I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know about us, and that he may encourage your hearts.
Parallel translations
- WEB I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that he may know your circumstances and comfort your hearts,
- KJV Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that he might know your estate, and comfort your hearts;
- NKJV I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that he may know your circumstances and comfort your hearts,
- NASB For I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts;
- NLT I have sent him to you for this very purpose—to let you know how we are doing and to encourage you.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Paul is sending Tychicus specifically to inform the Colossians about his circumstances and to encourage them. It matters because Paul's concern was to comfort and strengthen the believers, not merely to relay information.
Overview
Paul explains his purpose in sending Tychicus: to share news and, importantly, to 'comfort your hearts.' Even while imprisoned, Paul's chief aim is the encouragement of the churches. This pastoral care reflects the heart of Christ, who comforts and strengthens his people through fellow believers.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Eph 6:22I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know about us, and that he may encourage your hearts.
- Col 2:2that they may be encouraged in heart, knit together in love, and filled with the full riches of complete understanding, so that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ,
- 1 Th 5:11Therefore encourage and build one another up, just as you are already doing.
- 2 Th 2:17encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good word and deed.
- 1 Th 4:18Therefore encourage one another with these words.
- 1 Th 3:2We sent Timothy, our brother and fellow worker for God in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith,
- 2 Cor 12:18I urged Titus to visit you, and I sent our brother with him. Did Titus exploit you in any way? Did we not walk in the same Spirit and follow in the same footsteps?
- Phil 2:28Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may rejoice, and I may be less anxious.
- 1 Th 2:11For you know that we treated each of you as a father treats his own children—
- 2 Cor 1:4who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
- 2 Cor 2:7So instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.
- 1 Th 3:5For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter had somehow tempted you and caused our labor to be in vain.
- Isa 40:1“Comfort, comfort My people,” says your God.
- 1 Cor 4:17That is why I have sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which is exactly what I teach everywhere in every church.
- Isa 61:2–3to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of our God’s vengeance, to comfort all who mourn,
- 1 Th 5:14And we urge you, brothers, to admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, and be patient with everyone.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The image of the invisible God, firstborn over creation, in whom all things hold together and all the fullness of God dwells bodily — supreme over every power.
How Colossians 4:8 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.