COL 2:13 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, cyan:dative/indirect object.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT And you, being dead in the trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive together with him, having forgiven us all of our trespasses, [fn]

Some older versions read, having forgiven you all of your trespasses.

UST You used to be spiritually dead, because you often sinned against God and because you were non-Jews and not part of God’s people. But God the Father brought you back to life spiritually because he included you when he brought the Messiah back to life. This means that he has forgiven us for all the wrong things we have done against him.

BLB And you being dead in the trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,

AICNT And you, being dead [in][fn] your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, made you alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses.

2:13 , in: NA28[] SBLGNT THGNT BYZ TR ‖ Absent from some manuscripts. N(01) B(03)

OEB And to you, who once were dead, by reason of your sins and your uncircumcised nature – to you God gave life in giving life to Christ! He pardoned all our sins!

WEBBE You were dead through your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh. He made you alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,

WMBB (Same as above)

NET And even though you were dead in your transgressions and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he nevertheless made you alive with him, having forgiven all your transgressions.

LSV And you—being dead in the trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh—He made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all the trespasses,

FBV And even though you were dead because of your sins and being physically “uncircumcised,” he brought you to life together with him. He has forgiven us all our sins.

TCNT And [fn]although you were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with Christ. He forgave [fn]us all our trespasses

2:13 although you … flesh, God made you ¦ you who … flesh God made TR

2:13 us … our ¦ you … your SCR

T4T And specifically, you who are non-Jews, because of your sins, you were spiritually dead before you trusted in Christ. You were uncircumcised spiritually; that is, your self-directed nature controlled you. Nevertheless, it was you whom God caused to become alive spiritually because of their close relationship [MET] with Christ. And specifically, God forgave us all our sins.

LEB And _⌊although you were dead_⌋[fn][fn] in the trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,

2:13 Literally “and you being dead”

2:13 *Here the participle (“being”) is understood as concessive

BBE And you, being dead through your sins and the evil condition of your flesh, to you, I say, he gave life together with him, and forgiveness of all our sins;

Moff For though you were dead in your trespasses, your flesh uncircumcised, He made you live with Christ, He forgave us all our trespasses,

Wymth And to you—dead as you once were in your transgressions and in the uncircumcision of your natural state—He has nevertheless given Life with Himself, having forgiven us all our transgressions.

ASV And you, being dead through your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, you, I say, did he make alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses;

DRA And you, when you were dead in your sins, and the uncircumcision of your flesh; he hath quickened together with him, forgiving you all offences:

YLT And you — being dead in the trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh — He made alive together with him, having forgiven you all the trespasses,

Drby And you, being dead in offences and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he has quickened together with him, having forgiven us all the offences;

RV And you, being dead through your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, you, I say, did he quicken together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses;

SLT And you, being dead in faults and uncircumcision of the flesh, he made alive together with him, having propitiated to you all faults;

Wbstr And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he made alive together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

KJB-1769 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
(And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath/has he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; )

KJB-1611 And you being dead in your sinnes, and the vncircumcision of your flesh, hath hee quickened together with him, hauing forgiuen you all trespasses,
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps And ye beyng dead to sinne and to the vncircumcision of your fleshe, hath he quickened with him, forgeuyng all your trepasses,
(And ye/you_all being dead to sin and to the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath/has he quickened with him, forgeuing all your trepasses,)

Gnva And you which were dead in sinnes, and in the vncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, forgiuing you all your trespasses,
(And you which were dead in sins, and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath/has he quickened together with him, forgiuing you all your trespasses, )

Cvdl And with him he quyckened you, whan ye were deed in synnes, and in the vncircumcision of youre flesh, and hath forgeuen vs all synnes,
(And with him he quickened you, when ye/you_all were deed in sins, and in the uncircumcision of your(pl) flesh, and hath/has forgiven us all sins,)

TNT And ye which weare deed in synne thorow the vncircumcision of youre flesshe hath he quyckened with him and hath forgeve vs all oure trespases
(And ye/you_all which wear deed in sin through the uncircumcision of your(pl) flesh hath/has he quickened with him and hath/has forgive us all our trespases )

