King James Version
Matthew 17
27 verses with commentary
The Transfiguration
And after six days Jesus taketh Peter , James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart ,
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus taking 'Peter, James, and John' to 'an high mountain apart' selects an inner circle to witness His transfiguration. The 'high mountain' (traditionally Mount Tabor or Hermon) provides isolation for this revelatory event. 'After six days' (from Peter's confession, 16:16) links the transfiguration to Jesus' passion prediction—showing glory before suffering. The three disciples represent witness...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
XVII.
(1) **After six days.**—St. Luke’s “about eight days” (Luke 9:28) may be noted as an example of the mode of reckoning which spoke of the interval between our Lord’s death and resurrection, about six-and-thirty hours, as three days.
**Peter, James, and John.**—The three retain their position, as in the raising of Jairus’s daughter, as the elect among the elect. (Comp. also Matthew 26:37; Mark...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 17
Chapter Outline
The transfiguration of Christ.(1-13)
Jesus casts out a dumb and deaf spirit.(14-21)
He again foretells his sufferings.(22-23)
He works a miracle to pay the tribute money.(24-27)
**Verses 1-13**
Now the disciples beheld somewhat of Christ's glory, as of the only begotten of the Father. It was intended to support their faith, when they would have ...
Read full commentary →And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
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KJV Study Commentary
The transformation—'he was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light'—reveals Jesus' divine glory temporarily unveiled. 'Transfigured' (Greek: metamorphoō) means to change form, revealing His true nature. His shining face recalls Moses' glowing face after encountering God (Exodus 34:29-30), but exceeds it ('as the sun'). The brilliant white...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **And was transfigured before them.**—Elsewhere in the New Testament (with the exception of the parallel, Mark 9:2) the word is used only in its spiritual sense, and is there rendered “transformed.” St. Luke does not use the word, but describes the change which it implies, “the fashion of His countenance became other than it had been” (Luke 9:29). He adds the profoundly significant fact that t...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 17
Chapter Outline
The transfiguration of Christ.(1-13)
Jesus casts out a dumb and deaf spirit.(14-21)
He again foretells his sufferings.(22-23)
He works a miracle to pay the tribute money.(24-27)
**Verses 1-13**
Now the disciples beheld somewhat of Christ's glory, as of the only begotten of the Father. It was intended to support their faith, when they would have ...
Read full commentary →And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.
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KJV Study Commentary
Moses and Elijah's appearance with Jesus reveals His divine nature and mission's continuity with Old Testament revelation. Moses represents the Law, Elijah the Prophets—together they comprise Israel's Scripture, both testifying to Christ. Their conversation about Jesus' 'decease' (Luke 9:31, Greek 'exodos'—exodus) in Jerusalem shows the cross as the ultimate exodus, liberating from sin. Reformed t...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **Moses and Elias.**—The identification of the forms which the disciples saw was, we may well believe, intuitive. If we accept the narrative as a whole, it is legitimate to assume that, in the state of consciousness to which they had been raised, they were capable of a spiritual illumination which would reveal to them who they were who were thus recognising their Master’s work and doing homage...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 17
Chapter Outline
The transfiguration of Christ.(1-13)
Jesus casts out a dumb and deaf spirit.(14-21)
He again foretells his sufferings.(22-23)
He works a miracle to pay the tribute money.(24-27)
**Verses 1-13**
Now the disciples beheld somewhat of Christ's glory, as of the only begotten of the Father. It was intended to support their faith, when they would have ...
Read full commentary →Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
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KJV Study Commentary
Peter's proposal to build three tabernacles reveals misunderstanding of the moment's significance. He treats Jesus as equal with Moses and Elijah rather than recognizing His supremacy. The suggestion to preserve this experience through building structures shows human tendency to institutionalize divine encounters rather than submit to God's purposes. Peter's 'it is good for us to be here' prioriti...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **Lord, it is good for us to be here.**—For “Lord” St. Luke has “Master;” St. Mark (giving. probably, as elsewhere, the very word uttered) “Rabbi.” It is not easy to trace the thoughts that passed rapidly through the soul of the disciple in that moment of amazement. Afterwards—if we may judge from St. Mark’s account (Mark 9:6), “he knew not what to answer, for they were sore afraid,” or St. Lu...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 16 Mt 16:1-12. A Sign from Heaven Sought and Refused--Caution against the Leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
For the exposition, see on Mr 8:11-21.
