Colossians 1:20 (DBY)

Passage

and by him to reconcile all things to itself, having made peace by the blood of his cross by him, whether the things on the earth or the things in the heavens.

Nearby Context

Colossians 1:18 And *he* is the head of the body, the assembly; who is [the] beginning, firstborn from among the dead, that *he* might have the first place in all things:

Colossians 1:19 for in him all the fulness [of the Godhead] was pleased to dwell,

Colossians 1:20 and by him to reconcile all things to itself, having made peace by the blood of his cross by him, whether the things on the earth or the things in the heavens.

Colossians 1:21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in mind by wicked works, yet now has it reconciled

Colossians 1:22 in the body of his flesh through death; to present you holy and unblamable and irreproachable before it,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "all things", "reconcile", "having", "peace", "blood", "cross", and "whether". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "all things" and "reconcile", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "for in him all the fulness of..." into verse 21's "And you who once were alienated and...", so "all things" and "reconcile" belong inside that flow. In Colossians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "all things" and "reconcile" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.