Colossians 4:6

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

Ὁ λόγος ὑμῶν πάντοτε ἐν χάριτι, ἅλατι ἠρτυμένος, εἰδέναι πῶς δεῖ ὑμᾶς ἑνὶ ἑκάστῳ ἀποκρίνεσθαι.

Transliteration

The logos of you pantote in chariti, with halati ērtymenos, to eidenai how dei you to each one to apokrinesthai.

Grammar Details

• *logos*: nominative, masculine, singular - word/speech
• *pantote*: adverb - always/at all times
• *chariti*: dative, feminine, singular - grace/favor
• *halati*: dative, neuter, singular - salt
• *ērtymenos*: perfect participle, passive, nominative, masculine, singular - seasoned/flavored
• *eidenai*: perfect infinitive, active - to know
• *dei*: present indicative, active, 3rd singular, impersonal - it is necessary
• *apokrinesthai*: present infinitive, middle - to answer/respond

Word Meanings

• *logos*: word/speech/message/utterance
• *pantote*: always/at all times/ever
• *chariti*: grace/favor/kindness/goodwill
• *halati*: salt/wisdom/preservation agent
• *ērtymenos*: seasoned/flavored/prepared
• *eidenai*: to know/understand/recognize
• *apokrinesthai*: to answer/respond/reply

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer each one.

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

• Tyndale Bible (1526/1534)

  Let youre speache be all wayes well favoured and be powdred with salt that ye maye know how to answer every ma.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  Let youre speach be allwaye fauorable, seasoned with salt, that ye maye knowe how to answere euery man.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  Let your speach be gracious alwayes, and powdred with salt, that ye may know how to answere euery man.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  Let your speache be alway in grace, powdered with salt, to knowe howe ye ought to aunswere euery man.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  Let your speech [be] alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  your word always in grace -- with salt being seasoned -- to know how it behoveth you to answer each one.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer each one.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer each one.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  Let your talk be with grace, mixed with salt, so that you may be able to give an answer to everyone.

• World English Bible (2000)

  Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer everyone.

Referenced Verses

• 1 Pet 3:15 : 15 But honor the Lord as holy in your hearts. Always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.
• Eph 4:29 : 29 No foul language should come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear.
• Mark 9:50 : 50 Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? Have salt among yourselves and be at peace with one another.
• Matt 5:13 : 13 You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by people.
• Col 3:16 : 16 Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you, teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.
• Ps 119:46 : 46 I will speak of Your testimonies before kings and not be ashamed.
• Prov 15:7 : 7 The lips of the wise spread knowledge, but the hearts of fools are not upright.
• Prov 25:11-12 : 11 Like golden apples in silver settings is a word spoken at the right time. 12 Like a gold ring or an ornament of fine gold is a wise rebuker to a listening ear.
• Eccl 10:12 : 12 The words of a wise person's mouth bring favor, but the lips of a fool consume him.
• Prov 15:4 : 4 A soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.
• Prov 26:4-5 : 4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will become like him yourself. 5 Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes.
• Prov 16:21-24 : 21 The wise in heart will be called discerning, and pleasant speech increases learning. 22 Understanding is a fountain of life to the one who has it, but the discipline of fools is folly. 23 The heart of the wise makes his mouth prudent, and his lips promote learning. 24 Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
• Prov 22:17-18 : 17 Incline your ear and listen to the words of the wise; apply your heart to my knowledge. 18 For it is pleasant when you keep them within you; they will be ready on your lips all together.
• Prov 10:21 : 21 The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of sense.
• Lev 2:13 : 13 Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings.
• Deut 6:6-7 : 6 These words that I am commanding you today are to be upon your heart. 7 Teach them diligently to your children, and speak of them when you sit in your house, when you walk along the road, when you lie down, and when you get up.
• Deut 11:19 : 19 Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
• 2 Kgs 2:20-22 : 20 Elisha said, 'Bring me a new bowl and put salt in it.' So they brought it to him. 21 Then he went out to the spring and threw the salt into it, saying, 'This is what the LORD says: I have healed this water. Never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive.' 22 And the water has remained pure to this day, according to the word Elisha had spoken.
• 1 Chr 16:24 : 24 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
• Ps 37:30-31 : 30 The mouth of the righteous person utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice. 31 The law of his God is in his heart; his steps will not falter.
• Ps 40:9-9 : 9 I desire to do Your will, my God; Your law is within my heart. 10 I have proclaimed Your righteousness in the great assembly; behold, I will not seal my lips, LORD, You know this.
• Ps 45:2 : 2 My heart overflows with a good theme; I speak my composition to the king. My tongue is like the pen of a skillful writer.
• Ps 66:16 : 16 Come and listen, all who fear God, and I will tell you what He has done for me.
• Ps 71:15-18 : 15 My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds, of your salvation all day long, though I cannot count them all. 16 I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Lord God; I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone. 17 God, you have taught me from my youth, and to this day I declare your wondrous works. 18 Even when I am old and my hair turns gray, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come.
• Ps 71:23-24 : 23 My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to you—I, whom you have redeemed. 24 My tongue will proclaim your righteousness all day long, for those who sought to harm me have been put to shame and confusion.
• Ps 78:3-4 : 3 Things we have heard and known, which our ancestors have told us. 4 We will not hide them from their children, but will tell the next generation the praises of the Lord, His strength, and the wonders He has done.
• Ps 105:2 : 2 Sing to Him, make music for Him, tell of all His wonderful works.
• Ps 119:13 : 13 With my lips I recount all the judgments spoken by Your mouth.
• Mal 3:16-18 : 16 Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord paid attention and listened. A book of remembrance was written before him for those who fear the Lord and honor his name. 17 They will be mine, says the Lord of Hosts, on the day when I act. I will spare them as a father spares his son who serves him. 18 Then you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.
• Matt 12:34-35 : 34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good things when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good person brings out good things from the good treasure of his heart, and the evil person brings out evil things from his evil treasure.
• Luke 4:22 : 22 Everyone spoke well of Him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from His lips. They said, 'Isn’t this Joseph’s son?'
• Luke 20:20-40 : 20 They watched him closely and sent spies who pretended to be sincere, so that they might trap him in something he said and hand him over to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor. 21 So they questioned him, saying, 'Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in truth. 22 Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?' 23 But he perceived their craftiness and said to them, 'Why are you testing me?' 24 Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?' They answered, 'Caesar’s.' 25 He said to them, 'Then give back to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.' 26 They were unable to trap him in his words in front of the people, and amazed at his answer, they became silent. 27 Some of the Sadducees, who deny that there is a resurrection, came to him and questioned him. 28 'Teacher,' they said, 'Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but has no children, the man should marry the widow to raise up offspring for his brother.' 29 Now there were seven brothers. The first married a wife and died childless. 30 Then the second brother married her, but he also died childless. 31 The third married her as well, and in the same way, all seven brothers died, leaving no children. 32 Finally, the woman also died. 33 So in the resurrection, whose wife will she be, since all seven were married to her? 34 Jesus replied to them, 'The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are considered worthy to take part in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. 36 In fact, they can no longer die, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection. 37 Even Moses showed that the dead are raised, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord 'the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' 38 He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for to him all are alive. 39 Some of the scribes replied, 'Teacher, you have spoken well.' 40 And they no longer dared to ask him anything.