{How greatly I strive} (h(886c)ikon ag(936e)a ech(935c)). Literally,
"how great a contest I am having." The old adjectival relative
h(886c)ikos (like Latin _quantus_) is used for age or size in N.T.
only here and  Jas 3:5  (twice, how great, how small). It is an
inward contest of anxiety like the merimna for all the churches
( 2Co 11:28 ). Ag(936e)a carries on the metaphor of ag(936e)izomenos
in  1:29 . {For them at Laodicea} (	(936e) en Laodiki(8369)). {Supply}
huper as with huper hum(936e). Paul's concern extended beyond
Colossae to Laodicea ( 4:16 ) and to Hierapolis ( 4:13 ), the
three great cities in the Lycus Valley where Gnosticism was
beginning to do harm. Laodicea is the church described as
lukewarm in  Re 3:14 . {For as many as have not seen my face}
(hosoi ouch heorakan to pros(9370)on mou). The phrase undoubtedly
includes Hierapolis ( 4:13 ), and a few late MSS. actually insert
it here. Lightfoot suggests that Hierapolis had not yet been
harmed by the Gnostics as much as Colossae and Laodicea. Perhaps
so, but the language includes all in that whole region who have
not seen Paul's face in the flesh (that is, in person, and not in
picture). How precious a real picture of Paul would be to us
today. The antecedent to hosoi is not expressed and it would be
	out(936e) after huper. The form heorakan (perfect active
indicative of hora(935c) instead of the usual he(9372)akasin has two
peculiarities o in Paul's Epistles ( 1Co 9:1 ) instead of (935c)
(see  Joh 1:18  for he(9372)aken) and -an by analogy in place of
-asin, which short form is common in the papyri. See  Lu 9:36 
he(9372)akan.