Colossians 4:18

The salutation by the hand of me Paul,.... After his amanuensis had finished the epistle, he added his usual salutation to it with his own hand, to prevent all counterfeits and impositions, and that

The salutation by the hand of me Paul. Remember my bonds. Grace be with Paul's autograph salutation (so 1 Corinthians 16:21; note, Galatians 6:11 : cf.

The salutation by the hand of me Paul: the apostle having them on his heart, and here (as elsewhere) likely having used an amanuensis to pen the body of his Epistle, to prevent fraud and forgery he doth subscribe his salutation and apostolical benediction with his own hand, which was well known, 3:17 . Remember my bonds; importuning them to be very mindful of his imprisonment in their prayers, , imitating his constancy and patience if called to suffer; see ; his sufferings being an excellent seal to the truth of his gospel, and his ardent affection to them and other Gentiles, for whose sake he was in bonds. Grace be with you; then earnestly praying that the special grace and favour of God the Father in the Lord Jesus Christ might be ever present with them: see ,24 Philippians 4:23. In testimony of the reality of his desire, and assurance to be heard, he concludes (as elsewhere) with Amen. (Written from Rome to the Colossians by Tychicus and Onesimus.)

18 The salutation by the hand of me Paul. Remember my bonds. Grace be with you. Amen. Written from Rome to Colossians by Tychicus and Onesimus. Ver. 18. Remember my bonds] To pray for me, and minister to me, &c. This he here inserteth as his last charge, that they may the better remember and practise it. Something we should leave with those we love that may stick by them, and stand them instead when we are gone or have done with them.

(18) The salutation by the hand of me Paul.—Comp. 2 Thessalonians 3:17, “The salutation by the hand of me Paul, which is the token in every Epistle.” This invariable autograph salutation was “Grace be with you” in various forms, from the brevity of the text here to the fulness of 2 Corinthians 1:2, which has become the universal Christian blessing. In different epistles it is associated with different phrases of blessing; or charge. Thus we read in 1 Corinthians 16:22, “If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema.” In the Epistle to the Galatians the autograph conclusion is expanded into a long postscript (Galatians 6:11-18). This may have been the case in the cognate conclusion (2 Corinthians 10-13) of the Second Epistle to the Corinthians, possibly from the words, “Now I Paul myself,” &c. Here there is the simple and touching addition— Remember my bonds.—In what spirit they were to be remembered we may gather from Ephesians 3:13; Ephesians 6:20; Philippians 1:13; Philippians 2:17. St. Paul evidently does not disdain to use his captivity as an appeal for sympathy (see Philemon 1:9); but mainly he dwells on it as a “glory” both to himself and to his converts. In both these different aspects it may be that he regarded it himself, according as he looked upon it “after the flesh” in the natural feeling of humanity, or “after the spirit,” in the higher power of the grace of God.

