I did a study on this passage yesterday and I wanted to share it with the group.
Colossians 2:9
King James Bible
For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily
Now read the Greek below on the present ongoing meaning of
DWELLS . The bodily dwelling of Deity is permanent not temporary. The Incarnation was PERMANENT.
κατοικεῖ (katoikei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's Greek 2730: To
dwell in, settle in,
be established in (permanently), inhabit. From kata and oikeo;
to house permanently, i.e. Reside.
8.2 σωματικός,
ή,
όν;
σωματικῶςa: (derivatives of σῶμαa ‘body,’ 8.1) pertaining to
a physical body—‘bodily, physical, bodily form.’
[1] Louw Nida
Expositor's Greek Testament
Colossians 2:9. in Him and in Him alone.—κατοικεῖ: “
permanently dwells”. The reference is to the Exalted State, not only
on account of the present, but of the context and Paul’s Christology generally.—πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα τῆς θεότητος: “all the fulness of the Godhead”. πᾶν is emphatic, the whole fulness dwells in Christ.
Body
sōmatikṓs (an adverb, derived from
4984 /sōmatikós which is an adjective derived from
4983 /sṓma, "body") –
bodily(used only in Col 2:9)Loew & Nida Greek Lexicon
Never once in the NT is soma ever used of something nonphysical or immaterial .
Paul is talking in Col chapters 2-3 about the glorified resurrected Christ now seated at the right hand of God not the earthly Christ pre resurrection. This is a slam dunk that He is in a human glorified resurrection body and that He continues to have all the fullness of Deity dwelling bodily in the present.
Bodily (σωματικῶς) In bodily fashion or bodily-wise. The verse contains two distinct assertions: 1. That the fullness of the Godhead eternally dwells in Christ. The present tense κατοικεῖ dwelleth, is used like ἐστιν is (the image),
Colossians 1:15, to denote an eternal and essential characteristic of Christ's being. The indwelling of the divine fullness in Him is characteristic of Him as Christ, from all ages and to all ages. Hence the fullness of the Godhead dwelt in Him before His incarnation, when He was "in the form of God" (
Philippians 2:6). The Word in the beginning, was with God and was God (
John 1:1). It dwelt in Him during His incarnation. It was the Word that became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth, and His glory which was beheld was the glory as of the Only begotten of the Father (
John 1:14; compare
1 John 1:1-3).
The fullness of the Godhead dwells in His glorified humanity in heaven.
2. The fullness of the Godhead dwells in Him in a bodily way, clothed the body. This means that it dwells in Him as one having a human body. This could not be true of His preincarnate state, when He was "in the form of God," for the human body was taken on by Him in the fullness of time, when "He became in the likeness of men" (
Philippians 2:7), when the Word became flesh. The fullness of the Godhead dwelt in His person from His birth to His ascension.
He carried His human body with Him into heaven, and in His glorified body now and ever dwells the fullness of the Godhead. Vincent Greek Word Studies
(2:9) Commenting on the contents of this verse, Lightfoot says; “The apostle justifies the foregoing charge that the doctrine was not according to Christ: ‘In Christ dwells the whole plērōma (πληρωμα) (fulness, plenitude), the entire fulness of the Godhead, whereas they represent it to you as dispersed among several spiritual agencies. Christ is the fountain-head of all spiritual life, whereas they teach you to seek it in communion with inferior creatures.’ ”
“Dwelleth” is
katoikei (κατοικει).
Oikeō (Ὀικεω) means “to be at home.”
Kata (Κατα), prefixed, means “down,”
thus showing permanence. The compound verb was used of the permanent residents of a town as compared with the transient community. The verb is in the present tense, showing durative action. The translation reads: “Because in Him there is
continuously and permanently at home all the fulness of the Godhead in bodily fashion.”
hope this helps !!!
