“And with 1 the clouds of the sky 2
one like a son of man 3 was approaching.
He went up to the Ancient of Days
and was escorted 4 before him.
7:14 To him was given ruling authority, honor, and sovereignty.
All peoples, nations, and language groups were serving 5 him.
His authority is eternal and will not pass away. 6
His kingdom will not be destroyed. 7
25:31 “When 13 the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.
5:24 “I tell you the solemn truth, 22 the one who hears 23 my message 24 and believes the one who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned, 25 but has crossed over from death to life. 5:25 I tell you the solemn truth, 26 a time 27 is coming – and is now here – when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 5:26 For just as the Father has life in himself, thus he has granted the Son to have life in himself, 5:27 and he has granted the Son 28 authority to execute judgment, 29 because he is the Son of Man.
1 tc The LXX has ἐπί (epi, “upon”) here (cf. Matt 24:30; 26:64). Theodotion has μετά (meta, “with”) here (cf. Mark 14:62; Rev 1:7).
2 tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
3 sn This text is probably the main OT background for Jesus’ use of the term “son of man.” In both Jewish and Christian circles the reference in the book of Daniel has traditionally been understood to refer to an individual, usually in a messianic sense. Many modern scholars, however, understand the reference to have a corporate identity. In this view, the “son of man” is to be equated with the “holy ones” (vv. 18, 21, 22, 25) or the “people of the holy ones” (v. 27) and understood as a reference to the Jewish people. Others understand Daniel’s reference to be to the angel Michael.
4 tn Aram “they brought him near.”
5 tn Some take “serving” here in the sense of “worshiping.”
6 tn Aram “is an eternal authority which will not pass away.”
7 tn Aram “is one which will not be destroyed.”
8 sn An allusion to Pss 28:4; 62:12; cf. Prov 24:12.
9 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
10 tn The Greek negative here (οὐ μή, ou mh) is the strongest possible.
11 tn Grk “will not taste.” Here the Greek verb does not mean “sample a small amount” (as a typical English reader might infer from the word “taste”), but “experience something cognitively or emotionally; come to know something” (cf. BDAG 195 s.v. γεύομαι 2).
12 sn Several suggestions have been made as to the referent for the phrase the Son of Man coming in his kingdom: (1) the transfiguration itself, which immediately follows in the narrative; (2) Jesus’ resurrection and ascension; (3) the coming of the Spirit; (4) Christ’s role in the Church; (5) the destruction of Jerusalem; (6) Jesus’ second coming and the establishment of the kingdom. The reference to six days later in 17:1 seems to indicate that Matthew had the transfiguration in mind insofar as it was a substantial prefiguring of the consummation of the kingdom (although this interpretation is not without its problems). As such, the transfiguration would be a tremendous confirmation to the disciples that even though Jesus had just finished speaking of his death (in vv. 21-23), he was nonetheless the promised Messiah and things were proceeding according to God’s plan.
13 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
14 sn An allusion to Ps 110:1. This is a claim that Jesus shares authority with God in heaven. Those present may have thought they were his judges, but, in fact, the reverse was true.
15 sn The expression the right hand of the Power is a circumlocution for referring to God. Such indirect references to God were common in 1st century Judaism out of reverence for the divine name.
16 sn An allusion to Dan 7:13 (see also Matt 24:30).
17 tn Grk “the high priest tore his clothes, saying.”
18 tn Grk “Behold now.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
19 tn Or “condemn.”
20 tn Or “given,” or “handed over.”
21 tn Grk “all.” The word “people” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for stylistic reasons and for clarity (cf. KJV “all men”).
22 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
23 tn Or “obeys.”
24 tn Or “word.”
25 tn Grk “and does not come into judgment.”
26 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
27 tn Grk “an hour.”
28 tn Grk “him.”
29 tn Grk “authority to judge.”