Watch Out for Faulty Translations!

It may well be that your translation gives you in Colossians 1:16: "By him [the Messiah] all things were made in the heavens and on the earth." To which a classic commentary on Colossians helpfully responds, "This does not mean 'by him'" (Expositors' Greek Testament on Colossians, p. 502).

The author cites Moule, Ellicott and Meyer in support of the idea that creation "depends causally on the Son," that is, that all things were made "because of the Son -- NOT "by the Son!"

Thus also these two helpful translations:

Complete Jewish Bible (Stern), Colossians 1:16: "Because in connection with him were created all things -- in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, lordships, rulers or authorities -- they have all been created through him and for him."

MacDonald Idiomatic Translation: "Because for him everything in the heavens and on earth was created, both phenomena and noumena, whether thrones, dominions, administrations, or authorities. All were created through him and for him."

In my translation, The One God, One Man Messiah Translation of the NT (Amazon.com): "Because in him in intention everything was originally created by God, in heaven and on earth."

"We must render 'in [en] him' as 'because of' in Col. 1:16" (Nigel Turner, A Grammar of NT Greek, Vol. 3, p. 253).

Dr. James Dunn translates "in him in intention" (Christology in the Making, p. 190).

The Messiah was NOT the Creator of heaven and earth. He never claimed that, and he knew of Isaiah 44:24: YEHOVAH God made everything alone and unaccompanied.

-- by Anthony Buzzard.

Hope of Israel Ministries
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