Colossians 1:3

τῷ θεῷ πατρὶ BC*. This difficult reading was corrected by the insertion either of τῷ before πατρί, D*G and Chrys.372, or of καί, אActs 2DcK, etc. Cf. Colossians 3:17, also Colossians 1:12 infra.

Ἰησοῦ [Χριστοῦ], only B omits.

περὶ ὑμῶν Text. Rec. and W.H. Text, with אACDcK; ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν W.H.mg. BD*G as in Colossians 1:9.

3. εὐχαριστοῦμεν. In all St Paul’s Epistles except Gal. and the Pastorals he thanks immediately after the salutation, always employing εὐχαριστεῖν save in 2 Cor. and Eph. (yet cf. Ephesians 1:16). Cf. Colossians 2:7; Colossians 3:15. The plural is to include Timothy; contrast Colossians 1:24.

τῷ θεῷ πατρὶ τ. κυρ. ἡμ. Ἰησ. [Χριστοῦ]. See the notes on Textual Criticism. “We thank the God (and) Father of our Lord Jesus [Christ].”

Though θεὸς πατήρ is fairly common in St Paul’s Epp.† yet ὁ θεὸς πατὴρ occurs only here and Colossians 3:17, and possibly in Colossians 1:12, in each of these three cases following εὐχαριστεῖν. Observe that when the object of εὐχαριστεῖν in the N.T. is God the article is invariably used (e.g. 1 Thessalonians 1:2). Hence the article here appears to be due to the presence of εὐχαριστεῖν, and θεῷ πατρὶ is probably the same combined expression as in Colossians 1:2 and wherever else it comes. In other words, He is here represented as both the θεός and the πατήρ of our Lord. For the double thought compare John 20:17; Romans 15:6; 2 Corinthians 1:3; 2 Corinthians 11:31; Ephesians 1:3; 1 Peter 1:3, and perhaps 1 Corinthians 15:24. Cf. also esp. 2 Peter 1:17, and for αεός also Matthew 27:46; Ephesians 1:17. See also the notes on Colossians 2:2 τοῦ θεοῦ, Χριστοῦ.

Notice that of the two emendations of the text the var. lect. καὶ πατρί gives practically the same sense, while the “Western” reading τῷ θεῷ τῷ πατρί presumably requires τῷ θεῷ to be taken alone—“we thank God (absolutely), the Father of,” etc.

πάντοτε, “we thank … always when we pray for you.” Probably with εὐχαριστοῦμεν, notwithstanding the distance. Cf. 2 Thessalonians 1:3; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Corinthians 1:4; Ephesians 5:20; Philemon 1:4.

περὶ ὑμῶν προσευχόμενοι. See the notes on Textual Criticism, and contrast Colossians 1:9. Though περὶ ὑμῶν frequently occurs with πάντοτε (1 Corinthians 1:4; 2 Thessalonians 1:3; 2 Thessalonians 2:13) it is here probably to be taken primarily with προσευχ., which would otherwise stand rather baldly. περὶ ὑμ. προσ. defines the times and occasions to which πάντοτε refers. περὶ ὑμῶν thus loses the emphasis it would acquire if προσ. were independent of εὐχαρ … πάντοτε περὶ ὑμῶν.