SEV Biblia, Chapter 3:14
Y sobre todas estas cosas vestíos de caridad, la cual es el vínculo de la perfección.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Colossians 3:14
Verse 14. And above all these things] epi pasi de toutoiv? Upon all, over all; as the outer garment envelopes all the clothing, so let charity or love invest and encompass all the rest. Even bowels of mercy are to be set in motion by love; from love they derive all their feeling, and all their power and promptitude to action. Let this, therefore, be as the upper garment; the surtout that invests the whole man. Which is the bond of perfectness.] Love to God and man is not only to cover all, but also to unite and consolidate the whole. It is therefore represented here under the notion of a girdle, by which all the rest of the clothing is bound close about the body. To love God with all the heart, soul, mind, and strength, and one's neighbour as one's self, is the perfection which the new covenant requires, and which the grace and Spirit of Christ work in every sincerely obedient, humble believer; and that very love, which is the fulfilling of the law and the perfection itself which the Gospel requires, is also the bond of that perfection. It is by love to God and man that love is to be preserved. Love begets love; and the more a man loves God and his neighbour, the more he is enabled to do so. Love, while properly exercised, is ever increasing and reproducing itself.
Instead of teleiothtov, perfection, several reputable MSS., with the Itala, read enothtov, unity; but the former is doubtless the genuine reading.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 14. And above all these things , etc.] Bowels of mercies, kindness, etc. put on charity , or brotherly love, for without this all is nothing; they will only be done in show and appearance, in mere guise and hypocrisy, if love is wanting; this actuates and exercises all the rest; it is only from this principle that true sympathy, real kindness, undisguised humility, and meekness, patient longsuffering, and forbearance, and hearty forgiveness proceeds: this is greater, and more excellent, than all the other, and adds a glory, lustre, and beauty to them; this is the upper garment that covers all the rest, for so the words may be rendered, “upon all these things put on charity”; whereby a disciple of Christ is visible, and distinguished, and is known to be what he is; this is like a strait and upper garment, keeps close all that is under it, and within it: and it is called the bond of perfectness ; either of the law, and the duties of religion, which it is said to be the fulfilling of; or rather of the saints, for this is the bond of union between them, which knits and cements them together, so that they are perfectly joined together, and are of one mind and one heart: it is the bond of peace among them, of perfect unity and brotherly love; and a most beautiful and pleasant thing it is for brethren to live and dwell together in unity; such are beautiful as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem among themselves, and terrible to their enemies as an army with banners, being not to be divided or broken by them. The Claromontane exemplar reads, “the bond of unity”.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 12-17 - We must not only do no hurt to any, but do what good we can to all Those who are the elect of God, holy and beloved, ought to be lowly an compassionate towards all. While in this world, where there is so muc corruption in our hearts, quarrels will sometimes arise. But it is ou duty to forgive one another, imitating the forgiveness through which we are saved. Let the peace of God rule in your hearts; it is of his working in all who are his. Thanksgiving to God, helps to make u agreeable to all men. The gospel is the word of Christ. Many have the word, but it dwells in them poorly; it has no power over them. The sou prospers, when we are full of the Scriptures and of the grace of Christ. But when we sing psalms, we must be affected with what we sing Whatever we are employed about, let us do every thing in the name of the Lord Jesus, and in believing dependence on him. Those who do all in Christ's name, will never want matter of thanksgiving to God, even the Father.
Greek Textus Receptus
επι 1909 πασιν 3956 δε 1161 τουτοις 5125 την 3588 αγαπην 26 ητις 3748 εστιν 2076 5748 συνδεσμος 4886 της 3588 τελειοτητος 5047
Vincent's NT Word Studies
14. Above all (ejpi pasin). According to the metaphor of the garment. Over all, like an upper garment, put on, etc.
Charity. See on 1 Cor. xiii. 1.
Bond of perfectness (sundesmov thv teleiothtov). Love embraces and knits together all the virtues. Teleiothv perfectness is a collective idea, a result of combination, to which bond is appropriate. Compare Plato: "But two things cannot be held together without a third; they must have some bond of union. And the fairest bond is that which most completely fuses and is fused into the things which are bound" ("Timaeus," 31).
Robertson's NT Word Studies
3:14 {And above all these things} (epi pasin de toutois). "And upon all these things." {Put on love} (ten agapen). See #Lu 3:20. The verb has to be supplied (endusasqe) from verse #12 as the accusative case agapen shows. {Which is} (ho estin). Neuter singular of the relative and not feminine like agape (the antecedent) nor masculine like sundesmos in the predicate. However, there are similar examples of ho estin in the sense of _quod est_ (_id est_), "that is," in #Mr 14:42; 15:42, without agreement in gender and number. So also #Eph 5:5 where ho estin = "which thing." {The bond of perfectness} (sundesmos tes teleiotetos). See #2:19 for sundesmos. Here it is apparently the girdle that holds the various garments together. The genitive (teleiotetos) is probably that of apposition with the girdle of love. In a succinct way Paul has here put the idea about love set forth so wonderfully in #1Co 13.
