Colossians 3:13
What does Colossians 3:13 mean?
A plain-English look at Colossians 3:13 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Colossians 3:13 means
Living in community requires forbearance and forgiveness. “Forbearing one another” acknowledges that even renewed people will offend and disappoint. “Forgiving each other” meets those offenses with grace, not grudges. The standard is staggering: “even as the Lord forgave you, so also do ye.” Christ’s forgiveness is the pattern and power for ours. Remembering His mercy melts hardness and motivates reconciliation. This does not trivialize sin; it addresses it with gospel-shaped generosity. A community that practices such forgiveness reflects its Savior and maintains unity amid real failures. Forgiven people become forgiving people, extending to others what they continually receive from their Lord.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000forbearing one another, and forgiving each other, if any man have a complaint against any; even as the Lord forgave you, so also do ye:
KJV
King James Version · 1611Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901forbearing one another, and forgiving each other, if any man have a complaint against any; even as the Lord forgave you, so also do ye:
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949Being gentle to one another and having forgiveness for one another, if anyone has done wrong to his brother, even as the Lord had forgiveness for you:
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862forbearing one another, and forgiving each other, if any one with any one may have a quarrel, as also the Christ did forgive you--so also ye;
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752Bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if any have a complaint against another. Even as the Lord hath forgiven you, so do you also.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any should have a complaint against any; even as the Christ has forgiven you, so also [do] ye.
Context
After listing heart virtues in verse 12, Paul shows their relational expression in verse 13—bearing with and forgiving one another on the model of the Lord’s forgiveness. This prepares for verse 14, where love is named as the overarching bond that completes and unites all these virtues. The flow is cumulative: identity in Christ produces inner dispositions, which issue in gracious responses to faults, all held together by love. The next verses (15–17) will describe the communal atmosphere—peace, gratitude, the indwelling word, worship, and comprehensive devotion to Christ.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Luke 17:3
Take heed to yourselves: if thy brother sin, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.
- Luke 6:35
But love your enemies, and do them good, and lend, never despairing; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be sons of the Most High: for he is kind toward the unthankful and evil.
- Ephesians 4:2
with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
- Luke 7:48
And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.
- Matthew 18:15
And if thy brother sin against thee, go, show him his fault between thee and him alone: if he hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
- 2 Corinthians 2:10
But to whom ye forgive anything, I forgive also: for what I also have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, for your sakes have I forgiven it in the presence of Christ;
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