Mt 16:13-28. Peter's Noble Confession of Christ and the Benediction Pronounced upon Him--Christ's First Explicit Announcement of His Approaching Sufferings, Death, and Resurrection--His Rebuke of Peter and Warning to All the Twelve. ( = ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 17
Chapter Outline
The transfiguration of Christ.(1-13)
Jesus casts out a dumb and deaf spirit.(14-21)
He again foretells his sufferings.(22-23)
He works a miracle to pay the tribute money.(24-27)
**Verses 1-13**
Now the disciples beheld somewhat of Christ's glory, as of the only begotten of the Father. It was intended to support their faith, when they would have ...
Read full commentary →While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
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KJV Study Commentary
The Father's voice from the cloud—'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him'—echoes His baptismal declaration (3:17) with the addition: 'hear ye him.' This command elevates Jesus' authority above Moses and Elijah. The 'bright cloud' represents divine presence (Shekinah), recalling the cloud guiding Israel (Exodus 13:21-22) and filling the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34). God's audi...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **A bright cloud overshadowed them**—*i.e.*, our Lord, Moses, and Elias. To the disciples this would, we cannot doubt, recall the “cloudy pillar” which had descended on the first tabernacle (Exodus 33:9), the “cloud that filled the house of the Lord on the dedication of the Temple” (1Kings 8:10). It was, in later Jewish language, the Shechinah, or abiding presence of Jehovah—the very form of t...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**14. And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist--**risen from the dead. So that Herod Antipas was not singular in his surmise (Mt 14:1, 2).
**some, Elias--**(Compare Mr 6:15).
**and others, Jeremias--**Was this theory suggested by a supposed resemblance between the "Man of Sorrows" and "the weeping prophet?"
**or one of the prophets--**or, as Luke (Lu 9:8) expresses it, "that on...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 17
Chapter Outline
The transfiguration of Christ.(1-13)
Jesus casts out a dumb and deaf spirit.(14-21)
He again foretells his sufferings.(22-23)
He works a miracle to pay the tribute money.(24-27)
**Verses 1-13**
Now the disciples beheld somewhat of Christ's glory, as of the only begotten of the Father. It was intended to support their faith, when they would have ...
Read full commentary →And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.
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KJV Study Commentary
Reformed theology emphasizes the divine initiative evident in this text. The verse connects to broader biblical themes of covenant, redemption, and God's unchanging character. Understanding this passage requires recognizing both its historical context and its application to Christian life.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **When the disciples heard it.**—At this point St. Matthew’s narrative is the fullest. The three disciples shrink in fear, like that of the Israelites at the brightness of Moses’ face (Exodus 34:30), like that of the priests in the Temple who could not stand to minister because of the cloud (1Kings 8:11), and lie prostrate on the ground in speechless terror. They have seen the glory of the Lor...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**15. He saith unto them, But whom--**rather, "who."
**say ye that I am?--**He had never put this question before, but the crisis He was reaching made it fitting that He should now have it from them. We may suppose this to be one of those moments of which the prophet says, in His name, "Then I said, I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for naught, and in vain" (Is 49:4): Lo, these th...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 17
Chapter Outline
The transfiguration of Christ.(1-13)
Jesus casts out a dumb and deaf spirit.(14-21)
He again foretells his sufferings.(22-23)
He works a miracle to pay the tribute money.(24-27)
**Verses 1-13**
Now the disciples beheld somewhat of Christ's glory, as of the only begotten of the Father. It was intended to support their faith, when they would have ...
Read full commentary →And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.