Wycl And whanne ye weren deed in giltis, and in the prepucie of youre fleisch, he quikenyde togidere you with hym;
(And when ye/you_all were deed in guiltys, and in the prepucie of your(pl) flesh, he quick/alivenyde together you with him;)

Luth und hat euch auch mit ihm lebendig gemacht, da ihr tot waret in den Sünden und in der Vorhaut eures Fleisches, und hat uns geschenket alle Sünden
(and has you also with him lively/alive made, there you(pl)/their/her dead wait in the sins(n) and in the/of_the foreskin yours(pl) fleshes, and has us/to_us/ourselves geschenket all sins(n))

ClVg Et vos cum mortui essetis in delictis, et præputio carnis vestræ, convivificavit cum illo, donans vobis omnia delicta:
(And you(pl) when/with dead wasis in/into/on delictis, and beforeputio of_flesh yours, convivificavit when/with that/there, donans to_you(pl) everything offences: )

UGNT καὶ ὑμᾶς νεκροὺς ὄντας ἐν τοῖς παραπτώμασιν καὶ τῇ ἀκροβυστίᾳ τῆς σαρκὸς ὑμῶν, συνεζωοποίησεν ὑμᾶς σὺν αὐτῷ, χαρισάμενος ἡμῖν πάντα τὰ παραπτώματα;
(kai humas nekrous ontas en tois paraptōmasin kai taʸ akrobustia taʸs sarkos humōn, sunezōopoiaʸsen humas sun autōi, ⱪarisamenos haʸmin panta ta paraptōmata;)

SBL-GNT καὶ ὑμᾶς νεκροὺς ὄντας ⸀ἐν τοῖς παραπτώμασιν καὶ τῇ ἀκροβυστίᾳ τῆς σαρκὸς ὑμῶν, συνεζωοποίησεν ὑμᾶς σὺν αὐτῷ· χαρισάμενος ἡμῖν πάντα τὰ παραπτώματα,
(kai humas nekrous ontas ⸀en tois paraptōmasin kai taʸ akrobustia taʸs sarkos humōn, sunezōopoiaʸsen humas sun autōi; ⱪarisamenos haʸmin panta ta paraptōmata,)

RP-GNT Καὶ ὑμᾶς, νεκροὺς ὄντας ἐν τοῖς παραπτώμασιν καὶ τῇ ἀκροβυστίᾳ τῆς σαρκὸς ὑμῶν, συνεζῳοποίησεν ὑμᾶς σὺν αὐτῷ, χαρισάμενος ἡμῖν πάντα τὰ παραπτώματα,
(Kai humas, nekrous ontas en tois paraptōmasin kai taʸ akrobustia taʸs sarkos humōn, sunezōiopoiaʸsen humas sun autōi, ⱪarisamenos haʸmin panta ta paraptōmata,)

TC-GNT Καὶ ὑμᾶς, νεκροὺς ὄντας [fn]ἐν τοῖς παραπτώμασι καὶ τῇ ἀκροβυστίᾳ τῆς σαρκὸς ὑμῶν, [fn]συνεζῳοποίησεν [fn]ὑμᾶς σὺν αὐτῷ, χαρισάμενος [fn]ἡμῖν πάντα τὰ παραπτώματα,
(Kai humas, nekrous ontas en tois paraptōmasi kai taʸ akrobustia taʸs sarkos humōn, sunezōiopoiaʸsen humas sun autōi, ⱪarisamenos haʸmin panta ta paraptōmata, )

2:13 εν ¦ — PCK WH

2:13 συνεζωοποιησεν ¦ συνεζωποιησεν ST

2:13 υμας ¦ — TR

2:13 ημιν ¦ υμιν SCR

Key for above GNTs: red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 2:6–23: Behave as God’s people should behave and do not follow false teaching

Theme: Paul told the Colossians to behave correctly because they belong to Christ. They should not follow those who teach a false message. He also reminded them that God had accepted them completely because they belong to Christ.

In 1:13–2:5 Paul had reminded the Colossians what is true about Christ and had told them that God had always planned to make them his people. Beginning in 2:6, Paul urged them to continue to believe in Christ. He assured them that this was the same message that Epaphras and others had taught them. Therefore, they should continue to trust in Christ more and more and act in ways that honor God. They should not believe any other message.

