Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Who being - by pre-existent and essential being.
Brightness of his glory, х apaugasma (G541)] - the effulgence of His glory. 'Light of (from) light' ('Nicene Creed'). 'The sun is never seen without effulgence, nor the Father without the Son' (Theophylact). It is because He is the brightness, etc., and because He upholds, etc., that He sat down on the right hand, etc. It was a return to His divine glory (John 6:62; John 17:5: cf. 'Wisdom,' 7: 25,26). Express image - character: 'impress.' But veiled in the flesh.
`The Son of God in glory beams Too bright for us to scan; But we can face the light that streams From the mild Son of man.'
Of his person, х hupostaseoos (G5287)] - 'of His substantial essence.'
Upholding all things, х ta (G3588) panta (G3956)] - 'the universe.' Colossians 1:15; Colossians 1:17; Colossians 1:20 enumerates the three facts in the same order.
By the word - therefore the Son of God is a Person; for He has the word (Bengel). His word is God's word (Hebrews 11:3).
Of his power. "The word" is the utterance which comes from His (the Son's) power, and gives expression to it.
By himself. So Delta f. Omitted in 'Aleph (') A B, Vulgate.
Purged, х katharismon (G2512) poieesamenos (G4160)] - 'made purification of our sins.' His atonement covers the guilt of sin. "Our" is omitted in 'Aleph (') A B Delta, Vulgate. Sin was uncleanness before God: His sacrifice purges it away (Hebrews 9:13-14). Our nature, guilt-laden, could not, without our great High Priest's blood of atonement sprinkling the heavenly mercy-seat, come into contact with God. Ebrard, 'The mediation between man and God, present in the most holy place, was revealed in three forms:
(1) In sacrifices (typical propitiations for guilt);
(2) In the priesthood (the agents of them);
(3) In the Levitical laws of purity (attained by sacrifice positively, by avoidance of ceremonial pollution negatively, the people being thus admitted into the presence of God without dying) (Leviticus 16:1-34; Deuteronomy 5:26).
Sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high - fulfilling Psalms 110:1. This sitting of the Son at God's right hand was by the act of the Father (Hebrews 8:1; Ephesians 1:20): it never expresses His pre-existing state co-equal with the Father, but always His exalted state as Son of man after His sufferings, Mediator for man in the presence of God (Romans 8:34): a relation toward God and us about to end when its object shall have been accomplished (1 Corinthians 15:28).