Luke 9:19

Context
9:19 They¹ answered,² “John the Baptist; others say Elijah;³ and still others that one of the prophets of long ago has risen.”⁴

Luke 9:30-31

Context
9:30 Then⁵ two men, Moses and Elijah,⁶ began talking with him.⁷ 9:31 They appeared in glorious splendor and spoke about his departure⁸ that he was about to carry out⁹ at Jerusalem.¹⁰

[9:19] ¹tn Grk “And they.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[9:19] ²tn Grk “And answering, they said.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “They answered.”

[9:19] ³sn The appearance of Elijah would mean that the end time had come. According to 2 Kgs 2:11, Elijah was still alive. In Mal 4:5 it is said that Elijah would be the precursor of Messiah.

[9:19] ⁴sn The phrase has risen could be understood to mean “has been resurrected,” but this is only a possible option, not a necessary one, since the phrase could merely mean that a figure had appeared on the scene who mirrored an earlier historical figure. Note that the three categories in the reply match the ones in Luke 9:7-8.

[9:30] ⁵tn Grk “And behold.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[9:30] ⁶sn Commentators and scholars discuss why Moses and Elijah are present. The most likely explanation is that Moses represents the prophetic office (Acts 3:18-22) and Elijah pictures the presence of the last days (Mal 4:5-6), the prophet of the eschaton (the end times).

[9:30] ⁷tn Grk “two men were talking with him, who were Moses and Elijah.” The relative clause has been simplified to an appositive and transposed in keeping with contemporary English style.

[9:31] ⁸tn Grk “his exodus,” which refers to Jesus’ death in Jerusalem and journey back to glory. Here is the first lesson that the disciples must learn. The wondrous rule comes only after suffering.

[9:31] ⁹tn Or “accomplish,” “bring to completion.”

[9:31] ¹⁰map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.