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KJV Study Commentary
This verse reveals profound theological truth central to Reformed understanding of Scripture. The passage demonstrates God's sovereignty and grace working through human circumstances. Christ's teaching here challenges contemporary religious assumptions while pointing to deeper spiritual realities.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **Jesus came and touched them.**—Act and words were both expressive of an almost brotherly tenderness. The touch of the hand they had so often grasped—as, *e.g.,* in Matthew 14:31—the familiar words that had brought courage to their fainting hearts in. the hour of danger (Matthew 14:27), these recall them again to the realities of life. They need not fear the glory of the divine Presence, for ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**16. And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God--**He does not say, "Scribes and Pharisees, rulers and people, are all perplexed; and shall we, unlettered fishermen, presume to decide?" But feeling the light of his Master's glory shining in his soul, he breaks forth--not in a tame, prosaic acknowledgment, "I **believe that Thou art," &c.--**but in the la...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 17
Chapter Outline
The transfiguration of Christ.(1-13)
Jesus casts out a dumb and deaf spirit.(14-21)
He again foretells his sufferings.(22-23)
He works a miracle to pay the tribute money.(24-27)
**Verses 1-13**
Now the disciples beheld somewhat of Christ's glory, as of the only begotten of the Father. It was intended to support their faith, when they would have ...
Read full commentary →And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Reformed theology emphasizes the divine initiative evident in this text. The verse connects to broader biblical themes of covenant, redemption, and God's unchanging character. Understanding this passage requires recognizing both its historical context and its application to Christian life.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **They saw no man, save Jesus only.**—The words, following as they do upon the “Be not afraid,” imply a marked contrast to Peter’s rash utterance. It was *not* “good” for frail men such as they were to tarry long in the immediate glory of the Presence. It was a relief to see “Jesus only” with them, as they had been wont to see Him. So in our own lives, moments of spiritual ecstasy are few and ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**17. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou--**Though it is not to be doubted that Peter, in this noble testimony to Christ, only expressed the conviction of all the Twelve, yet since he alone seems to have had clear enough apprehensions to put that conviction in proper and suitable words, and courage enough to speak them out, and readiness enough to do this at the right time--so ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 17
Chapter Outline
The transfiguration of Christ.(1-13)
Jesus casts out a dumb and deaf spirit.(14-21)
He again foretells his sufferings.(22-23)
He works a miracle to pay the tribute money.(24-27)
**Verses 1-13**
Now the disciples beheld somewhat of Christ's glory, as of the only begotten of the Father. It was intended to support their faith, when they would have ...
Read full commentary →And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.
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KJV Study Commentary
This text illustrates key Reformed principles: sola Scriptura, sola gratia, and sola fide. The passage demonstrates how God's Word speaks authoritatively to human need, revealing both our depravity and God's merciful provision through Christ.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) **Tell** **the vision to no man.**—The command obviously included even the rest of the Apostles within the range of its prohibition. For them in their lower stage of spiritual growth, the report of the vision at second hand would either have led them to distrust it or to pervert its meaning. Whatever reasons excluded them from being spectators were of still greater weight for the time against ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18. And I say also unto thee--**that is, "As thou hast borne such testimony to Me, even so in return do I to thee."
**That thou art Peter--**At his first calling, this new name was announced to him as an honor afterwards to be conferred on him (Joh 1:43). Now he gets it, with an explanation of what it was meant to convey.
**and upon this rock--**As "Peter" and "Rock" are one word in the dial...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 17
Chapter Outline
The transfiguration of Christ.(1-13)
Jesus casts out a dumb and deaf spirit.(14-21)
He again foretells his sufferings.(22-23)
He works a miracle to pay the tribute money.(24-27)
**Verses 1-13**
Now the disciples beheld somewhat of Christ's glory, as of the only begotten of the Father. It was intended to support their faith, when they would have ...
Read full commentary →And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?
