Colossians 3 · Verse 5

Colossians 3:5

Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:

Colossians 3:5, King James Version

Colossians 3:5 in other translations

BSB	Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry.
WEB	Put to death therefore your members which are on the earth: sexual immorality, uncleanness, depraved passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
ASV	Put to death therefore your members which are upon the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry;
YLT	Put to death, then, your members that are upon the earth--whoredom, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and the covetousness, which is idolatry--
DARBY	Put to death therefore your members which are upon the earth, fornication, uncleanness, vile passions, evil lust, and unbridled desire, which is idolatry.
BBE	Then put to death your bodies which are of the earth; wrong use of the flesh, unclean things, passion, evil desires and envy, which is the worship of strange gods;
Webster	Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; lewdness, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:

What does Colossians 3:5 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

5. Mortify--Greek, "make a corpse of"; "make dead"; "put to death." therefore--(See on Col 3:3). Follow out to its necessary consequence the fact of your having once for all died with Christ spiritually at your regeneration, by daily "deadening your members," of which united "the body of the sins of the flesh" consists (compare Col 2:11). "The members" to be mortified are the fleshly instruments of lust, in so far as the members of the body are abused to such purposes. Habitually repress and do violence to corrupt desires of which the members are the instruments (compare Ro 6:19; 8:13; Ga 5:24, 25). upon the earth--where they find their support [Bengel] (Compare Col 3:2, "things on earth"). See Ep 5:3, 4. inordinate affection--"lustful passion." evil concupiscence--more general than the last [Alford], the disorder of the external senses; "lustful passion," lust within [Bengel]. covetousness--marked off by the Greek article as forming a whole genus by itself, distinct from the genus containing the various species just enumerated. It implies a self-idolizing, grasping spirit; far worse than another Greek term translated "the love of money" (1Ti 6:10). which is--that is, inasmuch as it is "idolatry." Compare Note, see on Ep 4:19, on its connection with sins of impurity. Self and mammon are deified in the heart instead of God (Mt 6:24; see on Ep 5:5).

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

Barnes' Notes

Verse 5. Mortify therefore your members. Since you are dead to sin and the world, and are to appear with Christ in the glories of his kingdom, subdue every carnal and evil propensity of your nature. The word mortify means, to put to death, Rom 8:13; Gall 5:24; and the meaning here is, that they were entirely to subdue their evil propensities, so that they would have no remains of life; that is, they were not at all to indulge them. The word "members" here refers to the different members of the body--as the seat of evil desires and passions. Comp. Rom 6:13. They were wholly to extirpate those evil passions which he specifies as having their seat in the various members of the earthly body.

Fornication. Rom 1:29.

Uncleanness. Rom 1:24.

Inordinate affection. παθος. Rendered in Rom 1:26, "vile affections." Rom 1:26. In 1Thes 4:5, the word is rendered lust--which is its meaning here.

Evil concupiscence. Evil desires; licentious passions, Rom 1:24. Greek.

And covetousness, which is idolatry. It is remarkable that the apostle always ranks covetousness with these base and detestable passions. The meaning here is,

(1.) that it is a low and debasing passion, like those which he had specified; and

(2.) that it secures the affections which properly belong to God, and is therefore idolatry. Of all base passions, this is the one that most dethrones God from the soul. See this whole passage more fully explained Eph 5:3, Eph 5:4, Eph 5:5; Eph 5:6.

(c) "Mortify" Rom 8:13, Gall 5:24, Eph 5:3-6 (*) "inordinate affection" "unnatural passion" (+) "concupiscence" "Desire"

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 5 Mortify, therefore, you members - Νεκρωσατε· Put them to death: the verb is used metaphorically to signify, to deprive a thing of its power, to destroy its strength. Use no member of your body to sin against God; keep all under dominion; and never permit the beast to run away with the man. To gratify any sensual appetite is to give it the very food and nourishment by which it lives, thrives, and is active. However the body may suffer by excessive sensual indulgences, the appetite increases with the indulgence. Deny yourselves, and let reason rule; and the animal will not get the ascendency over the rational man. See the notes on Rom 6:11, etc. Inordinate affection - Παθος· Unnatural and degrading passion; bestial lusts. See Rom 1:26, Rom 1:27; and the notes there. Evil concupiscence - Επιθυμιαν κακην. As επιθυμια signifies strong and vehement desire of any kind, it is here joined with κακη, evil, to show the sense more particularly in which the apostle uses it. Covetousness, which is idolatry - For the covetous man makes his money his god. Now, it is the prerogative of God to confer happiness; every godly man seeks his happiness in God; the covetous man seeks that in his money which God alone can give; therefore his covetousness is properly idolatry. It is true his idol is of gold and silver, but his idolatry is not the less criminal on that account.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Colossians 3:5-11

