Colossians 4:1

Bishops' Bible (1568)

Maisters, do vnto your seruauntes that which is iust & equall, knowyng that ye also haue a maister in heauen.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

¶Οἱ κύριοι, τὸ δίκαιον καὶ τὴν ἰσότητα τοῖς δούλοις παρέχεσθε· εἰδότες ὅτι καὶ ὑμεῖς ἔχετε Κύριον ἐν οὐρανοῖς.

Transliteration

The kyrioi, the dikaion and the isotēta to the doulois parechesthe; eidotes that also you echete Kyrion in ouranois.

Grammar Details

• *kyrioi*: nominative, masculine, plural - masters/lords
• *dikaion*: accusative, neuter, singular - what is just/right
• *isotēta*: accusative, feminine, singular - equality/fairness
• *doulois*: dative, masculine, plural - slaves/servants
• *parechesthe*: present imperative, middle, 2nd plural - provide/grant/offer
• *eidotes*: perfect participle, active, nominative, masculine, plural - knowing
• *echete*: present indicative, active, 2nd plural - you have
• *Kyrion*: accusative, masculine, singular - Lord/Master
• *ouranois*: dative, masculine, plural - heavens

Word Meanings

• *kyrioi*: masters/lords/owners
• *dikaion*: justice/righteousness/what is right
• *isotēta*: equality/fairness/equity/impartiality
• *parechesthe*: grant/provide/supply/furnish
• *Kyrion*: Lord/Master/Owner

