Colossians 4:1

Geneva Bible (1560)

Ye masters, doe vnto your seruants, that which is iust, and equall, knowing that ye also haue a master 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 And knowe ye that whatsoeuer good thing any man doeth, that same shall he receiue of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. 9 And ye masters, doe the same things vnto them, putting away threatning: and know that euen your master also is in heauen, neither is there respect of person with him. 10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the assaultes of the deuil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, and against the worldly gouernours, the princes of the darkenesse of this worlde, against spirituall wickednesses, which are in ye hie places. 13 For this cause take vnto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to resist in the euill day, and hauing finished all things, stand fast. 14 Stand therefore, and your loynes girded about with veritie, and hauing on the brest plate of righteousnesse, 15 And your feete shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace. 16 Aboue all, take the shielde of faith, wherewith ye may quench all the fierie dartes of the wicked, 17 And take the helmet of saluation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the worde of God. 18 And pray alwayes with all maner prayer and supplication in the Spirit: and watch thereunto with all perseuerance & supplication for al Saints, 19 And for me, that vtterance may be giuen vnto me, that I may open my mouth boldly to publish the secret of the Gospel, 20 Whereof I am the ambassadour in bonds, that therein I may speake boldely, as I ought to speake.
• Lev 25:39-43 : 39 If thy brother also that dwelleth by thee, be impouerished, and be sold vnto thee, thou shalt not compel him to serue as a bond seruant, 40 But as an hired seruant, and as a soiourner he shalbe with thee: he shall serue thee vnto the yeere of the Iubile. 41 Then shall he depart from thee, both hee, and his children with him, and shall returne vnto his familie, and vnto the possession of his fathers shall he returne: 42 For they are my seruants, whom I brought out of the lande of Egypt: they shall not be solde as bondmen are solde. 43 Thou shalt not rule ouer him cruelly, but shalt feare thy God.
• Matt 24:48-51 : 48 But if that euil seruant shal say in his heart, My master doth deferre his comming, 49 And begin to smite his fellowes, & to eate, and to drinke with the drunken, 50 That seruaunts master will come in a day, when he looketh not for him, and in an houre that he is not ware of, 51 And will cut him off, & giue him his portion with hypocrites: there shalbe weeping, and gnashing of teeth.
• Luke 16:1-9 : 1 And he sayde also vnto his disciples, There was a certaine riche man, which had a stewarde, and he was accused vnto him, that he wasted his goods. 2 And hee called him, and saide vnto him, Howe is it that I heare this of thee? Giue an accounts of thy stewardship: for thou maiest be no longer steward. 3 Then the stewarde saide within himselfe, What shall I doe? for my master taketh away from me the stewardship. I cannot digge, and to begge I am ashamed. 4 I knowe what I will doe, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receiue mee into their houses. 5 Then called he vnto him euery one of his masters detters, & said vnto the first, Howe much owest thou vnto my master? 6 And he said, An hudreth measures of oyle; he saide to him, Take thy writing, and sitte downe quickely, and write fiftie. 7 Then said he to another, How much owest thou? And hee sayde, An hundreth measures of wheate. Then he saide to him, Take thy writing, and write foure score. 8 And the Lorde commended the vniust stewarde, because he had done wisely. Wherefore the children of this worlde are in their generation wiser then the children of light. 9 And I say vnto you, Make you friends with the riches of iniquitie, that when ye shal want, they may receiue you into euerlasting habitations. 10 He that is faithfull in the least, hee is also faithful in much: and he that is vniust in the least, is vniust also in much. 11 If then ye haue not ben faithful in the wicked riches, who wil trust you in the true treasure? 12 And if ye haue not bene faithfull in another mans goods, who shall giue you that which is yours? 13 No seruaunt can serue two masters: for either he shal hate the one, and loue the other: or els he shal leane to the one, and despise the other. Yee can not serue God and riches.
• Luke 19:15 : 15 And it came to passe, when hee was come againe, and had receiued his kingdome, that he commanded the seruants to be called to him, to whome he gaue his money, that he might knowe what euery man had gained.
• Lev 19:13 : 13 Thou shalt not do thy neighbour wrong, neither rob him. The workemans hire shal not abide with thee vntil the morning.
• Deut 15:12-15 : 12 If thy brother an Ebrewe sell himselfe to thee, or an Ebrewesse, and serue thee sixe yeere, euen in the seuenth yeere thou shalt let him goe free from thee: 13 And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him goe away emptie, 14 But shalt giue him a liberall reward of thy sheepe, and of thy corne, and of thy wine: thou shalt giue him of that wherewith the Lorde thy God hath blessed thee. 15 And remember that thou wast a seruant in the land of Egypt, & the Lord thy God deliuered thee: therefore I command thee this thing to day.
• Deut 24:14-15 : 14 Thou shalt not oppresse an hyred seruant that is needie and poore, neyther of thy brethren, nor of the stranger that is in thy land within thy gates. 15 Thou shalt giue him his hire for his day, neither shall the sunne goe downe vpon it: for he is poore, and therewith susteineth his life: lest he crye against thee vnto the Lorde, and it be sinne vnto thee.
