• Colossians 4:11
    The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures

    • 11 καὶ and Ἰησοῦς Jesus ὁ the (one) λεγόμενος being said Ἰοῦστος, Justus, οἱ the (ones) ὄντες being ἐκ out of περιτομῆς, circumcision, οὗτοι these μόνοι only συνεργοὶ fellow workers εἰς into τὴν the βασιλείαν kingdom τοῦ of the θεοῦ, God, οἵτινες who ἐγενήθησάν became μοι to me παρηγορία. consolation.

  • Colossians 4:11
    King James Version

    • 11 And Jesus, which is called Justus, who are of the circumcision. These only are my fellowworkers unto the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me.

  • Colossians Study Notes—Chapter 4
    New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Study Edition)

    • 4:11

      those circumcised: That is, circumcised Jewish Christians. The brothers whom Paul here mentions by name had come to his aid. (See study note on a source of great comfort in this verse.) They likely did not hesitate to associate with Christians of a non-Jewish background, and they must gladly have shared with Paul in preaching to non-Jews.​—Ro 11:13; Ga 1:16; 2:11-14.

      a source of great comfort: Or “a strengthening aid.” In the preceding verses, Paul mentions a number of brothers who had helped him during his imprisonment in Rome. (Col 4:7-11) He describes them as “a source of great comfort,” which renders a Greek word that is frequently used in ancient literature and inscriptions but that appears only here in the Christian Greek Scriptures. One reference work explains that this word and various forms of it were especially used as medical terms, in the sense of alleviating symptoms of an illness. The same reference adds: “Perhaps owing to this usage, the idea of consolation, comfort, is on the whole predominant in the word.” In the case of Paul, the brothers mentioned earlier apparently gave him verbal solace and encouragement as well as assistance in basic, practical matters.​—Pr 17:17.