Colossians 3 · Verse 12

Colossians 3:12

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

Colossians 3:12, King James Version

Colossians 3:12 in other translations

BSB	Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
WEB	Put on therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, humility, and perseverance;
ASV	Put on therefore, as God’s elect, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, longsuffering;
YLT	Put on, therefore, as choice ones of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humble-mindedness, meekness, long-suffering,
DARBY	Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, longsuffering;
BBE	As saints of God, then, holy and dearly loved, let your behaviour be marked by pity and mercy, kind feeling, a low opinion of yourselves, gentle ways, and a power of undergoing all things;
Webster	Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering;

What does Colossians 3:12 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

12. the elect of God--There is no "the" in the Greek, "God's elect" (compare Ro 8:3; 1Th 1:4). The order of the words "elect, holy, beloved," answers to the order of the things. Election from eternity precedes sanctification in time; the sanctified, feeling God's love, imitate it [Bengel]. bowels of mercies--Some of the oldest manuscripts read singular, "mercy." Bowels express the yearning compassion, which has its seat in the heart, and which we feel to act on our inward parts (Ge 43:30; Jr 31:20; Lu 1:78, Margin). humbleness of mind--True "lowliness of mind"; not the mock "humility" of the false teachers (Col 2:23; Ep 4:2, 32).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes

Verse 12. Put on therefore, as the elect of God. The fact that you thus belong to one and the same church; that you have been redeemed by the same blood, and chosen by the same grace, and that you are all brethren, should lead you to manifest a spirit of kindness, gentleness, and love.

Bowels of mercies. Php 2:1.

Kindness, etc. Eph 4:32. The language here is a little different from what it is there, but the sentiment is the same.

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 12 Put on - as the elect of God - As the principal design of the apostle was to show that God had chosen the Gentiles, and called them to the same privileges as the Jews, and intended to make them as truly his people as the Jews ever were, he calls them the elect or chosen of God; and as the Jews, who were formerly the elect, were still beloved, and called to be holy, so he calls the Colossians beloved, and shows them that they are called with the same holy calling. Bowels of mercies, etc - Be merciful, not in act merely, but in spirit and affection. In all cases of this kind let your heart dictate to your hand; be clothed with bowels of mercy - let your tenderest feelings come in contact with the miseries of the distressed as soon as ever they present themselves. Though I know that to put on, and to be clothed with, are figurative expressions, and mean to assume such and such characters and qualities; yet there may be a higher meaning here. The apostle would have them to feel the slightest touch of another's misery; and, as their clothes are put over their body, so their tenderest feeling should be always within the reach of the miserable. Let your feelings be at hand, and feel and commiserate as soon as touched. See on Eph 4:2 (note). Instead of οικτιρμον mercies, in the plural, almost every MS. of importance, with many of the fathers, read οικτιρμου, bowels of mercy, in the singular. This various reading makes scarcely any alteration in the sense.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Colossians 3:12-17

We must not only do no hurt to any, but do what good we can to all. Those who are the elect of God, holy and beloved, ought to be lowly and compassionate towards all. While in this world, where there is so much corruption in our hearts, quarrels will sometimes arise. But it is our duty to forgive one another, imitating the forgiveness through which we are saved. Let the peace of God rule in your hearts; it is of his working in all who are his. Thanksgiving to God, helps to make us agreeable to all men. The gospel is the word of Christ. Many have the word, but it dwells in them poorly; it has no power over them. The soul prospers, when we are full of the Scriptures and of the grace of Christ. But when we sing psalms, we must be affected with what we sing. Whatever we are employed about, let us do every thing in the name of the Lord Jesus, and in believing dependence on him. Those who do all in Christ's name, will never want matter of thanksgiving to God, even the Father.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

Colossians 3:12 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

ἘνδύσασθεEndusasthedo put onG1746

οὖν,ountherefore,G3767

ὡςhōsasG5613

ἐκλεκτοὶeklektoi[the] electG1588

τοῦtou<the>G3588

θεοῦtheouof GodG2316

ἅγιοιhagioiholyG40

καὶkaiandG2532

ἠγαπημένοι,ēgapēmenoibeloved,G25

σπλάγχναsplagchnaheartsG4698

οἰκτιρμοῦ,oiktirmouof compassion,G3628

χρηστότητα,chrēstotētakindness,G5544

ταπεινοφροσύνην,tapeinophrosunēnhumility,G5012

πραΰτητα,prautētagentleness,G4236

μακροθυμίαν·makrothumian[and] patience;G3115

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Colossians 3:12

Ephesians 4:32
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:2
With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
1 John 4:19
We love him, because he first loved us.
2 Peter 1:5-8
And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Colossians 3:10
And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
2 Peter 1:10
Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
James 3:17-18
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
1 Peter 3:8-11
Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.
Romans 12:9-10
Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
1 Thessalonians 5:15
See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.
1 John 3:14-20
We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? …

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Put.
10; Eph 4:24
as.
Isa 42:1; 45:4; 65:9,22; Mt 24:22,24,31; Mr 13:20,22,27; Lu 18:7
Ro 8:29-33; 9:11; 11:5-7; 2Ti 2:10; Tit 1:1; 1Pe 1:2; 2Pe 1:10
2Jo 1:13; Re 17:14
holy.
Ro 8:29; Eph 1:4; 1Th 1:3-6; 2Th 2:13,14
beloved.
Jer 31:3; Eze 16:8; Ro 1:7; Eph 2:4,5; 2Ti 1:9; Tit 3:4-6; 1Jo 4:19
bowels.
Isa 63:15; Jer 31:20; Lu 1:78; *marg:
Php 1:8; 2:1; 1Jo 3:17
mercies.
Ro 12:9,10; Ga 5:6,22,23; Eph 4:2,32; Php 2:2-4; 1Th 5:15
Jas 3:17,18; 1Pe 3:8-11; 2Pe 1:5-8; 1Jo 3:14-20

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Colossians 3:11
Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
Colossians 3:12
Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
Colossians 3:13
Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

Read all of Colossians 3

Colossians 3:12 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Vestíos pues, como escogidos de Dios, santos y amados, de entrañas de misericordia, de benignidad, de humildad, de mansedumbre, de tolerancia;
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Revêtez-vous donc, comme des élus de Dieu, saints et bien-aimés, d’entrailles de miséricorde, de bonté, d’humilité, de douceur, de longanimité,
German Elberfelder 1871	Ziehet nun an, als Auserwählte Gottes, als Heilige und Geliebte: herzliches Erbarmen, Güte, Demut, Milde, Langmut,
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Induite vos ergo, sicut electi Dei, sancti, et dilecti, viscera misericordiæ, benignitatem, humilitatem, modestiam, patientiam: