Colossians 3:12

NET Bible® (New English Translation)

Exhortation to Unity and Love Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

Ἐνδύσασθε οὖν, ὡς ἐκλεκτοὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἅγιοι καὶ ἠγαπημένοι, σπλάγχνα οἰκτιρμῶν, χρηστότητα, ταπεινοφροσύνην, πρᾳότητα, μακροθυμίαν·

Transliteration

Endysasthe oun, as eklektoi of the Theou, hagioi and having been ēgapēmenoi, splanchna of oiktirmōn, chrēstotēta, tapeinophrosynēn, praotēta, makrothymian;

Grammar Details

• *endysasthe*: aorist middle imperative, 2nd person plural - put on/clothe yourselves with
• *oun*: inferential particle - therefore/then
• *hōs*: comparative particle - as/like
• *eklektoi*: nominative, masculine, plural - chosen/elect ones
• *Theou*: genitive, masculine, singular - of God
• *hagioi*: nominative, masculine, plural - holy ones/saints
• *ēgapēmenoi*: perfect passive participle, nominative, masculine, plural - having been loved
• *splanchna*: accusative, neuter, plural - inward affections/bowels/heart
• *oiktirmōn*: genitive, masculine, plural - of compassions/mercies
• *chrēstotēta*: accusative, feminine, singular - kindness
• *tapeinophrosynēn*: accusative, feminine, singular - humility
• *praotēta*: accusative, feminine, singular - gentleness/meekness
• *makrothymian*: accusative, feminine, singular - patience/longsuffering

Word Meanings

• *endysasthe*: put on/clothe yourselves with/wear
• *eklektoi*: chosen/elect/selected ones
• *hagioi*: holy ones/saints/set apart ones
• *ēgapēmenoi*: having been loved/beloved
• *splanchna oiktirmōn*: heart of compassion/tender mercies/compassionate heart
• *chrēstotēta*: kindness/goodness/benevolence
• *tapeinophrosynēn*: humility/lowliness of mind/modesty
• *praotēta*: gentleness/meekness/mildness
• *makrothymian*: patience/longsuffering/forbearance

