Colossians 3:11 (DBY)

Passage

wherein there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondman, freeman; but Christ [is] everything, and in all.

Nearby Context

Colossians 3:9 Do not lie to one another, having put off the old man with his deeds,

Colossians 3:10 and having put on the new, renewed into full knowledge according to [the] image of him that has created him;

Colossians 3:11 wherein there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondman, freeman; but Christ [is] everything, and in all.

Colossians 3:12 Put on therefore, as [the] elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, longsuffering;

Colossians 3:13 forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any should have a complaint against any; even as the Christ has forgiven you, so also [do] *ye*.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "wherein", "greek", "circumcision", "uncircumcision", "barbarian", "scythian", "bondman", and "freeman". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "wherein" and "greek", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "and having put on the new renewed..." into verse 12's "Put on therefore as the elect of...", so "wherein" and "greek" 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 "wherein" and "greek" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.