Colossians 4:13

πολὺν πὸνον אABCP Syrpal (ut vid.). πολὺν κόνον D*G. ζῆλον πολὺν Text. Rec. with KL, etc. Other readings are πολὺν ζῆλον Dbc; πολὺν πόθον 10. 31 al.; πολὺν� 6. 67**. External evidence determines for the first, and ζῆλον would not have caused such variations.

13. μαρτυρῶ γὰρ αὐτῷ. The only parallels to this in St Paul’s Epistles are Romans 10:2, and Galatians 4:15, in both of which passages the phrase contains something of the unexpected under the circumstances. Here there seems no apparent reason for so strong a phrase. Perhaps there was something about Epaphras with which we are not acquainted that made St Paul insist on the fact of his toil for them.

ὅτι ἔχει πολὺν πόνον. See notes on Textual Criticism.

πόνον ἔχειν occurs only here in the Greek Bible (contrast κοπιῶ�, Colossians 1:29), but is used frequently of the toil of conflict from Homer downwards; cf. Il. VI. 525, οἷ ἔχουσι πολὺν πόνον εἵνεκα σεῖο. “In Pindar also of exertions in the games, N. 4. 1, I. 4. 79 (3. 65),” Lidd. and Scott. It carries on the figure of ἀγωνιζόμενος.

ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν (Colossians 4:12) καὶ τῶν ἐν Λαοδικίᾳ (Colossians 2:1) καὶ τῶν ἐν Ἱερᾷ Πόλει. On these two towns and their relation to Colossae see Introd. p. x. For the separation Ἱερᾷ Πόλει cf. Acts 16:11. They are mentioned here because probably this letter would be read in both, as it certainly would be in one (Colossians 4:16). We have no knowledge of the relation in which Epaphras stood to Laodicea and Hierapolis, but probably he had taught in both, perhaps also he had founded both Churches. In any case as a native of Colossae he must have been interested in the two neighbouring towns.