Referenced Verses

• Eph 4:32 : 32 Instead, be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you.
• Eph 4:2 : 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, putting up with one another in love,
• 2 Pet 1:5-8 : 5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith excellence, to excellence, knowledge; 6 to knowledge, self-control; to self-control, perseverance; to perseverance, godliness; 7 to godliness, brotherly affection; to brotherly affection, unselfish love. 8 For if these things are really yours and are continually increasing, they will keep you from becoming ineffective and unproductive in your pursuit of knowing our Lord Jesus Christ more intimately.
• 1 John 4:19 : 19 We love because he loved us first.
• Col 3:10 : 10 and have been clothed with the new man that is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of the one who created it.
• 1 Thess 1:3-6 : 3 because we recall in the presence of our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and endurance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 We know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 in that our gospel did not come to you merely in words, but in power and in the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction(surely you recall the character we displayed when we came among you to help you). 6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, when you received the message with joy that comes from the Holy Spirit, despite great affliction.
• Gal 5:22-23 : 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
• 2 Pet 1:10 : 10 Therefore, brothers and sisters, make every effort to be sure of your calling and election. For by doing this you will never stumble into sin.
• 1 John 3:14-20 : 14 We know that we have crossed over from death to life because we love our fellow Christians. The one who does not love remains in death. 15 Everyone who hates his fellow Christian is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him. 16 We have come to know love by this: that Jesus laid down his life for us; thus we ought to lay down our lives for our fellow Christians. 17 But whoever has the world’s possessions and sees his fellow Christian in need and shuts off his compassion against him, how can the love of God reside in such a person? 18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue but in deed and truth. 19 And by this we will know that we are of the truth and will convince our conscience in his presence, 20 that if our conscience condemns us, that God is greater than our conscience and knows all things.
• 1 Pet 3:8-9 : 8 Suffering for Doing Good Finally, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, affectionate, compassionate, and humble. 9 Do not return evil for evil or insult for insult, but instead bless others because you were called to inherit a blessing. 10 For the one who wants to love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from uttering deceit. 11 And he must turn away from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it.
• Eph 4:24 : 24 and to put on the new man who has been created in God’s image– in righteousness and holiness that comes from truth.
• 2 Thess 2:13-14 : 13 Call to Stand Firm But we ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. 14 He called you to this salvation through our gospel, so that you may possess the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
• 2 Tim 2:10 : 10 So I endure all things for the sake of those chosen by God, that they too may obtain salvation in Christ Jesus and its eternal glory.
• Titus 1:1 : 1 ¶ Salutation From Paul, a slave of God and apostle of Jesus Christ, to further the faith of God’s chosen ones and the knowledge of the truth that is in keeping with godliness,
• Titus 3:4-6 : 4 But“when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, 5 he saved us not by works of righteousness that we have done but on the basis of his mercy, through the washing of the new birth and the renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us in full measure through Jesus Christ our Savior.
• Jas 3:17-18 : 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and not hypocritical. 18 And the fruit that consists of righteousness is planted in peace among those who make peace.
• Isa 63:15 : 15 Look down from heaven and take notice, from your holy, majestic palace! Where are your zeal and power? Do not hold back your tender compassion!
• Isa 65:9 : 9 I will bring forth descendants from Jacob, and from Judah people to take possession of my mountains. My chosen ones will take possession of the land; my servants will live there.
• Isa 65:22 : 22 No longer will they build a house only to have another live in it, or plant a vineyard only to have another eat its fruit, for my people will live as long as trees, and my chosen ones will enjoy to the fullest what they have produced.
• Jer 31:3 : 3 In a far-off land the LORD will manifest himself to them. He will say to them,‘I have loved you with an everlasting love. That is why I have continued to be faithful to you.
• Jer 31:20 : 20 Indeed, the people of Israel are my dear children. They are the children I take delight in. For even though I must often rebuke them, I still remember them with fondness. So I am deeply moved with pity for them and will surely have compassion on them. I, the LORD, affirm it!
• Ezek 16:8 : 8 “‘Then I passed by you and watched you, noticing that you had reached the age for love. I spread my cloak over you and covered your nakedness. I swore a solemn oath to you and entered into a marriage covenant with you, declares the Sovereign LORD, and you became mine.
• Matt 24:22 : 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no one would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.
• Matt 24:24 : 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
• Matt 24:31 : 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet blast, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
• Mark 13:20 : 20 And if the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would be saved. But because of the elect, whom he chose, he has cut them short.
• Mark 13:22 : 22 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, the elect.
• Mark 13:27 : 27 Then he will send angels and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
• Luke 1:78 : 78 Because of our God’s tender mercy the dawn will break upon us from on high
• Luke 18:7 : 7 Won’t God give justice to his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he delay long to help them?
• Rom 1:7 : 7 To all those loved by God in Rome, called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
• Rom 8:29-33 : 29 because those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified. 31 What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 Indeed, he who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all– how will he not also, along with him, freely give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.
• Rom 9:11 : 11 even before they were born or had done anything good or bad(so that God’s purpose in election would stand, not by works but by his calling)–
• Rom 11:5-7 : 5 So in the same way at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. 6 And if it is by grace, it is no longer by works, otherwise grace would no longer be grace. 7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was diligently seeking, but the elect obtained it. The rest were hardened,
• Rom 12:9-9 : 9 Conduct in Love Love must be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil, cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another with mutual love, showing eagerness in honoring one another.
• 2 Cor 6:6 : 6 by purity, by knowledge, by patience, by benevolence, by the Holy Spirit, by genuine love,
• Gal 5:6 : 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision carries any weight– the only thing that matters is faith working through love.
• Phil 1:8 : 8 For God is my witness that I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
• Phil 2:1-4 : 1 Christian Unity and Christ’s Humility Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort provided by love, any fellowship in the Spirit, any affection or mercy, 2 complete my joy and be of the same mind, by having the same love, being united in spirit, and having one purpose. 3 Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself. 4 Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well.
• Eph 1:4 : 4 For he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before him in love.
• Eph 2:4-5 : 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, 5 even though we were dead in offenses, made us alive together with Christ– by grace you are saved!–
• Isa 42:1 : 1 The Lord Commissions His Special Servant“Here is my servant whom I support, my chosen one in whom I take pleasure. I have placed my Spirit on him; he will make just decrees for the nations.
• Isa 45:4 : 4 For the sake of my servant Jacob, Israel, my chosen one, I call you by name and give you a title of respect, even though you do not submit to me.
• 1 Pet 1:2 : 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father by being set apart by the Spirit for obedience and for sprinkling with Jesus Christ’s blood. May grace and peace be yours in full measure!
• 2 Tim 1:9 : 9 He is the one who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not based on our works but on his own purpose and grace, granted to us in Christ Jesus before time began,
• 1 Thess 5:15 : 15 See that no one pays back evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good for one another and for all.
• 2 John 1:13 : 13 The children of your elect sister greet you.
• Rev 17:14 : 14 They will make war with the Lamb, but the Lamb will conquer them, because he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those accompanying the Lamb are the called, chosen, and faithful.”