J. B. Lightfoot on Colossians 3:12-13

^{13}ἀνεχόμενοι ἀλλήλων, καὶ χαριζόμενοι ἑαυτοῖς, 13. ἀλλήλων, ἑαυτοῖς] The pronoun is varied, as in Ephes. iv. 32 γίνεσθε εἰς _ἀλλήλους_ χρηστοί ... χαριζόμενοι _ἑαυτοῖς_ κ.τ.λ., 1 Pet. iv. 8–10 τὴν εἰς _ἑαυτοὺς_ ἀγάπην ἐκτενῆ ἔχοντες ... φιλόξενοι εἰς _ἀλλήλους_ ... εἰς ἑαυτοὺς αὐτὸ [τὸ χάρισμα] διακονοῦντες. The reciprocal ἑαυτῶν differs from the reciprocal ἀλλήλων in emphasizing the idea of _corporate unity_: hence it is more appropriate here (comp. Ephes. iv. 2, 32) with χαριζόμενοι than with ἀνεχόμενοι; comp. Xen. _Mem._ iii. 5. 16 ἀντὶ μὲν τοῦ συνεργεῖν _ἑαυτοῖς_ τὰ συμφέροντα, ἐπηρέαζουσιν _ἀλλήλοις_, καὶ φθονοῦσιν _ἑαυτοῖς_ μᾶλλον ἢ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀνθρώποις ... καὶ προαιροῦνται μᾶλλον οὕτω κερδαίνειν ἀπ’ _ἀλλήλων_ ἢ συνωφελοῦντες _αὑτούς_, where the propriety of the two words in their respective places will be evident; and ib. ii. 7. 12 ἀντὶ ὑφορωμένων ἑαυτὰς ἡδέως _ἀλλήλας_ hέωρων, where the variation is more subtle but not less appropriate. For instances of this use of ἑαυτῶν see Bleek _Hebräerbrief_ iii. 13 (p. 453 sq.), Kühner _>Griech. Gramm._ § 455 (II. p. 497 sq.). χαριζόμενοι] i.e. ‘forgiving’; see the note on ii. 13. An _a fortiori_ argument lurks under the use of ἑαυτοῖς (rather than ἀλλήλοις): if Christ forgave them, much more should they forgive _themselves_.