richmahn_en_tn/col/04/intro.md

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Colossians 04 General Notes

Structure and formatting

It appears Colossians 4:1 belongs with the material of chapter 3 instead of chapter 4.

Special concepts in this chapter

"In my own hand"

It was common in the ancient Near East to have someone physically write a letter while the author spoke. This is a common practice with the letters of the New Testament. Paul thought that this chapter was so important, he physically wrote it himself.

Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter

Mystery

Paul refers to the church as a "mystery." The role of the church in the plans of God was once unknown, but has now been revealed by God. Part of this mystery involves the Gentiles' equal standing with the Jews in the current plans of God. (See: rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/reveal)

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