Paragraph 2:8–15

Theme: Paul warned the Colossians to make sure that the false teachers did not deceive them with their deceptive Greek philosophies and ideas about the spirit world.

Paul stated his main point at the beginning of this paragraph: “See to it that no one takes you captive…” (2:8a). You need to make this main point clear in your translation.

2:13–15

In Greek, 2:13–15 is one long, complicated sentence. Most English versions divide it into several sentences. You will probably need to do this in your translation, too.

2:13a

When you were dead in your trespasses

And as for you Gentiles, before you believed in Christ you were spiritually dead because you were sinful,
You who are not Jews were separated from God because you had broken God’s laws,

you: Paul used an emphatic pronoun you here. In English, this can be expressed “It was you…” If you have special pronouns in your language to show such emphasis, you should use one here.

dead in your trespasses: Paul was writing about what the Colossians were like before they believed in Jesus. This is a figure of speech that means, “you were spiritually dead because you were continually behaving in sinful ways.” Because of the sinful things they did, it was not possible for them to have eternal life and be with God forever.

If you want to keep the figure of speech dead in your translation, you may need to clarify that Paul was not writing about physical death. For example, you could say:

it was as if you were dead

you were dead spiritually

If you cannot keep the figure of speech in your translation, you could say:

you were separated from God because you had sinned

trespasses: Paul did not use the normal Greek word for trespasses here, but he used the word paraptōma, which means “transgressions, actions that break the law.” Most modern English versions use the word “sins.” Unless you have a word that specifically means “transgressions,” you should probably also use your normal term for “sins” in this verse.

2:13b

and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature,

and because you were not free from the power of your sinful nature.
and because God had not yet removed your sinful nature.

and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature: Here Paul gave a second reason why the Colossians had been dead spiritually. There are two main interpretations of this part of the verse:

Some scholars think that Paul was talking about spiritual circumcision, as in 2:11. For example:
you were uncircumcised spiritually, that is, you were controlled by your evil nature (SSA)
your sinful nature was not yet cut away (NLT) (GW, NCV, NLT, SSA)
Some scholars think that Paul meant literal circumcision, that is, that the Colossians were Gentiles and so had not been circumcised according to the law of Moses. For example:
you were Gentiles without the Law (GNT) (GNT, NJB, REB)

Both interpretations have strong commentary support. The Display follows the first interpretation—that Paul used the term uncircumcision as a figure of speech, similar to 2:11. The uncircumcision of your sinful nature means “your sinful nature had not been removed,” or “God had not freed you from the power of your sinful nature.”

However, if you want to follow the second interpretation, you could say:

You were spiritually dead…because you were Gentiles and did not know God.

2:13c

God made you alive with Christ.

But God raised you up to live a new life with Christ.
But even though you were like that, God gave you new spiritual life. It was just as if he caused you to live again, together with Christ.

God made you alive with Christ: This is similar to what Paul said in 2:12b: “[you were] raised with him/[Christ].” Paul was saying that although the Colossians had been spiritually dead (2:13a), when they became Christians, God made them spiritually alive.

2:13d

He forgave us all our trespasses,

God forgave us^(incl) for all our sins.
He forgave us^(incl) for all the sinful things that we^(incl) had done.

He forgave us all our trespasses: He refers to God. Notice that Paul changed here from saying “you” to us.

trespasses: This is the same word Paul used in 2:13a. You should translate it in the same way here.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: writing-pronouns

ὑμᾶς νεκροὺς ὄντας ἐν τοῖς παραπτώμασιν καὶ τῇ ἀκροβυστίᾳ τῆς σαρκὸς ὑμῶν, συνεζωοποίησεν ὑμᾶς

you_all (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ὑμᾶς νεκρούς ὄντας ἐν τοῖς παραπτώμασιν καί τῇ ἀκροβυστίᾳ τῆς σαρκός ὑμῶν συνεζωοποίησεν ἡμάς σύν αὐτῷ χαρισάμενος ἡμῖν παντᾶ τά παραπτώματα)