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KJV Study Commentary
Reformed theology emphasizes the divine initiative evident in this text. The verse connects to broader biblical themes of covenant, redemption, and God's unchanging character. Understanding this passage requires recognizing both its historical context and its application to Christian life.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **His disciples asked him.**—The context clearly implies that the question came not from the disciples at large, but from the three who had seen the vision, and were brooding over the appearance, and yet more, perhaps, the disappearance, of Elijah, as connected with the tradition of the scribes. If Elijah was to come and prepare the way, why had he thus come from the unseen world for a moment...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**19. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven--**the kingdom of God about to be set up on earth
**and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven--**Whatever this mean, it was soon expressly extended to all the apostles (Mt 18:18); so that the claim of supreme authority in the Church, made fo...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 17
Chapter Outline
The transfiguration of Christ.(1-13)
Jesus casts out a dumb and deaf spirit.(14-21)
He again foretells his sufferings.(22-23)
He works a miracle to pay the tribute money.(24-27)
**Verses 1-13**
Now the disciples beheld somewhat of Christ's glory, as of the only begotten of the Father. It was intended to support their faith, when they would have ...
Read full commentary →And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Reformed theology emphasizes the divine initiative evident in this text. The verse connects to broader biblical themes of covenant, redemption, and God's unchanging character. Understanding this passage requires recognizing both its historical context and its application to Christian life.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **Elias truly shall first come.**—Better, *cometh* Our Lord’s words are obviously enigmatic in their form, and, as such, admit of two very different interpretations. Taken literally, as they have been by very many both in earlier and later times, they seem to say that Elijah shall come in person before the yet future day of the Lord, the great second Advent of the Christ. So it has been argue...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**20. Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ--**Now that He had been so explicit, they might naturally think the time come for giving it out openly; but here they are told it had not.
Announcement of His Approaching Death and Rebuke of Peter (Mt 16:21-28).
The occasion here is evidently the same.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 17
Chapter Outline
The transfiguration of Christ.(1-13)
Jesus casts out a dumb and deaf spirit.(14-21)
He again foretells his sufferings.(22-23)
He works a miracle to pay the tribute money.(24-27)
**Verses 1-13**
Now the disciples beheld somewhat of Christ's glory, as of the only begotten of the Father. It was intended to support their faith, when they would have ...
Read full commentary →But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
This text illustrates key Reformed principles: sola Scriptura, sola gratia, and sola fide. The passage demonstrates how God's Word speaks authoritatively to human need, revealing both our depravity and God's merciful provision through Christ.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **Elias is come already.**—These words, the emphatic repetition of what had been said before in Matthew 11:14 (see Note there), ought, it is believed, to be decisive as to the issue raised in the preceding verse. So far as the prophecy of Malachi required the coming of Elijah, that prophecy had been fulfilled in the Baptist, all unconscious of it as he was, as coming in the spirit and power o...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**21. From that time forth began Jesus to show unto his disciples--**that is, with an explicitness and frequency He had never observed before.
**how that he must go unto Jerusalem and suffer many things--**"and be rejected," (Mr 8:31; Lu 9:22).
**of the elders and chief priests and scribes--**not as before, merely by not receiving Him, but by formal deeds.
**and be killed, and be raised agai...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 17
Chapter Outline
The transfiguration of Christ.(1-13)
Jesus casts out a dumb and deaf spirit.(14-21)
He again foretells his sufferings.(22-23)
He works a miracle to pay the tribute money.(24-27)
**Verses 1-13**
Now the disciples beheld somewhat of Christ's glory, as of the only begotten of the Father. It was intended to support their faith, when they would have ...
Read full commentary →Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.</strong> The Greek verb συνῆκαν (<em>synēkan</em>, "understood") marks a crucial moment of comprehension after Jesus's transfiguration discourse. When Jesus spoke of Elijah's return (v. 11-12), declaring <strong>"Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed"</strong> (v...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13) **Then the disciples understood.**—The words are suggestive both as indicating the conclusion in which they ultimately rested, and the frankness with which they owned how slowly they had passed from the literalism of the scribes to a true apprehension of the spiritual meaning of the prophecy in question.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**22. Then Peter took him--**aside, apart from the rest; presuming on the distinction just conferred on him; showing how unexpected and distasteful to them all was the announcement.
