Colossians 4:16 asks the church in Colossae to read Paul’s letter aloud to the believers in Laodicea, and to pass along the letter Paul had written to Laodicea so that they could read it too. The verse is a practical instruction about sharing written teaching among congregations, and it shows that the first Christians treated apostolic letters as something to be read, copied, and circulated for the benefit of the whole church. Paul wrote this near the close of the letter, while he was in prison, and it is addressed to the church at Colossae.
When this letter has been read among you, cause it to be read also in the assembly of the Laodiceans; and that you also read the letter from Laodicea.
Colossians 4:16 (WEB)
What Colossians 4:16 Means
The verse begins with “When this letter has been read among you.” Paul is describing a normal moment in a first-century gathering: a letter arrives, someone reads it out loud, and everyone listens. Most people in the ancient world could not read for themselves, so public reading was how teaching reached a community. The instruction is simple, that after the Colossians hear the letter, they should send it on.
Next comes “cause it to be read also in the assembly of the Laodiceans.” Paul wants his letter to travel beyond one church. The Laodicean believers are neighbors in the same region, and Paul expects them to benefit from the same teaching. The verse then adds “that you also read the letter from Laodicea,” which shows an exchange: a letter Paul wrote to Laodicea, which has not survived in any known form, was also to be read in Colossae. The verse promises nothing about the reader’s feelings or outcomes; it simply records a plan for sharing sound teaching.
The Context of Colossians 4:16
Colossians was written by Paul, traditionally identified as the author, to a small congregation in Colossae, a city in the Lycus Valley of what is now western Turkey. Paul had never visited the church, but he had heard about it through Epaphras, and the letter responds to a teaching that threatened to draw believers away from Christ’s sufficiency. Paul’s central message is that Christ is supreme over all things and that believers are complete in him.
The verses just before this one mention Laodicea and Hierapolis, nearby cities whose churches also belonged to Paul’s concern. Verse 13 speaks of his zeal for them, and verse 15 greets the brothers in Laodicea and the church that met in Nympha’s house. Verse 17 then gives a short charge to Archippus. Seen in this setting, verse 16 reads as the practical close of a letter meant for several churches at once, not an isolated note about document handling.
Key Phrases in Colossians 4:16
Romans 15:4
For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that through perseverance and through encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
(WEB)
This verse explains that the Scriptures were written for our instruction and encouragement, which fits the way Paul wanted his letters read and shared. Both passages show that teaching from God is meant to be received and passed on for the building up of believers.
1 Thessalonians 5:27
I solemnly command you by the Lord that this letter be read to all the holy brothers.
(WEB)
In this closing charge, Paul asks that his letter be read to all the brothers, echoing the same concern that the teaching reach the whole congregation. The two verses display the same pattern of a letter written for one church being intended for many hearers.
A Short Prayer From Colossians 4:16
Lord, thank you for the teaching you have given us through your word and through the faithful people who carried it to others. Help me to receive what I hear in church and in my reading with a willing heart. Show me who might be encouraged by what I have learned, and give me the courage to share it with them. Let my words and my habits point others toward you and build up the body of Christ. Amen.
