Takes captive (4812) (sulagogeo from sulao = strip off the arms of a slain enemy, rob, plunder + ago = carry away) literally means to carry away prey and then to lead away as booty, slaves or captives. Col 2:8 is the only Biblical use. To take over complete control of a person as one would a captive. The image in context is of carrying someone away from the truth into the bondage of error, which is the opposite of what Jesus stated truth would accomplish (Jn 8:31). "Figuratively of victimizing or brainwashing someone with religious error or false teaching" (Friberg) "To lead away from the truth and subject to one’s sway" (Thayer) Sulagogeo could be used of a slave-dealer carrying away the people of a conquered nation into slavery. To Paul it was a tragic thought that the Colossians who had been liberated would contemplate submitting themselves to a new and disastrous slavery. Sulagogeo is a figurative description of the destructive effects of the false teachers who sought to rob believers at Colossae of the riches available in Christ. Don't let anyone (the pronoun is singular -- suggesting there may have been some particularly influential or charismatic individual Paul had in mind) kidnap you and carry you off! KJV has interesting twist: Beware lest any man spoil you Webster defines the noun form of "spoil" as "plunder taken from an enemy in war or a victim in robbery...the act of damaging...something taken from another by force or craft" Now put this definition into the context of Colossians 2:3 (note) where Paul reminds the saints that in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Is some seductive teaching or mystical practice beginning to plunder "the treasure" you possess in Christ? Paul says "keep your eyes open" to this ever present danger. The best defense is a good offense so Let the word of Christ richly dwell (make itself at home in your heart and mind, present imperative ~ command to make this practice or the habit of your life and not an afterthought) within you with all wisdom teaching & admonishing one another" (see note Colossians 3:16) When you kidnap someone, you take them from living free to a state of being enslaved, and thus the picture Paul is painting is that of taking over complete control of a person by taking control of their mind. Spiritual warfare is not a struggle against power but is a struggle to maintain Truth. The battle is always over Truth & the battlefield is the mind. Our focus is to be on the resurrected, ascended, glorified Lord Jesus Christ and on His resurrection power in each individual life. False teachers seek to carry us away from the freedom (Jas 1:25-note, Jn 8:31-36) we have in Christ and to ENSLAVE us in their false doctrine. Thus you can see why Paul was so burdened and struggling so intensely to proclaim Christ (Col 1:28-note, Col 1:29-note). Promising freedom these false teachers are themselves enslaved according to (2Pe 2:19-note). How many instances of this kind of kidnapping have we seen, or how many failures of faith on the part of young people going to college to study? Young people who have been raised in Christian homes, but who have been exposed to the wily, subtle teachings of human wisdom, have turned away from the things of Christ, often into wild, riotous living. Why? Because no one warned them, or else they did not heed the warning to avoid being made a prey of human knowledge. THROUGH PHILOSOPHY: dia tês philosophias: (Acts 17:18,32; Ro 1:21,22; 1Cor 1:19, 20, 21, 22, 23; 3:18,19; 15:35,36; 2Cor 10:5; 1Ti 6:20; 2Ti 2:17,18; 3:13) Spurgeon writes... “Beware of those who pretend that they are going to enrich you, but whose real object is to plunder you. They say that they will give you advanced thought, deeper ideas, a system more congruous with the age Plenty of people would spoil you in this way, by teaching you their profound thoughts, their grand inventions, their bright ideas. Beware of all of them. You will philosophize men into hell, but never into heaven. The history of that human ignorance which calls itself “philosophy” is absolutely identical with the history of fools, except where it diverges into madness. Modern philosophers will accept anything except the bleeding Substitute for guilty man. This is the cardinal virtue of philosophers; they extinguish one another. Their fine-spun theories do not often survive the generation that admires them. A fresh race starts fresh theories of unbelief, which live their day, like ephemera, and then expire. Take a maxim of Socrates or of Plato, and enquire whether a nation or a tribe has ever been transformed by it from barbarism to culture. A maxim of a philosopher may have measurably influenced a man in some right direction; but who has ever heard of a man’s whole character being transformed by any observation of Confucius or Socrates? I confess I never have. Human teachings are barren. "Copy and paste the address below into your web browser in order to go to the original page which will allow you to access live links related to the material on this page - these links include Scriptures (which can be read in context), Scripture pop-ups on mouse over, and a variety of related resources such as Bible dictionary articles, commentaries, sermon notes and theological journal articles related to the topic under discussion." http://www.preceptaustin.org/colossians_28-15.htm#tc