**and began to rebuke him--**affectionately, yet with a certain generous indignation, to chide Him.
**saying, Be it far from thee: this shall not be unto thee--**that is, "If I can help it": the same spirit that pr...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 17
Chapter Outline
The transfiguration of Christ.(1-13)
Jesus casts out a dumb and deaf spirit.(14-21)
He again foretells his sufferings.(22-23)
He works a miracle to pay the tribute money.(24-27)
**Verses 1-13**
Now the disciples beheld somewhat of Christ's glory, as of the only begotten of the Father. It was intended to support their faith, when they would have ...
Read full commentary →Jesus Heals a Boy with a Demon
And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,
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KJV Study Commentary
Reformed theology emphasizes the divine initiative evident in this text. The verse connects to broader biblical themes of covenant, redemption, and God's unchanging character. Understanding this passage requires recognizing both its historical context and its application to Christian life.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **And when they were come to the multitude.**—St. Luke states that it was on the next day, the night having apparently been spent on the Mount of Transfiguration. The magic power of the art of Raffaelle has brought into vivid juxtaposition the contrast between the scene of glory above and that of trouble and unrest below, but we must not allow the impression made by the picture to distort our...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**23. But he turned, and said--**in the hearing of the rest; for Mark (Mr 8:33) expressly says, "When He had turned about and looked on His disciples, He rebuked Peter"; perceiving that he had but boldly uttered what others felt, and that the check was needed by them also.
**Get thee behind me, Satan--**the same words as He had addressed to the Tempter (Lu 4:8); for He felt in it a satanic lure,...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-21**
The case of afflicted children should be presented to God by faithful and fervent prayer. Christ cured the child. Though the people were perverse, and Christ was provoked, yet care was taken of the child. When all other helps and succours fail, we are welcome to Christ, may trust in him, and in his power and goodness. See here an emblem of Christ's undertaking as our Redeemer....
Read full commentary →Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.
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KJV Study Commentary
This text illustrates key Reformed principles: sola Scriptura, sola gratia, and sola fide. The passage demonstrates how God's Word speaks authoritatively to human need, revealing both our depravity and God's merciful provision through Christ.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) **Lunatick.**—See Note on Matthew 4:24. The other Gospels add some further touches. The boy had a “dumb spirit.” When the spirit seized him it “tore him,” and he foamed at the mouth, and gnashed with his teeth. Slowly, and as with difficulty, the paroxysm passed off, and the sufferer was wasting away under the violence of the attacks. The phenomena described are, it need hardly be said, those...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**24. Then said Jesus unto his disciples--**Mark (Mr 8:34) says, "When He had called the people unto Him, with His disciples also, He said unto them"--turning the rebuke of one into a warning to all.
If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-21**
The case of afflicted children should be presented to God by faithful and fervent prayer. Christ cured the child. Though the people were perverse, and Christ was provoked, yet care was taken of the child. When all other helps and succours fail, we are welcome to Christ, may trust in him, and in his power and goodness. See here an emblem of Christ's undertaking as our Redeemer....
Read full commentary →And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.</strong> This father's desperate complaint (Greek ἤνεγκα, <em>ēnegka</em>, "I brought") exposes the disciples' spiritual impotence. Jesus had previously granted them ἐξουσία (<em>exousia</em>, authority) over unclean spirits (Matthew 10:1, 8), and they'd successfully cast out demons during their mission (Luke 10:17). Yet now ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(16) **They could not cure him.**—This, then, would seem to have been the subject-matter of debate. The scribes were taunting the disciples, who had probably trusted to their use of the wonted formula of their Master’s name, and were now wrangling in their own defence. Neither scribes nor disciples had thought of gaining the spiritual power which might avail by the means which they both recognised...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**25. For whosoever will save--**is minded to save, or bent on saving.
**his life shall lose it, and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it--**(See on Mt 10:38,39). "A suffering and dying Messiah liketh you ill; but what if His servants shall meet the same fate? They may not; but who follows Me must be prepared for the worst."
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-21**
The case of afflicted children should be presented to God by faithful and fervent prayer. Christ cured the child. Though the people were perverse, and Christ was provoked, yet care was taken of the child. When all other helps and succours fail, we are welcome to Christ, may trust in him, and in his power and goodness. See here an emblem of Christ's undertaking as our Redeemer....
Read full commentary →Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.
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KJV Study Commentary
This verse reveals profound theological truth central to Reformed understanding of Scripture. The passage demonstrates God's sovereignty and grace working through human circumstances. Christ's teaching here challenges contemporary religious assumptions while pointing to deeper spiritual realities.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(17) **O faithless and perverse generation.**—The words were obviously addressed both to the scribes and the disciples. Both had shown their want of the faith which utters itself in prayer to the Father; both were alike “perverse,” in finding in the misery brought before them only an occasion of wrangling and debate. This was not the way to obtain the power to heal, and the formulae of exorcism we...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**26. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul--**or forfeit his own soul?
**or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?--**Instead of these weighty words, which we find in Mr 8:36 also, it is thus expressed in Lu 9:25: "If he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away," or better, "If he gain the whole world, and destroy or forfeit ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-21**
The case of afflicted children should be presented to God by faithful and fervent prayer. Christ cured the child. Though the people were perverse, and Christ was provoked, yet care was taken of the child. When all other helps and succours fail, we are welcome to Christ, may trust in him, and in his power and goodness. See here an emblem of Christ's undertaking as our Redeemer....
Read full commentary →And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.</strong> Where the disciples failed, Jesus succeeded instantly through simple rebuke (ἐπετίμησεν, <em>epetimēsen</em>). The verb carries authority—not lengthy exorcism rituals but commanding word. The demon "departed" (ἐξῆλθεν, <em>exēlthen</em>, went out) immediately, demonstrating Christ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18) **Jesus rebuked the devil.**—Better, *demon,* as elsewhere in these cases of possession.
**The child was cured.**—Better, the *boy.* Mark 9:21 implies, as indeed the Greek does here, that the sufferer had passed beyond the age of childhood. St. Mark gives the words of the rebuke, “Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I command thee, come out from him, and enter no more into him.” This was followed by a...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**27. For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels--**in the splendor of His Father's authority and with all His angelic ministers, ready to execute His pleasure.
and then he shall reward, &c.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-21**
The case of afflicted children should be presented to God by faithful and fervent prayer. Christ cured the child. Though the people were perverse, and Christ was provoked, yet care was taken of the child. When all other helps and succours fail, we are welcome to Christ, may trust in him, and in his power and goodness. See here an emblem of Christ's undertaking as our Redeemer....
Read full commentary →Then came the disciples to Jesus apart , and said, Why could not we cast him out?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?</strong> The disciples' private inquiry (κατ' ἰδίαν, <em>kat' idian</em>, "apart, privately") shows appropriate humility—they don't demand explanation publicly but seek understanding in private. Their question "Why could not we?" (διὰ τί ἡμεῖς, <em>dia ti hēmeis</em>) reveals perplexity. They possessed delegat...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(19) **Why could not we cast him out?**—The question came obviously from the disciples who had been left below when our Lord went apart with Peter, James, and John, to the Mount of the Transfiguration. They did not even now see the reason of their failure. They had dealt with this case as they had dealt with others. Why had they not met with a like issue? They did not as yet perceive that they cam...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**28. Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here--**"some of those standing here."
**which shall not taste of death, fill they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom--**or, as in Mark (Mr 9:1), "till they see the kingdom of God come with power"; or, as in Luke (Lu 9:27), more simply still, "till they see the kingdom of God." The reference, beyond doubt, is to the firm establishment and...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-21**
The case of afflicted children should be presented to God by faithful and fervent prayer. Christ cured the child. Though the people were perverse, and Christ was provoked, yet care was taken of the child. When all other helps and succours fail, we are welcome to Christ, may trust in him, and in his power and goodness. See here an emblem of Christ's undertaking as our Redeemer....
Read full commentary →And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus' explanation 'Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you' addresses the disciples' failure to cast out the demon (v. 16). The problem was 'unbelief,' not lack of ability. The mustard seed analogy emphasizes faith's...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(20) **Because of your unbelief.**—The various reading, “Because of your little faith,” found in many, but not the most authoritative MSS., is interesting as an example of a tendency to tone down the apparent severity of our Lord’s words. They show conclusively that the disciples themselves came under the range of His rebuke to the “faithless and perverse generation.”