It is our duty to mortify our members which incline to the things of the world. Mortify them, kill them, suppress them, as weeds or vermin which spread and destroy all about them. Continual opposition must be made to all corrupt workings, and no provision made for carnal indulgences. Occasions of sin must be avoided: the lusts of the flesh, and the love of the world; and covetousness, which is idolatry; love of present good, and of outward enjoyments. It is necessary to mortify sins, because if we do not kill them, they will kill us. The gospel changes the higher as well as the lower powers of the soul, and supports the rule of right reason and conscience, over appetite and passion. There is now no difference from country, or conditions and circumstances of life. It is the duty of every one to be holy, because Christ is a Christian's All, his only Lord and Saviour, and all his hope and happiness.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

Colossians 3:5 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.

ΝεκρώσατεNekrōsatedo put to deathG3499

οὖνounthereforeG3767

τὰtatheG3588

μέληmelēmembersG3196

ὑμῶνhumōnof youG4771

τὰtawhich [are]G3588

ἐπὶepiuponG1909

τῆςtēstheG3588

γῆς,gēsearth:G1093

πορνείαν,porneiansexual immorality,G4202

ἀκαθαρσίαν,akatharsianimpurity,G167

πάθος,pathospassion,G3806

ἐπιθυμίανepithumiandesireG1939

κακὴνkakēnevilG2556

καὶkaiandG2532

τὴνtēn<the>G3588

πλεονεξίανpleonexiancovetousnessG4124

ἥτιςhētiswhichG3748

ἐστὶνestinisG1510

εἰδωλολατρία,eidōlolatriaidolatry,G1495

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

Cross references for Colossians 3:5

Romans 8:13
For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
Galatians 5:19-21
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Galatians 5:24
And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
1 Peter 2:11
Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
Romans 6:13
Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
Ephesians 5:3-6
But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
1 Corinthians 6:18
Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
Ephesians 4:19
Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
Mark 7:21-22
For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
2 Corinthians 12:21
And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.
Matthew 15:19
For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Mortify.
Ro 6:6; 8:13; Ga 5:24; Eph 5:3-6
members.
Ro 6:13; 7:5,23; Jas 4:1
fornication.
Mt 15:19; Mr 7:21,22; Ro 1:29; 1Co 5:1,10,11; 6:9,13,18; 2Co 12:21
Ga 5:19-21; Eph 5:3; 1Th 4:3; Heb 12:16; 13:4; Re 21:8; 22:15
inordinate.
Ro 1:26; 1Th 4:5; *Gr:
evil.
Ro 7:7,8; 1Co 10:6-8; Eph 4:19; 1Pe 2:11
covetousness.
1Co 6:10; Ga 5:19-21; Eph 5:3,5

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

Context

Colossians 3:4
When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
Colossians 3:5
Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
Colossians 3:6
For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:

Read all of Colossians 3

Colossians 3:5 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Amortiguad, pues, vuestros miembros que están sobre la tierra: fornicación, inmundicia, molicie, mala concupiscencia, y avaricia, que es idolatría:
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Mortifiez donc vos membres qui sont sur la terre, la fornication, l’impureté, les affections déréglées, la mauvaise convoitise, et la cupidité, qui est de l’idolâtrie;
German Elberfelder 1871	Tötet nun eure Glieder, die auf der Erde sind: Hurerei, Unreinigkeit, Leidenschaft, böse Lust und Habsucht, welche Götzendienst ist,
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Mortificate ergo membra vestra, quæ sunt super terram: fornicationem, immunditiam, libidinem, concupiscentiam malam, et avaritiam, quæ est simulacrorum servitus: