What Does Colossians 2:13 Mean in the King James?
And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The “sins” in which you are dead and the “trespasses” released are the same word in Greek.
THE MEANING
You are made alive together with Christ while every one of those trespasses is released. The verse holds your deadness and shared life in one movement, so the trespasses associated with death do not define your life now.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
It undoes the belief that your missteps remain an unpaid barrier between you and life with Christ: the very trespasses named alongside death are all released.
THE ROOT
παραπτώμασιν
paraptōmasin
GROWS FROM
πίπτ- (pipt-, fall) with παρά (para-, beside)
A fall beside; a false step or lapse.
“sins / trespasses” in this verse is paraptōmasin. The verse uses the same Greek noun twice, though English renders it first as “sins” and then as “trespasses.” The thing associated with your deadness is the very thing the verse says is released.
ALSO GROWS
piptō: Fall.
πίπτω
This basic verb supplies the image of falling that underlies a trespass as a fall aside.
parapiptō: Fall aside or fall away.
παραπίπτω
This related verb makes visible the sideways fall carried in the word translated “sins” and “trespasses” here.
συνεζωοποίησεν
synezōopoiēsen
GROWS FROM
ζωοποι- (zōopoi-, make alive) with σύν (syn-, together)
Make alive; with the together-prefix, make alive together.
“quickened together” in this verse is synezōopoiēsen. The “together” is built into the verb: you are made alive together with Christ. English can make this sound like life plus companionship, while the word holds them in one shared act.
ALSO GROWS
zōopoieō: Make alive; give life.
ζωοποιέω
This is the life-giving verb without the together-prefix, as in Jesus making the dead live.
syzōopoieō: Make alive together.
συζωοποιέω
This is the same verb family with the shared-life meaning explicit, as in Ephesians 2:5.
χαρισάμενος
charisamenos
GROWS FROM
χαριζ- (chariz-, favor or grant), related to χάρις (charis, favor)
Grant freely as a favor; in this verse, forgive or release.
“having forgiven” in this verse is charisamenos. The verb for forgiveness belongs to the word-family of favor and giving. The release of every trespass is expressed as a favoring grant.
ALSO GROWS
charis: Favor.
χάρις
It gives the forgiveness verb its language of favor.
charisma: Gift or favor freely given.
χάρισμα
This related word makes the family’s sense of freely granted favor concrete.
THE PATTERN
God’s life reaches what is dead and makes it live.
Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.THE THREAD
Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)Ephesians uses the same Greek verb translated “quickened together,” making explicit that the life-giving act is shared with Christ. It also repeats the movement from being dead in trespasses to being made alive that Colossians holds in one sentence.
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