Colossians 1:13

The thought pursued: the greatness of their Redemption, and of their Redeemer

13. hath delivered Better, delivered, rescued. The time-reference is the same as that of "qualified us," explained in the last note but one. The verb is that used in the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:13), and e.g. 1Th 1:10; 2 Timothy 3:11; 2 Timothy 4:17-18.

the power of darkness Lit., the authority of the darkness; Latin Versions, de potestate tenebrarum. The exact phrase recurs, in our blessed Lord's lips, and in the very crisis of His work for our "rescue," Luke 22:53. The word rendered "authority" (exousia) is distinguished from mere "force" (dunamis), and denotes some sort of recognized dominion, whether lawful (e.g. Matthew 10:1; Romans 13:1, &c.) or unlawful. In secular Greek (as Lightfoot shews) it has a slight tendency to denote excessive or tyrannous dominion. This must not be pressed in the N.T., as a Concordance will shew; but in this Epistle (Colossians 1:16; Colossians 2:15) and its Ephesian companion (Ephesians 2:2; Ephesians 3:10; Ephesians 6:12), it certainly takes that direction, referring to evil spiritual powers and their sphere of dominion.

Man, in the Fall, so surrendered himselfto the Usurper that, but for the action of his Divine King and Deliverer, he would now lie not merely under the force but under the dominion of his enemy. Cp. Ephesians 6:12 and our note.

" The darkness:" cp. again Ephesians 6:12. Here the idea presented is the antithesis to that of the holy "light" of Colossians 1:12; a (moral) region of delusion, woe, pollution, and death, in which the "Antipathist of Light" [80] rules over those who "are darkness" (Ephesians 5:8) and "do its works" (Ephesians 5:11; cp. 1 John 1:6). On the whole expression here, cp. 1 Peter 2:9.

[80] So Coleridge, Ne plus Ultra.

hath translated Lit. and better (as above) translated, or transferred.

the kingdom Rescued from a tyranny, they stepped not into a "no man's land" but at once under the righteous, beneficent sovereignty and protection of the true King. The "kingdom" here is, immediately, our presentsubjection, in grace, to the Son of God; to be developed hereafter into the life of glorified order and service (Revelation 22:3). See on Ephesians 5:5 in this Series.

Lightfoot, in an interesting note here, says that St Paul uses this positive language about the actual deliverance of the Colossians, inasmuch as "they are [in St Paul's view] potentiallysaved, because the knowledge of God is itself salvation, and this knowledge is within their reach … He hopes to make them saints by dwelling on their calling as saints." True; but the meaning put on the word "calling" is, we think, inadequate. On the general phenomenon of "inclusive" apostolic language see above on Colossians 1:2.

his dear Son Lit. and far better, the Son of His love. Lightfoot, following Augustine, takes this most precious phrase to mean, in effect, the Son of the Father who is(1 John 4:8; 1 John 4:16) Love; the Son who accordingly manifests and as it were embodies the Father's Love (1 John 4:9-10). But surely the more probable meaning is that the Son is the blessed Object of the Father's love (so Ellicott); the supremely Beloved One (cp. the parallel passage, Ephesians 1:6, where see our note). Far from "destroying the whole force of the expression" (Lightfoot), this interpretation is full of ideas in point here. The "kingdom" is what it is to its happy subjects because its King is the Beloved Son, in whom the subjects are therefore not subjects only but sons, and beloved. See Ephesians 1:6-7, in connexion, for a strong suggestion in this direction.