a slave (literal or figurative · noun — vocative plural masculine
obey
ὑπακούετεhupakouete
G5219
to hear under (as a subordinate) · verb — present active imperative, 2nd person plural
in
κατὰkata
G2596
(prepositionally) down (in place or time) · preposition
things
πάνταpanta
G3956
all · adjective — accusative plural neuter
masters
κυρίοις,kuriois
G2962
supreme in authority · noun — dative plural masculine
to
κατὰkata
G2596
(prepositionally) down (in place or time) · preposition
flesh
σάρκαsarka
G4561
flesh (as stripped of the skin) · noun — accusative singular feminine
not
μὴmē
G3361
(adverb) not · particle — negative
with
ἐνen
G1722
"in · preposition
eyeservice
ὀφθαλμοδουλίᾳophthalmodoulia
G3787
sight-labor · noun — dative singular feminine
as
ὡςhōs
G5613
which how · particle
menpleasers
ἀνθρωπάρεσκοιanthrōpareskoi
G441
man-courting · noun — nominative plural masculine
but
ἀλλ᾽all᾽
G235
properly · conjunction
in
ἐνen
G1722
"in · preposition
singleness
ἁπλότητιhaplotēti
G572
singleness · noun — dative singular feminine
heart
καρδίαςkardias
G2588
the heart · noun — genitive singular feminine
fearing
φοβούμενοιphoboumenoi
G5399
to frighten · verb — present middle or passive deponent participle, nominative plural masculine
God
θεόςtheós
G2316
figuratively
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Ephesians 6:5-7 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Ch…
Galatians 1:10 For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
1 Timothy 6:1-2 Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasph…
1 Peter 2:18-19 Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.
Titus 2:9-10 Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things; not answering again;
Colossians 3:20 Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.
1 Thessalonians 2:4 But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.
Ecclesiastes 5:7 For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Colossians 3:18–end
The apostle concludes the chapter with exhortations to relative duties, as before in the epistle to the Ephesians. The epistles which are most taken up in displaying the glory of divine grace, and magnifying the Lord Jesus, are the most particular and distinct in pressing the duties of the several relations. We must never separate the privileges and duties of the gospel religion.
I. He begins with the duties of wives and husbands (Col 3:18): Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Submission is the duty of wives, hupotassesthe. It is the same word which is used to express our duty to magistrates (Rom 13:1, Let every soul be subject to the higher powers), an…
(Eph 6:5-6.) This is to fear God, when, though none sees us, we do no evil: but if we do evil, it is not God, but men, whom we fear.
singleness--"simplicity of heart."
fearing God--The oldest manuscripts read, "the Lord."
Adam Clarke on Colossians 3:22
Servants, obey - See on Eph 6:5-8 (note).
John Gill on Colossians 3:22
Servants, obey in all things your masters,.... That is, in all things relating to the body, and bodily service; not to the conscience, and religious worship; in things worldly, and not spiritual; in all things that are within a master's power, and it is lawful for him to command; and in all things that are fitting and proper that a servant should do; and even in such things as may be difficult, troublesome, and disagreeable to the flesh unto them; see Luke 17:7 who those servants are that are to obey, and who their masters, said to be according to the flesh, to whom they are to be subject; see Gill on Ephesians 6:5.
not with eyeservice, as menpleasers, but in singleness of heart; See Gill o…
And ye bondmen shall be subject to your masters as to a type of God, in modesty and fear.
But as to servants, what can we say more than that the slave bring a good will to his master, with the fear of God, although he be impious and wicked, but yet not to yield any compliance as to his worship? And let the master love his servant, although he be his superior. Let him consider wherein they are equal, even as he is a man. And let him that has a believing master love him both as his master, and as of the same faith, and as a father, but still with the preservation of his authority as his master: "not as an eye-servant, but as a lover of his master; as knowing that God will recompense to him for his subjection." In like manner, let a master who has a believing servant love him as a son or as a brother, on account of their communion in the faith, but still preserving the difference of a servant.
Differently to be admonished are servants and masters. Servants, to wit, that they ever keep in view the humility of their condition; but masters, that they lose not recollection of their nature, in which they are constituted on an equality with servants. Servants are to be admonished that they despise not their masters, lest they offend God, if by behaving themselves proudly they gainsay His ordinance: masters, too, are to be admonished, that they are proud against God with respect to His gift, if they acknowledge not those whom they hold in subjection by reason of their condition to be their equals by reason of their community of nature. The former are to be admonished to know themselves to be servants of masters; the latter are to be admonished to acknowledge themselves to be fellow-servants of servants. For to those it is said, Servants, obey your masters according to the flesh; and again, Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their masters worthy of all honour; but to these it is said, And ye, masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening, knowing that both their and your Master is in heaven.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Eye — (Heb. ‘ain, meaning “flowing”), applied (1) to a fountain, frequently; (2) to colour (Num. 11:7; R.V., “appearance,” marg. “eye”); (3) the face (Ex. 10:5, 15; Num. 22:5, 11), in Num. 14:14, “face to…
Fear, Godly · Should be: Exhibited in our callings — Should be: Exhibited in our callings
Heart · .Sincere — .Sincere
Heart, The · Should be: Single — Should be: Single
Honesty · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Servants · Duties of, to masters: Not to serve them with eye-service, as men-pleasers — Duties of, to masters: Not to serve them with eye-service, as men-pleasers
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
Colossians 3:22 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
John Calvin on Colossians 3:18–end
Colossians 3:18-25
18. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.
18. Mulieres, subditae estote propriis maritis, quemadmodum decet in Domino.
19. Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.
19. Viri, diligite uxores, et ne amari sitis adversus illas.
20. Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.
20. Filii, obedite parentibus vestris per omnia: hoc enim placet Domino.
21. Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.
21. Patres, ne provocetis liberos vestros, ne deiiciantur animis.
22. Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice,…
Slaves have earthly masters whom they must obey. Slavery was central to the life and economy of the ancient world, and the New Testament never attacks the practice as such. However, Christian faith establishes relationships that change the nature of the social structure (see Phlm 1:15-16). • and that the Master you are serving is Christ: All Christians, both slave and free, serve a higher Master, whose will is paramount.
