9g. διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἡμεῖς, ἀφ᾽ ἧς ἡμέρας ἠκού- σαμεν, οὐ παυόμεθα ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν " προσευχόμενοι καὶ αἰτούμενοι,3 ἵνα Phil. i. 11. ° πληρωθῆτε τὴν ἐπίγνωσιν τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ καὶ
mg., R.V. mg. with ΝΕΟΡΟΚΙ, 17; most
ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν. This is probably the correct rea ing ; Epaphras is a minister to the Colossians on Paul's behalf, since he has accomplished a task which belonged to Paul’s sphere as the Apostle of the Gen- tiles. The reading ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν may be taken in two ways, either (preferably) that he was a minister of Christ for the sake of the Colossians, in which case we should probably have had ὑμῖν or ἐν ὑμῖν or simply ὑμῶν; or that he ministered to Paul as the representative of the Colossians, for which we should have expected “τὴν minister” instead of ‘minister of Christ’.
Ver. 8. τὴν ὑμῶν ἀγάπην may be taken in the general sense of ver. 4, though many think it is their love to Paul that is meant; and this is favoured by δηλ. ἡμ., and perhaps by καὶ ἡμεῖς in ver. 9. ἐν πνεύματι is added to show that this love is in the Holy Spirit.
Vv. 9-14. PAUL'S UNCEASING PRAYER FOR THAT MORAL DISCERNMENT WHICH WILL ENABLE THEM TO PLEASE GoD IN ALL THEIR CONDUCT, THAT STRENGTH WHICH WILL GIVE THEM ENDURANCE IN FACE OF ALL PROVOCATION AND TRIAL, AND THAT THANKFULNESS TO GOD, WHICH BEFITS THE GREAT DELIVERANCE HE HAS ACHIEVED FOR THEM THROUGH His Son, —Ver.9. διὰ τοῦτο. The good report from Colosse prompts Paul's prayer. Apparently the reference is to all that has been said in vv. 4-8, though Haupt confines it to ver. δ.--καὶ sey “we also,”’ {.ε., as the Colossians had prayed for Paul, so he had made unceasing, prayer for them. Similar assurances are common in the letters of the period, but their conventional character must not in the case of one of so intense a nature as Paul's lead us to degrade them into polite commonplaces. — πὶ όμενοι καὶ αἰτούμενοι. The former verb is general, the latter special, referring to