Paul begins the sentence with you, and then he restates you when he identifies what God has done for you. If your language would not restate you or use this structure, you could separate the two uses of you into separate sentences. Alternate translation: [you were dead in the trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh. Then, he made you alive together]

Note 2 topic: grammar-connect-time-background

νεκροὺς ὄντας ἐν τοῖς παραπτώμασιν καὶ τῇ ἀκροβυστίᾳ τῆς σαρκὸς ὑμῶν

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ὑμᾶς νεκρούς ὄντας ἐν τοῖς παραπτώμασιν καί τῇ ἀκροβυστίᾳ τῆς σαρκός ὑμῶν συνεζωοποίησεν ἡμάς σύν αὐτῷ χαρισάμενος ἡμῖν παντᾶ τά παραπτώματα)

This clause does not refer to the current situation of the Colossians, but rather it describes their situation before God acted to make them alive, as expressed in the rest of the verse. If it would be helpful in your language, you could clarify that this clause describes a time before he made you alive. Alternate translation: [who used to be dead in the trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ὑμᾶς νεκροὺς ὄντας

Paul speaks of people who are without Christ as if they were dead. By this he means that those who lack any relationship with God and are not united to Christ are spiritually dead. If it would be helpful in your language, you could clarify that Paul speaks of spiritual death or express the idea with a simile, or express it plainly. Alternate translation: [you, being like dead people] or [you, being totally separated from God]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

νεκροὺς ὄντας ἐν τοῖς παραπτώμασιν καὶ τῇ ἀκροβυστίᾳ τῆς σαρκὸς ὑμῶν

When Paul speaks of someone being dead in something, this identifies both why and in what state the person is dead. In other words, the Colossians were dead because of their trespasses and because of their uncircumcision, and these things also characterized them while they were dead. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea with a phrase like “because of,” or you could translate trespasses and uncircumcision as descriptors of dead. Alternate translation: [being dead because of your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh] or [being dead, that is, trespassing God’s commands and being uncircumcised in your flesh]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

ἐν τοῖς παραπτώμασιν καὶ τῇ ἀκροβυστίᾳ τῆς σαρκὸς ὑμῶν

in the transgressions (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ὑμᾶς νεκρούς ὄντας ἐν τοῖς παραπτώμασιν καί τῇ ἀκροβυστίᾳ τῆς σαρκός ὑμῶν συνεζωοποίησεν ἡμάς σύν αὐτῷ χαρισάμενος ἡμῖν παντᾶ τά παραπτώματα)

If your language does not use abstract nouns for the ideas of trespasses and uncircumcision, you could express the same ideas in another way. Alternate translation: [because you transgressed God’s commands and were uncircumcised in your flesh]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

τῇ ἀκροβυστίᾳ τῆς σαρκὸς ὑμῶν

˱in˲_the uncircumcision ˱of˲_the (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ὑμᾶς νεκρούς ὄντας ἐν τοῖς παραπτώμασιν καί τῇ ἀκροβυστίᾳ τῆς σαρκός ὑμῶν συνεζωοποίησεν ἡμάς σύν αὐτῷ χαρισάμενος ἡμῖν παντᾶ τά παραπτώματα)

Here Paul uses the possessive form to describe flesh that has not been “circumcised.” If your language does not express this idea with the possessive form, you could translate uncircumcision as an adjective. Alternate translation: [your uncircumcised flesh]

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

συνεζωοποίησεν ὑμᾶς σὺν αὐτῷ

˱he˲_made_alive_together (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ὑμᾶς νεκρούς ὄντας ἐν τοῖς παραπτώμασιν καί τῇ ἀκροβυστίᾳ τῆς σαρκός ὑμῶν συνεζωοποίησεν ἡμάς σύν αὐτῷ χαρισάμενος ἡμῖν παντᾶ τά παραπτώματα)

Paul speaks of God’s work in restoring people to himself as if he brought these people back to life physically. If it would be helpful in your language, you could clarify that Paul speaks of spiritual life or express the idea with a simile or plainly. Alternate translation: [he did something like making you alive together with him] or [he restored you to proper relationship with him]

Note 8 topic: writing-pronouns