Colossians 2:3

Colossians 2:3. In whom; or, if the briefer reading in Colossians 2:2 be accepted, ‘in which,' i.e., mystery. But the sense is the same, if we read and render: ‘even Christ,' since this presents Christ Himself as the mystery of God.

Are stands in emphatic position; notice the order as emended.

All the treasures of (consisting in) wisdom and knowledge. ‘ Wisdom' is the more general term; ‘knowledge,' the more special. Various more exact discriminations have been suggested, but it is difficult to maintain any one of them. These treasures are in Christ (or the mystery of God), but hid , not known until revealed. Hence the Apostle's purpose that they should attain to fall knowledge of this mystery. They could not know Him, until revealed, because the treasures were ‘hid,' they could have ‘full knowledge,' because in Him were ‘all the treasures' (comp. ‘all riches,' Colossians 2:2). The term rendered ‘hid' is transferred into English as ‘ Apocrypha,' and was applied by early teachers of error to certain hidden writings for which special authority was claimed. Some such secret doctrine of the Colossian false teachers may be here referred to, but the figure is quite apt. The hid treasures could become theirs: they did not need ‘more than Christ, but more of Christ.'