• Neh 5:5-9 : 5 And nowe our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, and our sonnes as their sonnes: and lo, we bring into subiection our sonnes and our daughters, as seruants, and there be of our daughters nowe in subiection, and there is no power in our handes: for other men haue our landes and our vineyardes. 6 Then was I very angrie when I heard their crie and these wordes. 7 And I thought in my minde, and I rebuked the princes, and the rulers, and saide vnto them, You lay burthens euery one vpon his brethren: and I set a great assemblie against them, 8 And I said vnto them, We (according to our abilitie) haue redeemed our brethren the Iewes, which were solde vnto the heathen: and will you sell your brethren againe, or shall they be solde vnto vs? Then helde they their peace, and could not answere. 9 I said also, That which ye do, is not good. Ought ye not to walke in the feare of our God, for the reproche of the heathen our enemies? 10 For euen I, my brethren, and my seruants doe lende them money and corne: I pray you, let vs leaue off this burden. 11 Restore, I pray you, vnto them this day their landes, their vineyardes, their oliues, & their houses, and remit the hundreth part of the siluer and of the corne, of the wine, and of the oyle that ye exact of them. 12 Then said they, We will restore it, and will not require it of them: we will doe as thou hast said. Then I called the Priestes, and caused them to sweare, that they shoulde doe according to this promes. 13 So I shooke my lappe, and said, So let God shake out euery man that wil not perfourme this promise from his house, & from his labour: euen thus let him be shaken out, & emptied; all the Cogregation said, Amen, & praised the Lord: and the people did according to this promes.
• Job 24:11-12 : 11 They that make oyle betweene their walles, and treade their wine presses, suffer thirst. 12 Men cry out of the citie, and the soules of the slayne cry out: yet God doth not charge them with follie.
• Job 31:13-15 : 13 If I did contemne the iudgement of my seruant, and of my mayde, when they did contend with me, 14 What then shal I do when God standeth vp? & when he shal visit me, what shal I answere? 15 He that hath made me in the wombe, hath he not made him? hath not he alone facioned vs in the wombe?
• Eccl 5:8 : 8 (5:7) If in a countrey thou seest the oppression of the poore, and the defrauding of iudgement and iustice, be not astonied at the matter: for hee that is higher then the highest, regardeth, and there be higher then they.
• Jas 2:13 : 13 For there shalbe condemnation merciles to him that sheweth not mercie, and mercie reioyceth against condemnation.
• Jas 5:4 : 4 Behold, the hire of ye labourers, which haue reaped your fieldes (which is of you kept backe by fraude) cryeth, and the cryes of them which haue reaped, are entred into the eares of the Lord of hostes.
• Rev 17:14 : 14 These shall fight with the Lambe, and the Lambe shall ouercome them: for he is Lorde of Lordes, and King of Kings: and they that are on his side, called, and chosen, and faithfull.
• Rev 19:16 : 16 And he hath vpon his garment, and vpon his thigh a name written, The King of Kings, and Lord of Lordes.
• Isa 58:5-9 : 5 Is it such a fast that I haue chosen, that a man should afflict his soule for a day, and to bowe downe his head, as a bull rush, and to lie downe in sackecloth and ashes? wilt thou call this a fasting, or an acceptable day to the Lord? 6 Is not this the fasting, that I haue chosen, to loose the bandes of wickednes, to take off the heauie burdens, and to let the oppressed goe free, and that ye breake euery yoke? 7 Is it not to deale thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poore that wander, vnto thine house? when thou seest the naked, that thou couer him, and hide not thy selfe from thine owne flesh? 8 Then shall thy light breake foorth as the morning, and thine health shal grow speedily: thy righteousnes shall goe before thee, and the glorie of the Lord shall embrace thee. 9 Then shalt thou call, and the Lorde shall answere: thou shalt cry and hee shall say, Here I am: if thou take away from the mids of thee the yoke, the putting foorth of the finger, and wicked speaking:
• Jer 34:9-9 : 9 That euery man should let his seruant go free, and euery man his handmayde, which was an Ebrue or an Ebruesse, and that none should serue himselfe of them, to wit, of a Iewe his brother. 10 Now when all the princes, and all the people which had agreed to the couenant, heard that euery one should let his seruant go free, & euery one his handmaide, and that none should serue them selues of them any more, they obeyed and let them go. 11 But afterwarde they repented and caused the seruants and the handmayds, whom they had let go free, to returne, and helde them in subiection as seruants and handmayds. 12 Therefore the worde of the Lorde came vnto Ieremiah from the Lord, saying, 13 Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I made a couenant with your fathers, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of seruants, saying, 14 At the terme of seuen yeres let ye go, euery man his brother an Ebrewe which hath bene solde vnto thee: and when he hath serued the sixe yeres, thou shalt let him go free fro thee: but your fathers obeyed me not, neither inclined their eares. 15 And ye were nowe turned, and had done right in my sight in proclayming libertie, euery man to his neighbour, and ye had made a couenant before mee in the house, whereupon my Name is called. 16 But ye repented, and polluted my Name: for ye haue caused euery man his seruant, and euery man his handmayde, whom ye had set at libertie at their pleasure, to returne, and holde them in subiection to bee vnto you as seruantes and as handmaydes. 17 Therefore thus saith the Lord, Ye haue not obeyed mee, in proclayming freedome euery man to his brother, and euery man to his neighbour: beholde, I proclaime a libertie for you, saith the Lorde, to the sworde, to the pestilence, and to the famine, and I will make you a terrour to all the kingdomes of the earth.
• Mal 3:5 : 5 And I will come neere to you to iudgement, and I will be a swift witnesse against the southsayers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that wrongfully keepe backe the hirelings wages, and vexe the widowe, and the fatherlesse, and oppresse the stranger, and feare not me, sayth the Lord of hostes.
• Matt 23:8-9 : 8 But be not ye called, Rabbi: for one is your doctour, to wit, Christ, and all ye are brethren. 9 And call no man your father vpon the earth: for there is but one, your father which is in heauen.
• Isa 58:3 : 3 Wherefore haue we fasted, and thou seest it not? we haue punished our selues, and thou regardest it not. Beholde, in the day of your fast you will seeke your will, and require all your dettes.