Referenced Verses

• Eph 6:8-9 : 8 Knowyng, that whatsoeuer good thyng any man doeth, that shall he receaue agayne of the Lorde, whether he be bonde or free. 9 And ye maisters do the same thynges vnto them, puttyng away threatnyng: knowyng that your maister also is in heauen, neither is respecte of person with hym. 10 Finally my brethren, be strong in the Lorde, & in the power of his might. 11 Put on all the armour of God, that ye may stande agaynst the assaultes of the deuyll. 12 For we wrastle not agaynst blood & flesshe: but agaynst rule, agaynst power, agaynst worldly gouernours of the darknesse of this worlde, agaynst spirituall craftynesse in heauenly places. 13 Wherfore take vnto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to resist in the euyll day, and hauing finished all thynges, to stande fast. 14 Stande therfore, hauyng loynes girt about with the trueth, and puttyng on the brest plate of righteousnesse, 15 And hauyng your feete shodde, in the preparation of the Gospell of peace. 16 Aboue all, takyng the shielde of fayth, wherwith ye may quenche all the fierie dartes of the wicked: 17 And take the helmet of saluation, and the sworde of the spirite, whiche is the worde of God. 18 Praying alwayes in all prayer and supplication in the spirite, and watche thervnto with all instaunce and supplication, for all saintes, 19 And for me, that vtteraunce may be geue vnto me, yt I may open my mouth freely, to vtter ye secretes of the Gospell. 20 Whereof I am messenger in bondes, that therein I may speake freely, as I ought to speake.
• Lev 25:39-43 : 39 If thy brother that dwelleth by thee be waxen poore, and be solde vnto thee, thou shalt not compell hym to serue as a bonde seruaunt: 40 But as an hired seruaunt, and as a soiourner he shalbe with thee, and shall serue thee vnto the yere of Iubilee. 41 And then shall he depart from thee, both he and his children with hym, and shall returne vnto his owne kinred agayne, and vnto the possession of his fathers shall he returne. 42 For they are my seruauntes, which I brought out of the lande of Egypt, and shall not therfore be solde as bondmen. 43 Thou shalt not rule ouer hym cruelly, but shalt feare thy God.
• Matt 24:48-51 : 48 But and yf that euyll seruaunt say in his heart, my Lorde wyll be long a commyng: 49 And so begyn to smyte his felowes, yea, and to eate and drynke with the dronken: 50 The same seruauntes Lorde shall come in a day, when he loketh not for hym, and in an houre that he is not ware of: 51 And shall hewe hym in peeces, & geue hym his portion with hypocrites: there shalbe wepyng and gnasshyng of teeth.
• Luke 16:1-9 : 1 And he sayde also vnto his disciples. There was a certayne riche man, which had a stewarde, and the same was accused vnto hym that he had wasted his goodes. 2 And he called hym, and sayde vnto hym: Howe is it, that I heare this of thee? Geue accomptes of thy stewardeshyppe, for thou mayest be no longer stewarde. 3 The stewarde sayde within hymselfe: What shall I do, for my maister taketh away from me the stewardshyppe? I can not digge, & to begge I am ashamed. 4 I wote what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardshippe, they may receaue me into their houses. 5 So, whe he had called all his maisters detters together, he sayde vnto the first: Howe muche owest thou vnto my maister? 6 And he sayde, an hundreth measures of oyle. And he sayde vnto hym: Take thy byll, and syt downe quickely, and write fiftie. 7 Then sayde he to another: Howe much owest thou? And he sayde, an hundreth measures of wheate. He sayde vnto hym: Take thy byll, and write fourescore. 8 And the Lord commended the vniuste stewarde, because he had done wisely. For the chyldren of this worlde are in their nation, wiser then the chyldren of lyght. 9 And I saye vnto you, make you friends of the vnrighteous Mammo, that when ye shall haue neede, they may receaue you into euerlastyng habitations. 10 He that is faythfull in that which is least, is faythfull also in much. And he that is vnrighteous in the least, is vnrighteous also in much. 11 So then, yf ye haue not ben faythfull in the vnryghteous Mammon, who shall trust you in the true treasure? 12 And yf ye haue not ben faythfull in another mans businesse, who shall geue you that which is your owne? 13 No man can serue two maisters: For either he shall hate the one, and loue the other: or els, he shall leane to the one, and despise the other. Ye can not serue God, and Mammon.
• Luke 19:15 : 15 And it came to passe, that whe he had receaued his kyngdome and returned, he commaunded these seruauntes to be called vnto him, to whom he had geuen the money, to wyt howe muche euery man had done in occupying.
• Lev 19:13 : 13 Thou shalt not do thy neighbour wrong, neither rob hym, neither shall the workmans hyre abyde with thee vntyll the mornyng.
• Deut 15:12-15 : 12 If thy brother an Hebrue sell hym selfe to thee, or an Hebrue woman, and serue thee sixe yeres, in the seuenth yere thou shalt let hym go free from thee. 13 And when thou sendest hym out free from thee, thou shalt not let hym go away emptie: 14 But shalt geue hym of thy sheepe, of thy corne, and of thy wine, and geue hym of that wherwith the Lorde thy God hath blessed thee. 15 And remember that thou wast a seruaunt in the lande of Egypt, and the Lorde thy God deliuered thee thence: and therfore I commaunde thee this thyng to day.
• Deut 24:14-15 : 14 Thou shalt not oppresse an hyred seruaunt that is needie and poore, whether he be of thy brethre, or of the straungers that are in thy lande within thy gates: 15 But shalt geue him his hyre the same day, & let not the sunne go downe theron, for he is needie, and therwith sustayneth his life: lest he crye against thee vnto the Lorde, and it be sinne vnto thee.
