Colossians 1:27

Cf. for a partial parallel Ephesians 1:18. οἷς ἠθέλησεν ὁ Θεὸς : “inasmuch as to them God willed”; ἠθέλ. is chosen to express the idea that the revelation had its source solely in God's will. τί τὸ πλοῦτος τῆς δόξης.: cf. Romans 9:23; Philippians 4:19; Ephesians 1:18; Ephesians 3:16. The expression does not mean the glorious riches, but rather how rich is the glory. The use of “glory” immediately after in the sense of the Messianic kingdom favours the adoption of that meaning here. But as it is an attribute of the mystery it probably expresses its glorious character. ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν is generally taken with τί τὸ πλ. κ. τ. λ., and this gives an excellent sense, for it was as manifested in the Gentile mission that the glory of the Gospel was especially displayed. There is a little awkwardness, since the definition Χριστὸς ἐν ὑμῖν seems to make ἐν τ. ἔθν. unnecessary. The glory of the mystery was itself Χ. ἐν ὑμ. if we take ἐν ὑμῖν to mean among you Gentiles. This hardly justifies us in connecting the words with γνωρίσαι (Haupt), for it already has the recipients of knowledge attached to it (οἷς). ὅ ἐστι answers τί τὸ πλοῦτος κ. τ. λ. The riches of the glory of the mystery consist in Χ. ἐν ὑμ. ἡ ἐλπ. τ. δ. Usually ὃ is taken to refer to μυστηρίου alone. Perhaps the practical difference is not great. Χριστὸς ἐν ὑμῖν ἡ ἐλπὶς τῆς δόξης. Haupt thinks no comma should be placed after ὑμῖν, and that the meaning is that the special glory of the Gospel is that Christ among them is the hope of glory. But the usual view which makes, not the fact that Christ among them guarantees their future blessedness, but the presence of Christ itself, the great glory of the mystery seems much finer. Χ. ἐν ὑμ., and not what Χ. ἐν ὑμ. is, constitutes the riches of the glory. The context shows that ὑμῖν must mean “you Gentiles”. It does not necessarily follow from this that ἐν must be translated “among,” though this is favoured by ἐν τ. ἔθν. It may refer to the indwelling of Christ in the heart, and this is rendered probable by the addition of ἐλπὶς τ. δόξης. The indwelling Christ constitutes in Himself a pledge of future glory. For this combination of the indwelling Christ with the Christian hope, cf. Romans 8:10.