SEV Biblia, Chapter 3:12
¶ Vestíos pues, (como escogidos de Dios, santos y amados) de entraas de misericordia, de benignidad, de humildad, de mansedumbre, de tolerancia;
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Colossians 3:12
Verse 12. Put on-as the elect of God] As the principal design of the apostle was to show that God had chosen the Gentiles, and called them to the same privileges as the Jews, and intended to make them as truly his people as the Jews ever were, he calls them the elect or chosen of God; and as the Jews, who were formerly the elect, were still beloved, and called to be holy, so he calls the Colossians beloved, and shows them that they are called with the same holy calling. Bowels of mercies, &c.] Be merciful, not in act merely, but in spirit and affection. In all cases of this kind let your heart dictate to your hand; be clothed with bowels of mercy - let your tenderest feelings come in contact with the miseries of the distressed as soon as ever they present themselves. Though I know that to put on, and to be clothed with, are figurative expressions, and mean to assume such and such characters and qualities; yet there may be a higher meaning here. The apostle would have them to feel the slightest touch of another's misery; and, as their clothes are put over their body, so their tenderest feeling should be always within the reach of the miserable. Let your feelings be at hand, and feel and commiserate as soon as touched. See on Eph. iv. 2. Instead of oiktirmon mercies, in the plural, almost every MS. of importance, with many of the fathers, read oiktirmou, bowels of mercy, in the singular.
This various reading makes scarcely any alteration in the sense.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 12. Put on therefore , etc.] As the apostle had argued for the putting off of the members of the body, from their having put off the old man himself; so he now argues from their having put on the new man, to their putting on of his members; that is, to the exercise of the various graces of the Spirit, and the discharge of the several duties of religion; which though they would not be a robe of righteousness, or garments of salvation to them, yet would be very becoming conversation garments, such as would be adorning to themselves, to the doctrine of Christ, and their profession of it, without which they would be naked in their walk, and exposed to shame, hwdq jwrb ablthl , to be clothed with the Holy Spirit, is a phrase used by the Cabalistic doctors f53 ; and is indeed a Scripture phrase, the Spirit of the Lord came upon, hbl , clothed Zechariah, ( Chronicles 24:20) and so Esther is said, by the Jewish writers f54 , to be clothed with the Holy Ghost Here the metaphor is taken from the putting off of clothes; and what is here directed to, is like Joseph's coat, a coat of many colours. The arguments made use of lie in the characters under which the saints are addressed, as the elect of God, holy and beloved ; that is, as becomes the elect of God, as the Arabic version renders it; as such who were chosen in Christ from eternity, according to the sovereign will and pleasure of God, and his free grace unto salvation and eternal life; which carries in it a strong argument to enforce the performance of good works, since men are hereby chosen unto holiness, and good works are what God has foreordained that they should walk in, and especially to mercy, and acts of it; since hereby their salvation appears to be not of man's will and works, but of God, that shows mercy; and such who are the objects of this grace are vessels of mercy. The apostle calls all the members of this church by this name, though every individual of them might not be chosen of God; but because they were all under a visible profession of faith and holiness, and the greater part of them were truly believers, he in a judgment of charity gives them all this appellation, and upon the same foot, the next, holy; not by birth, for they were by nature unclean and filthy, conceived in sin, and shapen in iniquity; nor by baptism, which takes away neither original nor actual sin, but leaves men as it finds them, and who ought to be holy before they partake of that; but in Christ imputatively, as he was made of God unto them sanctification; and by him efficaciously, in virtue of his blood, righteousness, and sacrifice, by which he sanctifies his people; and by his spirit inherently and internally, who is the author of the work of sanctification in the heart; and they were likewise so externally in a professional way, and therefore it highly became them to exercise and practise the following graces and duties, to which they were still more obliged, inasmuch as they were beloved; that is, of God, as appeared both from their election and sanctification. God had loved them, and therefore had chosen them in his Son, and had given his Son to die for them, that he might sanctify them; and because of his great love