Discovery BoxMatthew 17:4 
Context17:4 So 1 Peter said 2 to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you want, I will make 3 three shelters 4 – one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
Matthew 24:3
Context24:3 As 5 he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will these things 6 happen? And what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
Matthew 26:17
Context26:17 Now on the first day of the feast of 7 Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus and said, 8 “Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 9
Matthew 26:63
Context26:63 But Jesus was silent. The 10 high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, 11 the Son of God.”
1 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate that the appearance of Moses and Elijah prompted Peter’s comment.
2 tn Grk “Peter answering said.” This construction is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.
3 tc Instead of the singular future indicative ποιήσω (poihsw, “I will make”), most witnesses (C3 D L W Θ [Φ] 0281 Ë[1],13 33 Ï lat sy co) have the plural aorist subjunctive ποιήσωμεν (poihswmen, “let us make”). But since ποιήσωμεν is the reading found in the parallel accounts in Mark and Luke, it is almost surely a motivated reading. Further, the earliest and best witnesses, as well as a few others (א B C* 700 pc) have ποιήσω. It is thus more likely that the singular verb is authentic.
4 tn Or “booths,” “dwellings” (referring to the temporary booths constructed in the celebration of the feast of Tabernacles).
sn Peter apparently wanted to celebrate the feast of Tabernacles or Booths that looked forward to the end and wanted to treat Moses, Elijah, and Jesus as equals by making three shelters (one for each). It was actually a way of expressing honor to Jesus, but the next verse makes it clear that it was not enough honor.
5 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
6 sn Because the phrase these things is plural, more than the temple’s destruction is in view. The question may presuppose that such a catastrophe signals the end.
7 tn The words “the feast of” are not in the Greek text, but have been supplied for clarity.
8 tn Grk “the disciples came to Jesus, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) has been translated as a finite verb to make the sequence of events clear in English.
9 sn This required getting a suitable lamb and finding lodging in Jerusalem where the meal could be eaten. The population of the city swelled during the feast, so lodging could be difficult to find. The Passover was celebrated each year in commemoration of the Israelites’ deliverance from Egypt; thus it was a feast celebrating redemption (see Exod 12). The Passover lamb was roasted and eaten after sunset in a family group of at least ten people (m. Pesahim 7.13). People ate the meal while reclining (see the note on table in 26:20). It included, besides the lamb, unleavened bread and bitter herbs as a reminder of Israel’s bitter affliction at the hands of the Egyptians. Four cups of wine mixed with water were also used for the meal. For a further description of the meal and the significance of the wine cups, see E. Ferguson, Backgrounds of Early Christianity, 523-24.
10 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
11 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
sn See the note on Christ in 1:16.