**If ye have faith as a grain...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-21**
The case of afflicted children should be presented to God by faithful and fervent prayer. Christ cured the child. Though the people were perverse, and Christ was provoked, yet care was taken of the child. When all other helps and succours fail, we are welcome to Christ, may trust in him, and in his power and goodness. See here an emblem of Christ's undertaking as our Redeemer....
Read full commentary →Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus explains the disciples' failure to cast out the demon: 'this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.' Some spiritual battles require extraordinary dependence on God. While many manuscripts omit 'and fasting,' the principle remains: certain ministries demand concentrated devotion and self-denial. Reformed practice recognizes prayer and fasting as means of grace, not earning God's favor ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(21) **This kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.**—The words imply degrees in the intensity of the forms of evil ascribed to demons amounting to a generic difference. Some might yield before the energy of a human will, and the power of the divine Name, and the prayers even of a weak faith. Some, like that which comes before us here, required a greater intensity of the spiritual life, to b...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-21**
The case of afflicted children should be presented to God by faithful and fervent prayer. Christ cured the child. Though the people were perverse, and Christ was provoked, yet care was taken of the child. When all other helps and succours fail, we are welcome to Christ, may trust in him, and in his power and goodness. See here an emblem of Christ's undertaking as our Redeemer....
Read full commentary →Jesus Again Foretells Death
And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men:
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them</strong> (Συστρεφομένων δὲ αὐτῶν ἐν τῇ Γαλιλαίᾳ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς)—The genitive absolute συστρεφομένων ('while gathering together, while assembling') indicates the disciples regathering after their missionary journey or after the Transfiguration. Galilee was Jesus's primary ministry base, yet He repeatedly predicted His departure. <...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(22) **While they abode in Galilee.**—Better, *as they went to and fro.* The journeyings were apparently, like that to the coasts of Tyre and Sidon (Matthew 15:21), unconnected with the work of His ministry. Our Lord was still, as before, taking His disciples apart by themselves, and training them by fuller disclosures of His coming passion. “He would not that any man should know” of their presenc...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 22-23**
Christ perfectly knew all things that should befall him, yet undertook the work of our redemption, which strongly shows his love. What outward debasement and Divine glory was the life of the Redeemer! And all his humiliation ended in his exaltation. Let us learn to endure the cross, to despise riches and worldly honours, and to be content with his will.
And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again</strong> (καὶ ἀποκτενοῦσιν αὐτόν, καὶ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐγερθήσεται)—The future ἀποκτενοῦσιν ('they will kill') specifies death by human agency, yet the passive ἐγερθήσεται ('He will be raised') indicates divine agency—the Father will raise the Son (Acts 2:24, 32; Romans 8:11). The phrase τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ ('on the third day') fulfill...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(23) **They were exceeding sorry.**—St. Mark (Mark 9:32) and St. Luke (Luke 9:45) add that “they understood not the saying; it was hid from them, that they should not perceive it;” and that “they were afraid to ask Him.” Their sorrow was vague and dim, and they shrank from that which might make it more definite.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 22-23**
Christ perfectly knew all things that should befall him, yet undertook the work of our redemption, which strongly shows his love. What outward debasement and Divine glory was the life of the Redeemer! And all his humiliation ended in his exaltation. Let us learn to endure the cross, to despise riches and worldly honours, and to be content with his will.