Verse 18. The salutation by the hand of me Paul.] The preceding part of the epistle was written by a scribe, from the mouth of the apostle: this, and what follows, was written by the hand of St. Paul himself. A similar distinction we find, 1 Corinthians 16:21, and in 2 Thessalonians 3:17; and this, it seems, was the means by which the apostle authenticated every epistle which he sent to the different Churches. The salutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle, so I write. Remember my bonds] See what proof ye have of the truth of the Gospel; I am in bonds on this account; I suffer patiently, yea, exult in the Lord Jesus, so perfectly am I upheld by the grace of the Gospel. Remember my bonds, and take courage. How eloquent were these concluding words! That such a man should be in bonds for the Gospel, was the fullest proof of the truth of the Gospel. A cunningly devised fable could not have imposed on Saul of Tarsus; he was fully satisfied of the truth of the doctrines of Christianity; he proclaimed them as truths from heaven; and for their sake cheerfully suffered the loss of all things. The bonds of such a man are a plenary proof of the truth of the doctrines for which he was bound. Grace be with you.] May you still possess the favour and blessing of our Lord Jesus Christ: the apostle ends, as he began, this epistle. Without the grace of Christ they could not have become a Church; without this grace they could not continue to be one. Amen] This is omitted by the most ancient and correct MSS. The subscriptions, as usual, are various and uncertain: - The common GREEK text has, To the Colossians, written from Rome by Tychicus and Onesimus. The Epistle to the Colossians; written at Rome, and sent by the hand of Tychicus. SYRIAC. To the Colossians. AETHIOPIC. In the Vulgate there is no subscription. The end of the epistle; and it was written from Rome, and sent by the hand of Tychicus and Onesimus. Praise be to God for ever and ever; and may his mercy be upon us. Amen. ARABIC. Written from Athens by Tychicus, and Onesimus, and Mark, his disciples. COPTIC. The MSS. are not less various than the versions: To the Colossians. - That to the Colossians is completed; that to the Philippians begins. - That to the Colossians is finished; the First Epistle to the Thessalonians begins. - To the Colossians, from Rome. - Written to the Colossians from Rome. - Written from Rome by Tychicus, and Timotheus, and Onesimus. - Written by Paul and Timothy, and sent by Tychicus, and Onesimus. That the epistle was written from Rome there is little cause to doubt: that Timothy might be the scribe is very probable, because it appears he was at Rome with the apostle in the same year in which this epistle was written. See Philippians 2:19.

18. Farewell18. The salutation by the hand of me Paul] Here he takes the pen from the amanuensis (see Romans 16:22), and writes the final words in autograph.—In 2 Thessalonians 3:17 (“so I write”) this is evidently done to warrant the authenticity of the letter. And see another reason, Philemon 1:19. But obviously it might be done habitually at the close of Epistles, for reasons only of care and affection; they would always value “his own hand.”—The “script” of St Paul seems to have been large and laboured; see Galatians 6:11; where render “in what large letters I have written.” (He seems to have written that Epistle all in autograph.)Remember my bonds] The chain would drag and rattle as he took the pen. See note on Colossians 4:3 above.Their “remembrance” would be shewn in love, in intercession, and above all in fidelity to the Gospel for which their Apostle rejoiced to suffer.Grace be with you] This short benediction occurs elsewhere only at the close of 1 Tim., 2 Tim. As Lightfoot suggests, the more definite and developed phraseology, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christy, &c.,” might in these later days of St Paul’s ministry “pass without saying.”On the meaning of “grace,” see note on Colossians 1:2 above.Amen] The evidence for omission here is considerable. See our note on Ephesians 6:24.The SubscriptionWritten &c.] Lit., To the Colossians it was written from Rome, by means of Tychicus and Onesimus. So in the Textus Receptus. Of other forms some omit “To the Colossians”; some add, at the end, “and Timotheus.” In our oldest mss. the form is the same as that of the Title (see note there): To (the) Colossians, or Colassians.The Subscriptions (to St Paul’s Epistles), in their longer form (as in the A.V.) are ascribed to Euthalius, a bishop of the fifth century, and thus to a date later than the earliest extant mss. (See Scrivener, Introd. to the Criticism of the N.T., ed. 1883, p. 62.)The Subscription here is obviously true to fact, as are those appended to Rom., Eph., Phil., Philem., 2 Tim. Other Subscriptions are either (1 Cor., Gal., 1 Tim.) contradictory to the contents of the respective Epistles, or (Thess., Tit.) difficult to reconcile with them.In philanthropy as in science there are three stages—the prelude, the epoch, and the sequel. The prelude is a period of aspiration, and half-blind guesses. The epoch brings the expression of the truth to its highest point. In the sequel, the principle, once fixed in words, is extended and developed in practice. It would be no difficult task to apply the analogy to the influence of Christianity on slavery. As far as the Epistle to Philemon is concerned, the epoch has come.Bp Alexander, in The Speaker’s Commentary.We are all the Lord’s Onesimi.Luther.

The salutation by the hand of me Paul - Probably the rest of the Epistle was written by an amanuensis.

18. The hand of me Paul—Thus far an amanuensis had written at his dictation.