• Neh 5:5-9 : 5 And now our fleshe is as the fleshe of our brethren, and our children as their children: and loe we bring into subiection our sonnes and our daughters as seruauntes, and some of our daughters are subdued vnto bondage alredie, and no strength is there in our handes to redeeme them, and other men haue our landes and vineyardes. 6 And when I heard their complaynt and such wordes, it displeased me sore. 7 And I aduised so in my minde, that I rebuked the counsellers and the rulers, and saide vnto them: Euery one of you layeth great burdens vpon his brother. And I brought a great congregation against them, 8 And saide vnto them: We after our habilitie haue redeemed our brethren the Iewes, which were solde vnto the heathen: And wyll you sell your brethre againe, and shall they be solde vnto vs? Then held they their peace, and coulde finde nothing to aunswere. 9 And Nehemia saide, It is not good that ye do: Ought ye not to walke in the feare of our God, because of the rebuke of the heathen that are our enemies? 10 I and my brethren, and my seruauntes, do lende them money and corne: I pray you let vs leaue of this burden. 11 Therefore this same day I pray you see that ye restore them their landes againe, their vineyardes, olyue gardens, and their houses, and remit the hundred parte of the money, of the corne, wine, and oyle that ye haue exacted of them. 12 Then saide they: We wyll restore them againe, & wyll require nothing of them, and wyll do as thou hast spoken. And I called the priestes, and tooke an oth of them that they should do so. 13 And I shooke my lappe and saide: God shake out euery man after the same maner from his house & laboure that maintaineth not this worde, euen thus be he shaken out, and voyde. And all the congregation saide, Amen, and praysed the Lorde: And the people did according to this promise.
• Job 24:11-12 : 11 The poore are fayne to labour in their oyle mylles, yea and to treade in their wyne presses, and yet to suffer thirst. 12 Men out of the citie crye vnto the Lord with sighing, the soules of the slayne also crye out, yet God regardeth not their complaynt.
• Job 31:13-15 : 13 If I euer thought scorne to do right vnto my seruauntes & maydens, when they had any matter against me: 14 When God will sit in iudgement, what shall I do? & when he will visite me, what aunswere shal I geue him? 15 He that fashioned me in my mothers wombe, made he not him also? were we not both shapen a like in our mothers bodies?
• Eccl 5:8 : 8 If thou seest the poore to be oppressed, and wrongfully dealt withall, so that equitie and right of the lawe is wrested in the lande, maruayle not thou at such a thyng: for he that is higher then the hyghest regardeth, and there be hygher then they.
• Jas 2:13 : 13 For he shall haue iudgement without mercie, that sheweth no mercie: And mercie reioyceth agaynst iudgement.
• Jas 5:4 : 4 Beholde, the hire of labourers, which haue reaped downe your fieldes, which hire is of you kept backe by fraude, cryeth: and the cryes of them which haue reaped, are entred into the eares of the Lorde Sabaoth.
• Rev 17:14 : 14 These shall fyght with the lambe, and the lambe shall ouercome them: For he is Lorde of Lordes, and Kyng of Kynges, and they that are on his syde, are called, and chosen, and faythfull.
• Rev 19:16 : 16 And hath on his vesture and on his thygh a name written, King of kinges, and Lorde of lordes.
• Isa 58:5-9 : 5 Thinke ye this fast pleaseth me, that a man shoulde chasten hym selfe for a day? and to hang downe his head like a bulrushe, and to lye vpon the earth in an heerie cloth? Should that be called fasting, or a day that pleaseth the Lord? 6 Doth not this fasting rather please me, That thou lose the wicked bands, that thou take of the ouer heauie burthens, that thou let the oppressed go free, and breake all maner of yoke? 7 To deale thy bread to the hungrie, and to bring the poore wandering home into thy house? when thou seest the naked that thou couer hym, and hide not thy selfe from thy neighbour, and despise not thyne owne fleshe? 8 Then shall thy light breake foorth as the morning, and thy health florishe right shortly: righteousnesse shall go before thee, and the glory of the Lorde shall embrace thee. 9 Then if thou callest, the Lorde shall aunswere thee, if thou cryest, he shall say, here I am: yea if thou layest away from thee thy burthens, and holdest thy fingers, and ceassest from vngracious talking:
• Jer 34:9-9 : 9 So that euery man should let his seruaunt and handmayde go free, Hebrue and Hebruesse, and no Iewe holde his brother as a bondman. 10 Nowe as they had consented, all the princes and all the people whiche had gathered vnto this agreement, that euery man shoulde set at libertie his bondseruaunt and bondwoman, and no longer to holde them bounde: euen so they were obedient, and let them go free. 11 But afterwarde they repented, and toke agayne the seruauntes and handmaydens whom they had let go free, and so made them bonde agayne. 12 For whiche cause, the worde of the Lorde came vnto Ieremie from the Lorde hym selfe, saying: 13 Thus saith the Lorde God of Israel: I made a couenaunt with your fathers when I brought them out of the lande of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, saying: 14 When seuen yeres are out, euery man shall let his bought seruaunt an Hebrue go free, if he haue serued hym sixe yeres: but your fathers obayed me not, and hearkened not vnto me. 15 As for you ye were nowe turned, and dyd right before me, in that ye proclaymed euery man to let his neighbour go free, and in that ye made a couenaunt before me in the temple that beareth my name. 16 But yet ye turned your selues againe, and blasphemed my name, in this, that euery man hath required his seruaunt and handemayde agayne whom ye had let go quite and free, and compelled them to serue you agayne, and to be bondmen and bondwomen. 17 And therfore thus saith the Lord: Ye haue not obayed me, euery man to proclaime freedome vnto his brother and neighbour: wherefore I wyll call you vnto freedome, saith the Lorde, euen vnto the sworde, to the pestilence, and to hunger, and will make you to be plagued in all kyngdomes of the earth.
• Mal 3:5 : 5 And I wyl come neare to you in iudgement, and I wyll be a swyft witnesse against the soothsayers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that wrongfully keepe backe the hirelynges wages, and vexe the widowe and the fatherlesse, and oppresse the straunger, and feare not me, saith the Lorde of hoastes.
• Matt 23:8-9 : 8 But be not ye called Rabbi: For one is your maister, euen Christe, and all ye are brethren. 9 And call no man your father, vpon the earth: for one is your father, which is in heauen.
• Isa 58:3 : 3 Wherefore fast we say they and thou seest it not? we put our liues to straitnesse, and thou regardest it not?