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Colossians 1:2


Footnote:

1

Κολοσσαῖς is plural, feminine.

The term Κολοσσαῖς, originally denoting the inhabitants of the ancient city of Colossae in Phrygia (modern Honaz), derives from the root κολοσσ-, which conveys notions of vastness and grandeur (cf. κολοσσικός, “colossal,” and related adjectives). This semantic connection allows a poetic extension of Κολοσσαῖς beyond its geographic reference to mean “the colossal ones,” a figurative or creative usage reflecting immense size or importance. Such an interpretation aligns with ancient Greek tendencies to transform ethnonyms or toponyms into metaphorical epithets.