Continuing the thought of what baptism represents, Paul refers to the fact that his readers had been spiritually dead, clearly the meaning of the Greek “dead” (Revised Standard Version). In some languages, it may be best to speak of “being dead” as a simile, for example, “being dead, as it were” or even “just like dead.” More often, however, it is helpful to employ a qualifying expression, for example, “dead in your spirits.” In certain instances one can also use “dead toward God” or “dead as far as God is concerned,” with the meaning of dead in relationship to God.
This spiritual death had been caused (or was characterized) by two circumstances, says Paul: your sins and the fact that you were Gentiles without the Law. The Greek word for sins is one which stresses the willful act of disobeying God’s law, but in translating this term for “sins,” it is not necessary to look for an expression different from the one used in 1.14 (where another Greek word is used).
The phrase because of your sins can best be expressed in most languages as “because you customarily sinned.” It is normally necessary to indicate either by the word chosen for “sin” or by means of some expression of aspect that it was a characteristic of the person to sin, not merely the fact of having committed a particular sin or series of sins.
Gentiles means literally “the uncircumcision of your flesh” (Revised Standard Version). For the Jews the rite of circumcision was the sign that they were God’s people, bound to him by the covenant and governed by the Law of Moses, obedience to which insured their continued status as the chosen people. Translations have handled this phrase in a number of ways: Biblia Dios Habla Hoy Barclay “you were uncircumcised,” Bible en français courant “you were uncircumcised, you were pagans,” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “you had sinned and had not yet been circumcised by Christ,” (which could be misunderstood, if read out of context), Translator’s New Testament “because, as Gentiles, you had never been circumcised,” Barclay “uncircumcised strangers to God,” New English Bible “morally uncircumcised.” In order to render the term Gentiles, a number of translators have transliterated the expression, but this usually does not prove to be satisfactory. Some have employed a phrase such as “other peoples” or “the nations,” but too often this is understood only in a local sense and refers only to people of different nearby languages or tribes. Increasingly, the most common way of rendering Gentiles is to talk about “non-Jews.” This generally provides the best setting for a satisfactory understanding of the term. Any attempt to designate Gentiles as those who are “uncircumcised” may run into serious complications in a number of languages since the “uncircumcised” would by no means include all non-Jews, especially in those areas of the world where circumcision is rather widely practiced. The only way in which one might approximate the New English Bible “morally uncircumcised” would be to speak of “being, as it were, uncircumcised as far as your hearts are concerned,” but such an expression would involve such a radically mixed metaphor as to result in considerable misunderstanding.
The phrase without the Law must often be expressed as a relative clause, for example, “who do not have the Law” and in this context, as well as in many others, it may be necessary to speak of “the Law of Moses” or “the Law given by God through Moses.” It is important to avoid an expression which would specify law in general or traditional customs, since in this context the reference is to the Law of the OT.
Having referred to their previous condition with a participial clause (ontas), Paul now describes the central fact of their new life with the principal verb “he made (you) alive together (with him).” This verb (sunzoōpoieō) is found only here and Eph 2.5; the simple “to make alive” is used by Paul in Rom 8.11; 1 Cor 15.22, 36, 45; 2 Cor 3.6; Gal 3.21 (also John 5.21; 6.63; 1 Peter 3.18). For a discussion of the basic problems involved in God has now brought you to life with Christ see the comments under verse 12 for the clause you were also raised with Christ.
God forgave is in Greek an aorist participial clause, stating either the means by which God makes them alive or what he did at the same time that he made them alive. This latter interpretation is Beare’s view, who classifies it as “the aorist of coincidental action.” The Greek verb for “forgive” (charizomai) is used also in 3.13. In the biblical sense, forgiveness has to do primarily with God’s restoration of the relationship between himself and man which has been broken by man’s sin. It does not mean, or imply, the suspension of sin’s consequences, which are seen as divine punishment. Us here includes all Christians. Later Greek manuscripts have “you,” a change made to agree with the preceding “you” (see King James Version).
Some languages make a very clear distinction between sin as an active event and the guilt which results from such evil actions. What is forgiven is the actual guilt, and such a term may need to be added to words for forgive which mean literally “to wipe away,” or “to rub out,” or “to turn one’s back on.” For God does not wipe out the event, but he does eliminate the burden of guilt and thus restores man to fellowship with himself.
Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Colossians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1977. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .