Colossians 1:18

And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and firstborn from among the dead, so that in all things He may have preeminence.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Paul writes to the church in Colossae, mid-hymn (1:15–20), asserting Christ's supremacy against a teaching that subordinated him to created beings.

The words — κεφαλή (kephalē, "head") carries the sense of source and governing authority, not merely a title; σῶμα (sōma, "body") is the same word used for a physical body, making the church a living organism rather than an institution.

The thread — Ephesians 1:22 and 4:15 repeat the head-body language; Revelation 1:5 echoes "firstborn from the dead" in a resurrection context.

Why it lands — The verse leaves no domain of life where Christ's preeminence is optional; a reader must account for every area where they have quietly installed a rival head.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Greek words

King James Version

And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

Cross-references

Ephesians 1:22 And God put everything under His feet and made Him head over everything for the church,
Revelation 1:5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has released us from our sins by His blood,
Ephesians 4:15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ Himself, who is the head.
1 Corinthians 15:20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Matthew 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.
Acts 26:23 that the Christ would suffer, and as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to our people and to the Gentiles.”
Psalms 89:27 I will indeed appoint him as My firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.
1 Corinthians 11:3 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.
John 11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies.
Ephesians 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, His body, of which He is the Savior.