Discovery BoxLuke 9:27-36
Context9:27 But I tell you most certainly, 1 there are some standing here who will not 2 experience 3 death before they see the kingdom of God.” 4
9:28 Now 5 about eight days 6 after these sayings, Jesus 7 took with him Peter, John, and James, and went up the mountain to pray. 9:29 As 8 he was praying, 9 the appearance of his face was transformed, 10 and his clothes became very bright, a brilliant white. 11 9:30 Then 12 two men, Moses and Elijah, 13 began talking with him. 14 9:31 They appeared in glorious splendor and spoke about his departure 15 that he was about to carry out 16 at Jerusalem. 17 9:32 Now Peter and those with him were quite sleepy, 18 but as they became fully awake, 19 they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 9:33 Then 20 as the men 21 were starting to leave, 22 Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three shelters, 23 one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah” – not knowing what he was saying. 9:34 As 24 he was saying this, a cloud 25 came 26 and overshadowed 27 them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 9:35 Then 28 a voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One. 29 Listen to him!” 30 9:36 After 31 the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. So 32 they kept silent and told no one 33 at that time 34 anything of what they had seen.
[9:27] 1 tn Grk “I tell you truly” (λέγω δὲ ὑμῖν ἀληθῶς, legw de Jumin alhqw").
[9:27] 2 tn The Greek negative here (οὐ μή, ou mh) is the strongest possible.
[9:27] 3 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).
[9:27] 4 sn The meaning of the statement that some will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God is clear at one level, harder at another. Jesus predicts some will experience the kingdom before they die. When does this happen? (1) An initial fulfillment is the next event, the transfiguration. (2) It is also possible in Luke’s understanding that all but Judas experience the initial fulfillment of the coming of God’s presence and rule in the work of Acts 2. In either case, the “kingdom of God” referred to here would be the initial rather than the final phase.
[9:28] 5 tn Grk “Now it happened that about.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[9:28] 6 tn Matt 17:1 and Mark 9:2 specify the interval more exactly, saying it was the sixth day. Luke uses ὡσεί (Jwsei, “about”) to give an approximate reference.
[9:28] 7 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:29] 8 tn Grk “And as.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[9:29] 9 tn Here the preposition ἐν (en) plus the dative articular aorist infinitive has been translated as a temporal clause (ExSyn 595).
[9:29] 10 tn Or “the appearance of his face became different.”
[9:29] 11 tn Or “became bright as a flash of lightning” (cf. BDAG 346 s.v. ἐξαστράπτω); or “became brilliant as light” (cf. BDAG 593 s.v. λευκός 1).
[9:30] 12 tn 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] 13 sn 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] 14 tn 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] 15 tn 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] 16 tn Or “accomplish,” “bring to completion.”
[9:31] 17 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[9:32] 18 tn Grk “weighed down with sleep” (an idiom).
[9:32] 19 tn Or “after they became fully awake,” “but they became fully awake and saw.”
[9:33] 20 tn Grk “And it happened that as.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated. Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
[9:33] 21 tn Grk “as they”; the referent (“the men,” referring to Moses and Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:33] 22 tn Grk “to leave from him.”
[9:33] 23 tn Or “booths,” “dwellings” (referring to the temporary booths constructed in the celebration of the feast of Tabernacles).
[9:34] 24 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[9:34] 25 sn This cloud is the cloud of God’s presence and the voice is his as well.
[9:35] 28 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
[9:35] 29 tc Most
[9:35] 30 sn The expression listen to him comes from Deut 18:15 and makes two points: 1) Jesus is a prophet like Moses, a leader-prophet, and 2) they have much yet to learn from him.
[9:36] 31 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[9:36] 32 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the concluding summary of the account.
[9:36] 33 sn Although the disciples told no one at the time, later they did recount this. The commentary on this scene is 2 Pet 1:17-18.
