Commentary on Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians Thessalonians Timothy Titus and Philemon John Calvin
Chapter
Colossians 4:1-4
Colossians 4:1-4
1. Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.
1. Domini, quod iustum est, servis exhibete, mutuamque aequabilitatem, scientes quod vos quoque Dominum habeatis in coelis.
2. Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; 2. Orationi instate, vigilantes in ea, cum gratiarum actione. 3. Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:
3. Orate simul et pro nobis, ut Deus aperiat nobis ianuam sermonis ad loquendum mysterium Christi, cuius etiam causa vinctus sum.
4. That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. 4. Ut manifestem illud, quemadmodum oportet me loqui. 1. Masters, what is just. He mentions first, what is just, by which term he expresses that kindness, as to which he has given injunction in the Epistle to the Ephesians. (Ephesians 6:8.) But as masters, looking down as it were from aloft, despise the condition of servants, so that they think that they are bound by no law, Paul brings them under control, 633 because both are equally under subjection to the authority of God. Hence that equity of which he makes mention.
And mutual equity. Some understand it otherwise, but I have no doubt that Paul here employed {ἰσότητα} to mean analogical 634 or distributive right, 635 as in Ephesians, {τὰ} {αὐτὰ}, (the same things.) 636 For masters have not their servants bound to them in such a manner as not to owe something to them in their turn, as analogical right to be in force among all ranks. 637
633"Et rabbaisse leur presomption;" — "And beats down their presumption." 634Our author, has here in view a definition of Aristotle, quoted by him when commenting on 2 Corinthians 8:13. See Calvin on the Corinthians, vol. 2, p. 294. — Ed.
635"C'est a dire, qui est reglé et compassé selon la circonstance, qualité, ou vocation des personnes;" — "That is to say, which is regulated and proportioned according to the circumstances, station, or calling of individuals."
636"Comme aux Ephesiens il a vsé de ce mot, Le mesme, ou Le semblable, en ceste signification, comme il a este là touché;" — "As in the Ephesians he has made use of this word, the same, or the like, in this sense, as he has there noticed."
637"Comme il y a vn droict mutuel, reglé selon la consideration de l'office et vocation d'vn chacun, lequel droict doit auoir lieu entre tous estats;" — "As there is a mutual right, regulated according to a consideration of the office and calling of each individual, which right