Colossians 1:17
New International Version
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

New Living Translation
He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.

English Standard Version
And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Berean Standard Bible
He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

Berean Literal Bible
And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

King James Bible
And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

New King James Version
And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

New American Standard Bible
He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

NASB 1995
He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

NASB 1977
And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

Legacy Standard Bible
And He is before all things, And in Him all things hold together.

Amplified Bible
And He Himself existed and is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. [His is the controlling, cohesive force of the universe.]

Christian Standard Bible
He is before all things, and by him all things hold together.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He is before all things, and by Him all things hold together.

American Standard Version
and he is before all things, and in him all things consist.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And he is The One who is before all, and all things exist by him.

Contemporary English Version
God's Son was before all else, and by him everything is held together.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And he is before all, and by him all things consist.

English Revised Version
and he is before all things, and in him all things consist.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
He existed before everything and holds everything together.

Good News Translation
Christ existed before all things, and in union with him all things have their proper place.

International Standard Version
He himself existed before anything else did, and he holds all things together.

Literal Standard Version
and He is before all, and all things have consisted in Him.

Majority Standard Bible
He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

New American Bible
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

NET Bible
He himself is before all things and all things are held together in him.

New Revised Standard Version
He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

New Heart English Bible
He is before all things, and in him all things are held together.

Webster's Bible Translation
And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Weymouth New Testament
And HE IS before all things and in and through Him the universe is a harmonious whole.

World English Bible
He is before all things, and in him all things are held together.

Young's Literal Translation
and himself is before all, and the all things in him have consisted.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Supremacy of Christ
16For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and firstborn from among the dead, so that in all things He may have preeminence.…

Cross References
John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 8:58
"Truly, truly, I tell you," Jesus declared, "before Abraham was born, I am!"

Hebrews 1:3
The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His nature, upholding all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.


Treasury of Scripture

And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

he.

Colossians 1:15
Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

Proverbs 8:22,23
The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old…

Isaiah 43:11-13
I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour…

and by.

1 Samuel 2:8
He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S, and he hath set the world upon them.

Psalm 75:3
The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved: I bear up the pillars of it. Selah.

John 5:17,18
But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work…

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Colossians 1
1. After salutation Paul thanks God for the Colossians' faith;
7. confirms the doctrine of Epaphras;
9. prays further for their increase in grace;
14. describes the supremacy of Christ;
21. encourages them to receive Jesus Christ, and commends his own ministry.














(17) He is before all things.--The words "He is" are both emphatic. He, and He only, is; all else is created. It is impossible not to refer to the "I am" of Eternal existence, as claimed by our Lord for Himself. "Before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:58; comp. also John 1:15). Hence the word "before" should be taken, not of supreme dignity, but of pre-existence.

By him all things consist.--That is, hold together in unity, obeying the primaeval law of their being. In this clause is attributed to our Lord, not only the creative act, but also the constant sustaining power, "in which all lives and moves and has its being," and which, even less than the creative agency, can be supposed to be a derivative and finite power, such as that of the Demiurgus of Gnostic speculation.

Verse 17.

(d) All things through Him and unto Him have been created;

(e) And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

II. Ver. 18. . . .

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
He
αὐτός (autos)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Nominative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

is
ἐστιν (estin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

before
πρὸ (pro)
Preposition
Strong's 4253: A primary preposition; 'fore', i.e. In front of, prior to.

all things,
πάντων (pantōn)
Adjective - Genitive Neuter Plural
Strong's 3956: All, the whole, every kind of. Including all the forms of declension; apparently a primary word; all, any, every, the whole.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

in
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

Him
αὐτῷ (autō)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

all things
πάντα (panta)
Adjective - Nominative Neuter Plural
Strong's 3956: All, the whole, every kind of. Including all the forms of declension; apparently a primary word; all, any, every, the whole.

hold together.
συνέστηκεν (synestēken)
Verb - Perfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 4921: To place together, commend, prove, exhibit; instrans: I stand with; To be composed of, cohere.


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NT Letters: Colossians 1:17 He is before all things and (Coloss. Col Co)
Colossians 1:16
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