Mark 9:11-13

9:11 Then ¹  they asked him, ²  “Why do the experts in the law ³  say that Elijah must come first?” 9:12 He said to them, “Elijah does indeed come first, and restores all things. And why is it written that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be despised? 9:13 But I tell you that Elijah has certainly come, and they did to him whatever they wanted, just as it is written about him.”

Matthew 17:11-13

17:11 He ⁴  answered, “Elijah does indeed come first and will restore all things. 17:12 And I tell you that Elijah has already come. Yet they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wanted. In ⁵  the same way, the Son of Man will suffer at their hands.” 17:13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist.

Matthew 27:47-49

27:47 When ⁶  some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “This man is calling for Elijah.” 27:48 Immediately ⁷  one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, ⁸  put it on a stick, ⁹  and gave it to him to drink. 27:49 But the rest said, “Leave him alone! Let’s see if Elijah will come to save him.” ¹⁰ 

¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

² tn Grk “And they were asking him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant and has not been translated.

³ tn Or “Why do the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 1:22.

⁴ tn Grk “And answering, he said.” This has been simplified in the translation.

⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

⁶ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

⁸ sn Sour wine refers to cheap wine that was called in Latin posca, a cheap vinegar wine diluted heavily with water. It was the drink of slaves and soldiers, and was probably there for the soldiers who had performed the crucifixion.

⁹ tn Grk “a reed.”

¹⁰ tc Early and important mss (א B C L Γ pc) have another sentence at the end of this verse: “And another [soldier] took a spear and pierced him in the side, and water and blood flowed out.” This comment finds such a strong parallel in John 19:34 that it was undoubtedly lifted from the Fourth Gospel by early, well-meaning scribes and inserted into Matt 27:49. Consequently, even though the support for the shorter reading (A D W Θ Ë^1,13 33 Ï lat sy sa bo) is not nearly as impressive, internal considerations on its behalf are compelling.