Colossians 1:17 (YLT)

Passage

and himself is before all, and the all things in him have consisted.

Nearby Context

Colossians 1:15 who is the image of the invisible God, first-born of all creation,

Colossians 1:16 because in him were the all things created, those in the heavens, and those upon the earth, those visible, and those invisible, whether thrones, whether lordships, whether principalities, whether authorities; all things through him, and for him, have been created,

Colossians 1:17 and himself is before all, and the all things in him have consisted.

Colossians 1:18 And himself is the head of the body--the assembly--who is a beginning, a first-born out of the dead, that he might become in all <FI>things<Fi> --himself--first,

Colossians 1:19 because in him it did please all the fulness to tabernacle,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "all things", "himself", "before", and "consisted". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "all things" and "himself", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "because in him were the all things..." into verse 18's "And himself is the head of the...", so "all things" and "himself" 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 "himself" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.