to them, had quickened them when dead in sin, and sanctified them by his spirit: wherefore, since God had so loved them, they ought to show love again to him, and to one another, and put on bowels of mercies ; a sympathizing spirit with saints in distress, weeping with them that weep, suffering with them that suffer, being touched, as their high priest is, with a feeling of their sorrows and weaknesses: it denotes inward pity and compassion to distressed objects, the most tender regard to persons in misery, and such compassion as is free from all hypocrisy and deceit, and therefore is expressed by bowels; and what is very large, and reaches to multitudes of objects, and is displayed and exerted various ways, and therefore signified by mercies. Now such a spirit is a very beautiful one; the apostle begins with the innermost of these garments, adding to it kindness , which is this inward, tender, unfeigned, and abundant mercy put into act and exercise; this is doing good to all men, especially to the household of faith, distributing to the necessities of the saints, and a showing mercy with cheerfulness, and is very ornamental to a Christian professor: as is also humbleness of mind ; which lies in the saints entertaining mean thoughts of themselves, looking upon themselves as the chief of sinners, and less than the least of all saints; as inferior to others in knowledge, experience, gifts, and graces; in esteeming others better than themselves; in ascribing all they have, and are, to the grace of God; in doing works of mercy and righteousness without ostentation, and boasting of them, or depending on them; owning, that when they have done all they can, they are but unprofitable servants; and this is a beautiful dress for a believer to appear in: be ye clothed with humility; (see 1 Peter 5:5). And of the like nature is meekness ; which shows itself in not envying the gifts and graces, the usefulness and happiness of others, but rejoicing therein; in quietly submitting to the will of God in all adverse dispensations of Providence, and patiently bearing what he is pleased to lay on them; and in enduring all the insults, reproaches, and indignities of men with calmness. This ornament of a meek and quiet, spirit is in the sight of God of great price, ( 1 Peter 3:4). And what follows is natural to it, and explanative of it, longsuffering : whereby a person patiently bears the evil words and actions of others, and is not easily provoked to wrath by them, but puts up with injuries, and sits down contented with the ill usage he meets with.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 12-17 - We must not only do no hurt to any, but do what good we can to all Those who are the elect of God, holy and beloved, ought to be lowly an compassionate towards all. While in this world, where there is so muc corruption in our hearts, quarrels will sometimes arise. But it is ou duty to forgive one another, imitating the forgiveness through which we are saved. Let the peace of God rule in your hearts; it is of his working in all who are his. Thanksgiving to God, helps to make u agreeable to all men. The gospel is the word of Christ. Many have the word, but it dwells in them poorly; it has no power over them. The sou prospers, when we are full of the Scriptures and of the grace of Christ. But when we sing psalms, we must be affected with what we sing Whatever we are employed about, let us do every thing in the name of the Lord Jesus, and in believing dependence on him. Those who do all in Christ's name, will never want matter of thanksgiving to God, even the Father.
Greek Textus Receptus
ανεχομενοι 430 5740 V-PNP-NPM αλληλων 240 C-GPM και 2532 CONJ χαριζομενοι 5483 5740 V-PNP-NPM εαυτοις 1438 F-3DPM εαν 1437 COND τις 5100 X-NSM προς 4314 PREP τινα 5100 X-ASM εχη 2192 5725 V-PAS-3S μομφην 3437 N-ASF καθως 2531 ADV και 2532 CONJ ο 3588 T-NSM χριστος 5547 N-NSM εχαρισατο 5483 5662 V-ADI-3S υμιν 5213 P-2DP ουτως 3779 ADV και 2532 CONJ υμεις 5210 P-2NP
Robertson's NT Word Studies
3:12 {Put on therefore} (endusasqe oun). First aorist middle imperative of endunw (verse #10). He explains and applies (oun therefore) the figure of "the new man" as "the new garment." {As God's elect} (hws eklektoi tou qeou). Same phrase in #Ro 8:33; Tit 1:1. In the Gospels a distinction exists between kletos and eklektos (#Mt 24:22,24,31), but no distinction appears in Paul's writings. Here further described as "holy and beloved" (hagioi kai egapemenoi). The items in the new clothing for the new man in Christ Paul now gives in contrast with what was put off (#3:8). The garments include a heart of compassion (splagcna oiktirmou, the nobler _viscera_ as the seat of emotion as in #Lu 1:78; Php 1:8), kindness (crestoteta, as in #Ga 5:22), humility (tapeinofrosunen, in the good sense as in #Php 2:3), meekness (prauteta, in #Ga 5:23 and in #Eph 4:2 also with tapeinophrosun), long-suffering (makroqumian, in #Ga 5:22; Col 1:11; Jas 5:10).
