Robertson's Word Pictures of the NT

Colossians 2:1

How greatly I strive

(ηλικον αγωνα εχω). Literally, "how great a contest I am having." The old adjectival relative ηλικος (like Latin quantus) is used for age or size in N.T. only here and James 3:5 (twice, how great, how small). It is an inward contest of anxiety like the μεριμνα for all the churches (2 Corinthians 11:28). Αγωνα carries on the metaphor of αγωνιζομενος in Colossians 1:29.For them at Laodicea

(των εν Λαοδικια).Supply

υπερ as with υπερ υμων. Paul's concern extended beyond Colossae to Laodicea (Colossians 4:16) and to Hierapolis (Colossians 4:13), the three great cities in the Lycus Valley where Gnosticism was beginning to do harm. Laodicea is the church described as lukewarm in Revelation 3:14.For as many as have not seen my face

(οσο ουχ εορακαν το προσωπον μου). The phrase undoubtedly includes Hierapolis (Colossians 4:13), and a few late MSS. actually insert it here. Lightfoot suggests that Hierapolis had not yet been harmed by the Gnostics as much as Colossae and Laodicea. Perhaps so, but the language includes all in that whole region who have not seen Paul's face in the flesh (that is, in person, and not in picture). How precious a real picture of Paul would be to us today. The antecedent to οσο is not expressed and it would be τουτων after υπερ. The form εορακαν (perfect active indicative of οραω instead of the usual εωρακασιν has two peculiarities ο in Paul's Epistles (1 Corinthians 9:1) instead of ω (see John 1:18 for εωρακεν) and -αν by analogy in place of -ασιν, which short form is common in the papyri. See Luke 9:36 εωρακαν.

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Robertson's Word Pictures of the NT

Colossians 2:1

Old Testament

New Testament