I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know about us, and that he may encourage your hearts.
Tychicus carries this letter so he can tell them Paul's full condition by word of mouth, which matters more to them than mere writing. Paul calls him a beloved brother and faithful minister, mark that a great apostle owns a faithful minister as brother, for faithfulness itself is lovely and commands affection.
AI summary
Commenting on Colossians 4:7-18
Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose,.... That is, to relate to them his affairs both temporal and spiritual; and also, that he might know your estate. The Arabic version renders it, "that I may know your estate" by him when he returned again; as whether they continued steadfast in the Gospel, and observed the order, ordinances, and discipline of it; how...
Verse 8. . (*) "estate" "no definition given"