"Through His blood" is missing in some translations.

By CopticBot.ai (Coptic Space Inc.) · Last reviewed 2026-10-09

The phrase "through His blood" (Greek: dia tou aimatos autou) is missing from many modern translations (such as the NIV, ESV, and NASB) in Colossians 1:14. In these versions, the verse often reads simply: "in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."

As Coptic Orthodox Christians, we rely on the traditional ecclesiastical texts that have been preserved by the Church since the apostolic age. The inclusion of "through His blood" is vital for several reasons:

1. The Manuscript Tradition

The phrase "through His blood" is found in the Textus Receptus and many ancient manuscripts that served as the basis for the King James Version and the traditional texts used in the Orthodox East. While some modern biblical scholars prefer shorter readings found in specific Alexandrian codices (like Sinaiticus or Vaticanus), the Church has historically maintained the longer reading because it harmonizes perfectly with the rest of Pauline theology.

2. Safeguarding the Doctrine of the Atonement

The removal or omission of "through His blood" can, intentionally or unintentionally, weaken the physical reality of Christ's sacrifice.

• The Heretical Threat: Throughout history, various heretics (such as the Gnostics) tried to spiritualize Christ, suggesting He didn't have a real body or that His physical death didn't matter.
• The Orthodox Truth: By saying "through His blood," the Holy Spirit emphasizes that our redemption was a physical, bloody, and sacrificial act. As we say in the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil: "He was incarnate and became man... He gave Himself up for our salvation unto death." Redemption cannot be separated from the Cross and the shedding of Blood.

3. Comparison with Ephesians 1:7

Even in modern translations where the phrase is missing in Colossians, it is almost always present in Ephesians 1:7, which says: "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins." Because Colossians and Ephesians are "sister epistles" written around the same time, the Church recognizes that St. Paul’s message is consistent: there is no redemption without the Blood of the Covenant.

4. Liturgical Integrity

In our Coptic tradition, the "Blood" is central to our life. In the Confession at the end of the Divine Liturgy, the priest declares:

"This is the Life-giving Flesh which Your Only-Begotten Son, our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ took... He gave It up for us upon the holy wood of the Cross... shed for us and for many for the remission of sins."

The omission of "through His blood" in modern Bibles is often a result of "Textual Criticism," where scholars prioritize certain manuscripts over others. However, the Coptic Orthodox Church remains steadfast in the received tradition that explicitly links our redemption to the Blood of Christ, as this is the price that was paid for our salvation.