Colossians 3:14

ἐπὶ πᾶσι δὲ τούτοις τὴν ἀγάπην : probably “over all these,” carrying on the metaphor of clothing, not “in addition to all”. These virtues are manifestations of love, but may be conceivably exhibited where love is absent, so that the mention of it is not superfluous. ὅ ἐστιν : probably “that is,” though for criticism of Lightfoot's examples see Abbott. The relative cannot mean τὸ ἐνδύσασθαι τ. ἀγ., for love itself is the σύνδ. σύδεσμος τῆς τελειότητος. Generally σύνδ. is explained as that which binds together all the virtues. The genitive is variously interpreted. It has been taken as genitive of the object, but the objection (Luther, Ol., Haupt) that the bond binds the virtues into a unity but does not bind together the unity itself is forcible. It has also been taken as a genitive of quality, “the perfect bond,” which Paul would have said if he had meant it. Ellicott regards it as a subjective genitive, the bond possessed by perfectness; but this seems unlikely. Again, it is explained as the bond which produces perfection in these virtues (Ol.), or as the bond which binds these virtues together and so produces Christian perfection (Sod). If, however, we do not take τελ. as an objective genitive, there is no ground for assuming that the bond is that which binds the virtues together. The function of love as a bond is to bind Christians together, and Haupt explains the word in this way. The genitive he regards as one of apposition, the bond in which perfection consists. When love binds all Christians together, the ideal of Christian perfection is attained. This gives a natural and appropriate sense, and is probably right. The view that σύνδ. is the sum total gives a sense to the word which it does not bear; nor does it suit the context.