The Temple Tax
And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute? tribute: called in the original, didrachma, being in value fifteen pence sterling; about thirty seven cents
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter</strong> (Ἐλθόντων δὲ αὐτῶν εἰς Καφαρναοὺμ προσῆλθον οἱ τὰ δίδραχμα λαμβάνοντες τῷ Πέτρῳ)—Capernaum was Jesus's ministry headquarters (4:13). The τὰ δίδραχμα (didrachma, 'two drachma') refers to the half-shekel temple tax required of every Jewish male over 20 (Exodus 30:11-16). The collectors approached Pe...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(24) **They that received tribute money.**—The word for tribute here is *didrachma,* and differs from that of Matthew 17:25; Matthew 22:17. The latter is the *census,* or Roman poll-tax; the former was the Temple-rate, paid by every male Israelite above the age of twenty (Exodus 30:13-16; 2Chronicles 24:9). It was fixed at a half-shekel a head, and the shekel being reckoned as equal to four Attic ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 24-27**
Peter felt sure that his Master was ready to do what was right. Christ spoke first to give him proof that no thought can be withholden from him. We must never decline our duty for fear of giving offence; but we must sometimes deny ourselves in our worldly interests, rather than give offence. However the money was lodged in the fish, He who knows all things alone could know it,...
Read full commentary →He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him</strong> (λέγει, Ναί. καὶ ὅτε εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν, προέφθασεν αὐτὸν ὁ Ἰησοῦς)—Peter's immediate 'Yes' (Ναί) affirms Jesus's practice of paying the tax. The verb προφθάνω (prophthānō, 'to anticipate, to come before, to prevent' in older English meaning 'precede') shows Jesus initiated conversation before Peter could...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(25) **He saith, Yes.**—Peter’s answer was ready enough. There was no need for him to inquire further. His Master would pay it now as He had paid it before (this is clearly implied), as every devout Israelite would pay. Both the application and the answer suggest the thought that our Lord was looked upon as domiciled in the house of Peter. The answer, however, was given without thought of the alte...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 24-27**
Peter felt sure that his Master was ready to do what was right. Christ spoke first to give him proof that no thought can be withholden from him. We must never decline our duty for fear of giving offence; but we must sometimes deny ourselves in our worldly interests, rather than give offence. However the money was lodged in the fish, He who knows all things alone could know it,...
Read full commentary →Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Peter saith unto him, Of strangers</strong> (λέγει, Ἀπὸ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων)—Peter correctly answers that kings tax ἀλλότριοι (foreigners, non-family members), not their own sons. He grasps the earthly principle but hasn't yet applied it to Jesus's identity. <strong>Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free</strong> (ἔφη αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Ἄρα γε ἐλεύθεροί εἰσιν οἱ υἱοί)—the inferential ἄρα γ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(26) **Of strangers.**—The answer must be looked at from the Eastern rather than the European theory of taxation. To the Jews, as to other Eastern nations, direct taxation was hateful as a sign of subjugation. It had roused them to revolt under Rehoboam (1Kings 12:4), and they had stoned the officer who was over the tribute. They had groaned under it when imposed by the Syrian kings (1 Maccabees 1...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 24-27**
Peter felt sure that his Master was ready to do what was right. Christ spoke first to give him proof that no thought can be withholden from him. We must never decline our duty for fear of giving offence; but we must sometimes deny ourselves in our worldly interests, rather than give offence. However the money was lodged in the fish, He who knows all things alone could know it,...
Read full commentary →Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee. a piece: or, a stater: it is half an ounce of silver, in value two shillings and six pence, sterling; about fifty five cents
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them</strong> (ἵνα δὲ μὴ σκανδαλίσωμεν αὐτούς)—the conjunction ἵνα μή ('lest, so that not') introduces purpose: Jesus pays to avoid σκανδαλίζω (causing to stumble, giving offense). Though exempt, He accommodates weak consciences. This exemplifies Paul's later teaching (Romans 14:13-21; 1 Corinthians 8:9-13): don't cause others to stumble over non-esse...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(27) **Lest we should offend them.**—Those who note the finer shades of language, can scarcely fail to trace in these words the tone of what we should describe in a human teacher as a half-playful, half-serious irony. When they were last at Capernaum, the disciples, Peter probably their spokesman (Matthew 15:12; Matthew 15:15), had remonstrated with their Master for proclaiming a bold, broad princ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 24-27**
Peter felt sure that his Master was ready to do what was right. Christ spoke first to give him proof that no thought can be withholden from him. We must never decline our duty for fear of giving offence; but we must sometimes deny ourselves in our worldly interests, rather than give offence. However the money was lodged in the fish, He who knows all things alone could know it,...
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