Colossians 1:17

Contemporary English Version

God's Son was before all else, and by him everything is held together.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
He is before all things,and by him all things hold together.

King James Version (1611)
And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

King James Version
And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

English Standard Version
And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

New American Standard Bible
He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

New Century Version
He was there before anything was made, and all things continue because of him.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

Legacy Standard Bible
And He is before all things,And in Him all things hold together.

Berean Standard Bible
He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

Complete Jewish Bible
He existed before all things, and he holds everything together.

Darby Translation
And *he* is before all, and all things subsist together by him.

Easy-to-Read Version
The Son was there before anything was made. And all things continue because of him.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And hee is before all things, and in him all things consist.

George Lamsa Translation
And he is before all things, and by him all things are sustained.

Good News Translation
Christ existed before all things, and in union with him all things have their proper place.

Lexham English Bible
and he himself is before all things, and in him all things are held together,

Literal Translation
And He is before all things, and all things have subsisted in Him.

Amplified Bible
And He Himself existed and is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. [His is the controlling, cohesive force of the universe.]

American Standard Version
and he is before all things, and in him all things consist.

Bible in Basic English
He is before all things, and in him all things have being.

Hebrew Names Version
He is before all things, and in him all things are held together.

International Standard Version
He himself existed before all things, and byin">[fn] him all things hold together.John 1:1,3; 17:5; 1 Corinthians 8:6;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
and he is before all, and every thing by him subsisteth.

Murdock Translation
and he was prior to all, and by him every thing exists.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And he is before all thynges, and in hym all thynges consist.

English Revised Version
and he is before all things, and in him all things consist.

World English Bible
He is before all things, and in him all things are held together.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And he is before all things, and by him all things consist, And he is the head of his body the church;

Weymouth's New Testament
And HE IS before all things and in and through Him the universe is a harmonious whole.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and he is bifor alle, and alle thingis ben in hym.

Update Bible Version
and he is before all things, and in him all things consist.

Webster's Bible Translation
And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

New English Translation
He himself is before all things and all things are held together in him.

New King James Version
And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

New Living Translation
He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.

New Life Bible
Christ was before all things. All things are held together by Him.

New Revised Standard
He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, he, is before all, and, they all, in him, hold together;

Douay-Rheims Bible
And he is before all: and by him all things consist.

Revised Standard Version
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
and he is before all thinges and in him all thynges have their beynge.

Young's Literal Translation
and himself is before all, and the all things in him have consisted.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and he is before all thinges, and in him all thinges haue their beynge.

Mace New Testament (1729)
and by him all things consist.

Simplified Cowboy Version
We were made with his hand and still he holds all things together.

Contextual Overview

¹² I pray that you will be grateful to God for letting you have part in what he has promised his people in the kingdom of light. ¹³ God rescued us from the dark power of Satan and brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son, ¹⁴ who forgives our sins and sets us free. ¹⁵ Christ is exactly like God, who cannot be seen. He is the first-born Son, superior to all creation. ¹⁶ Everything was created by him, everything in heaven and on earth, everything seen and unseen, including all forces and powers, and all rulers and authorities. All things were created by God's Son, and everything was made for him. ¹⁷ God's Son was before all else, and by him everything is held together. ¹⁸ He is the head of his body, which is the church. He is the very beginning, the first to be raised from death, so that he would be above all others. ¹⁹ God himself was pleased to live fully in his Son. ²⁰ And God was pleased for him to make peace by sacrificing his blood on the cross, so that all beings in heaven and on earth would be brought back to God. ²¹ You used to be far from God. Your thoughts made you his enemies, and you did evil things.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

he: Colossians 1:15, Proverbs 8:22, Proverbs 8:23, Isaiah 43:11-13, Isaiah 44:6, Micah 5:2, John 1:1-3, John 8:58, John 17:5, 1 Corinthians 8:6, Hebrews 13:8, Revelation 1:8, Revelation 1:11, Revelation 1:17, Revelation 2:8

and by: 1 Samuel 2:8, Psalms 75:3, John 5:17, John 5:18, Acts 17:28, Hebrews 1:3

Reciprocal: Genesis 1:1 - God 1 Chronicles 16:30 - stable 2 Chronicles 2:12 - that made heaven Nehemiah 9:6 - preservest Psalms 33:9 - and it stood Psalms 55:19 - even Psalms 78:69 - earth Isaiah 40:26 - who hath Isaiah 44:24 - by myself Isaiah 66:2 - For all those Jeremiah 51:15 - hath made John 1:3 - General John 1:15 - he was 2 Corinthians 5:18 - all 2 Corinthians 8:9 - though Ephesians 3:9 - created Hebrews 1:2 - appointed Hebrews 2:10 - for 2 Peter 3:5 - standing Revelation 4:11 - for thou

Cross-References

Job 38:12
Did you ever tell the sun to rise? And did it obey?

Psalms 8:1

(A psalm by David for the music leader.)

Our Lord and Ruler, your name is wonderful everywhere on earth! You let your glory be seen in the heavens above.

Psalms 8:3
I often think of the heavens your hands have made, and of the moon and stars you put in place.

Acts 13:47
The Lord has given us this command, "I have placed you here as a light for the Gentiles. You are to take the saving power of God to people everywhere on earth."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he is before all things,.... Not only in dignity, being preferable to angels and men in his nature, names, offices, and works, and worthy of more honour than all creatures; but he is before them in existence, as he must needs be, since they are all made by him; he was not only before John the Baptist, his forerunner, before Abraham who saw his day and was glad, before the first man was made, but before the angels were in being, or the heavens and the earth, or any creature were formed; and therefore must be God, who is from everlasting to everlasting:

and by him all things consist; he upholds all things by the word of his power; the heavens have their stability and continuance from him; the pillars of the earth are bore up by him, otherwise that and the inhabitants of it would be dissolved; the angels in heaven are confirmed in their estate by him, and have their standing and security in him; the elector God are in his hands, and are his peculiar care and charge, and therefore shall never perish; yea, all mankind live and move, and have their being in him; the whole frame of nature would burst asunder and break in pieces, was it not held together by him; every created being has its support from him, and its consistence in him; and all the affairs of Providence relating to all creatures are governed, directed, and managed by him, in conjunction with the Father and the blessed Spirit.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And he is before all things - As he must be, if he created all things. Those who regard this as referring to a moral creation, interpret it as meaning that he has the pre-eminence over all things; not as referring to his pre-existence. But the fair and proper meaning of the word “before” (πρὸ pro) is, that he was before all things in the order of existence; compare Matthew 8:29; John 11:55; John 13:1; Acts 5:36; Acts 21:38; 2 Corinthians 12:2. It is equivalent to saying that he was eternal - for he that had an existence before any thing was created, must be eternal. Thus, it is equivalent to the phrase, “In the beginning;” Genesis 1:1; compare the notes at John 1:1.

And by him all things subsist - Or are sustained; see the notes at Hebrews 1:3. The meaning is, that they are kept in the present state; their existence, order, and arrangement are continued by his power. If unsupported by him, they would fall into disorder, or sink back to nothing. If this be the proper interpretation, then it is the ascription to Christ of infinite power - for nothing less could be sufficient to uphold the universe; and of infinite wisdom - for this is needed to preserve the harmonious action of the suns and systems of which it is composed. None could do this but one who is divine; and hence we see the reason why he is represented as the image of the invisible God. He is the great and glorious and everactive agent by whom the perfections of God are made known.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 17. :-