For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

COLOSSIANS 2:9KJV
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Colossians 2:9 (KJV)

What does Colossians 2:9 mean?

Colossians 2:9 says that everything that makes God who He is—His full nature and power—lives in Jesus in a real, physical way. This verse claims that Jesus is not just like God or close to God, but that God’s entire being is present in Him as a human.

Paul is writing to the Christians in Colossae, warning them against teachings that downplay who Jesus is. In this letter, Paul stresses that believers do not need anything beyond Jesus, because He contains all of God’s fullness in Himself. This verse is a key statement about Jesus’ unique identity.

The Greek behind Colossians 2:9

  • θεότης (theotēs, “Godhead”): This word means the very essence or nature of God, not just qualities that are like God. Paul uses it to say that Jesus has the full, complete reality of God, not just a part or an image.
  • σωματικῶς (sōmatikōs, “bodily”): This word means “in bodily form” or “in a physical body.” Paul emphasizes that God’s fullness is not just in Jesus in a spiritual or symbolic way, but in His actual, human body.
  • πλήρωμα (plērōma, “fulness”): This word means “all that fills up” or “the total content.” Paul is saying that nothing of God is missing in Jesus; everything that is true of God is found in Him.

Why Colossians 2:9 matters

  • Colossians 2:9 clears up the idea that Jesus is only partly divine or just a messenger; Paul says Jesus is fully and truly God in human form.
  • This verse is central to Paul’s argument that believers do not need extra spiritual practices or secret knowledge, because everything about God is found in Jesus.
  • Colossians 2:9 connects to the wider passage by showing why Christians can have confidence in Jesus alone, without adding anything else to their faith.

Where else these words appear

“fulness” Greek G4138 · used in 17 verses

  • Matthew 9:16 No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse.
  • Romans 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
  • Galatians 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

“dwelleth” Greek G2730 · used in 43 verses

  • Matthew 2:23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.
  • Acts 7:48 Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,
  • James 4:5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?