Colossians 1:11

Colossians 1:11. Strengthened with (lit., ‘in') all strength. The noun is usually rendered ‘power,' but to do so here destroys the verbal correspondence which is found in the Greek. ‘With all strength;' by means of every form of strength imparted by God (Meyer). Some take ‘in' as pointing to the element in which the strengthening occurs, giving to ‘strength' a subjective sense. But the former view seems preferable.

According to the might of his glory; not, ‘glorious power' (E. V.). The word rendered ‘might' occurs in Ephesians 1:19, referring to power which manifests itself; here it is that might, ‘which is the peculiar characteristic of His glory' (Ellicott), and this is the measure (‘according to') of the strengthening which underlies a walk worthy of the Lord,

unto all patience and longsuffering. Toward these graces, in every form, the strengthening leads. ‘Patience' (patient endurance) endures meekly what cannot be changed; ‘longsoffering' bears with what might be avenged. Other distinctions have been made, but this is most satisfactory. To endure this, Divine strength is needed, especially to endure with joy, a characteristic of Christian patience; comp. Romans 5:3 -In such trials ‘the Christian is glad, and certain of the victory of his cause, of his reward with God both in his own heart and in heaven' (Braune). From early times, however, some have connected this phrase with the next verse, mainly on the ground of the parallelism of the structure of the clauses (in Greek). But the preposition ‘with' occurs here, instead of ‘in' (as in the other cases), pointing to an accompaniment, which would scarcely take the first place in a clause.