Discovery BoxLuke 9:28-43 
Context9:28 Now 1 about eight days 2 after these sayings, Jesus 3 took with him Peter, John, and James, and went up the mountain to pray. 9:29 As 4 he was praying, 5 the appearance of his face was transformed, 6 and his clothes became very bright, a brilliant white. 7 9:30 Then 8 two men, Moses and Elijah, 9 began talking with him. 10 9:31 They appeared in glorious splendor and spoke about his departure 11 that he was about to carry out 12 at Jerusalem. 13 9:32 Now Peter and those with him were quite sleepy, 14 but as they became fully awake, 15 they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 9:33 Then 16 as the men 17 were starting to leave, 18 Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three shelters, 19 one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah” – not knowing what he was saying. 9:34 As 20 he was saying this, a cloud 21 came 22 and overshadowed 23 them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 9:35 Then 24 a voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One. 25 Listen to him!” 26 9:36 After 27 the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. So 28 they kept silent and told no one 29 at that time 30 anything of what they had seen.
9:37 Now on 31 the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. 9:38 Then 32 a man from the crowd cried out, 33 “Teacher, I beg you to look at 34 my son – he is my only child! 9:39 A 35 spirit seizes him, and he suddenly screams; 36 it throws him into convulsions 37 and causes him to foam at the mouth. It hardly ever leaves him alone, torturing 38 him severely. 9:40 I 39 begged 40 your disciples to cast it out, but 41 they could not do so.” 42 9:41 Jesus answered, 43 “You 44 unbelieving 45 and perverse generation! How much longer 46 must I be with you and endure 47 you? 48 Bring your son here.” 9:42 As 49 the boy 50 was approaching, the demon threw him to the ground 51 and shook him with convulsions. 52 But Jesus rebuked 53 the unclean 54 spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. 9:43 Then 55 they were all astonished at the mighty power 56 of God.
But while the entire crowd 57 was amazed at everything Jesus 58 was doing, he said to his disciples,
1 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.
2 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.
3 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
4 tn Grk “And as.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
5 tn Here the preposition ἐν (en) plus the dative articular aorist infinitive has been translated as a temporal clause (ExSyn 595).
6 tn Or “the appearance of his face became different.”
sn In 1st century Judaism and in the NT, there was the belief that the righteous get new, glorified bodies in order to enter heaven (1 Cor 15:42-49; 2 Cor 5:1-10). This transformation means the righteous will share the glory of God. One recalls the way Moses shared the Lord’s glory after his visit to the mountain in Exod 34. So the disciples saw the appearance of his face transformed, and they were getting a sneak preview of the great glory that Jesus would have (only his glory is more inherent to him as one who shares in the rule of the kingdom).
7 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).
8 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 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).
10 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.
11 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.
12 tn Or “accomplish,” “bring to completion.”
13 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
14 tn Grk “weighed down with sleep” (an idiom).
15 tn Or “after they became fully awake,” “but they became fully awake and saw.”
16 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.
17 tn Grk “as they”; the referent (“the men,” referring to Moses and Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
18 tn Grk “to leave from him.”
19 tn Or “booths,” “dwellings” (referring to the temporary booths constructed in the celebration of the feast of Tabernacles).
sn By making three shelters Peter apparently wanted to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths that looked forward to the end and to treat Moses, Elijah, and Jesus as equals. It was actually a way of expressing honor to Jesus, but the remark at the end of the verse makes it clear that it was not enough honor.
20 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
21 sn This cloud is the cloud of God’s presence and the voice is his as well.
22 tn Or “appeared.”
23 tn Or “surrounded.”
24 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
25 tc Most
tn The participle ὁ ἐκλελεγμένος (Jo eklelegmeno"), which could be translated “the One who has been chosen,” is best understood as a title rather than a descriptive phrase, probably deriving from Isa 42:1 (LXX) which uses the similar ὁ ἐκλεκτός (Jo eklekto") which also appears in Luke 23:35.
sn This divine endorsement is like Luke 3:22 at Jesus’ baptism. One difference here is the mention of the Chosen One, a reference to the unique and beloved role of the regal, messianic Son.
26 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.
27 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
28 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the concluding summary of the account.
29 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.
30 tn Grk “in those days.”
31 tn Grk “Now it happened that on.” 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.
32 tn Grk “And behold.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the somewhat unexpected appearance of the man. 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).
33 tn Grk “cried out, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
34 tn This verb means “to have regard for”; see Luke 1:48.
35 tn Grk “and behold, a.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, καί (kai) has not been translated here; instead a new sentence was started in the translation. 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).
36 tn The Greek here is slightly ambiguous; the subject of the verb “screams” could be either the son or the spirit.
37 sn The reaction is like an epileptic fit (see L&N 14.27). See the parallel in Matt 17:14-20.
38 tn Or “bruising,” or “crushing.” This verb appears to allude to the damage caused when it throws him to the ground. According to L&N 19.46 it is difficult to know from this verb precisely what the symptoms caused by the demon were, but it is clear they must have involved severe pain. The multiple details given in the account show how gruesome the condition of the boy was.
39 tn Grk “And I.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, καί (kai) has not been translated here; instead a new sentence was started in the translation.
40 sn Note the repetition of the verb from v. 38, an indication of the father’s desperation.
41 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
42 tn The words “do so” are not in the Greek text, but have been supplied for clarity and stylistic reasons.
43 tn Grk “And answering, Jesus said.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “Jesus answered.” Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
44 tn Grk “O.” The marker of direct address, ὦ (w), is functionally equivalent to a vocative and is represented in the translation by “you.”
45 tn Or “faithless.”
sn The rebuke for lack of faith has OT roots: Num 14:27; Deut 32:5, 30; Isa 59:8.
46 tn Grk “how long.”
47 tn Or “and put up with.” See Num 11:12; Isa 46:4.
48 sn The pronouns you…you are plural, indicating that Jesus is speaking to a group rather than an individual.
49 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
50 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the boy) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
51 sn At this point the boy was thrown down in another convulsion by the demon. See L&N 23.168.
52 tn See L&N 23.167-68, where the second verb συσπαράσσω (susparassw) is taken to mean the violent shaking associated with the convulsions, thus the translation here “and shook him with convulsions.”
53 tn Or “commanded” (often with the implication of a threat, L&N 33.331).
54 sn This is a reference to an evil spirit. See Luke 4:33.
55 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the response at the conclusion of the account.
56 sn The revelation of the mighty power of God was the manifestation of God’s power shown through Jesus. See Acts 10:38.
57 tn Grk “all”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
58 tc Most
tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Some
