Matthew 17:4

“And Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you want, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.””

Matthew 17:4 · direct translation from the Greek
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Matthew 17:4, word by word

PeterΠέτροςPetros

Peter

Peter, "rock": the name Jesus gave to Simon.

Where else “Petros” appears
answeredἀποκριθεὶςapokritheis

answer

To say something back to the one who spoke or asked.

Where else “apokritheis” appears
and saidεἶπενeipen

say

To express something in words to others.

Where else “eipen” appears
to JesusἸησοῦIēsou

Jesus

Jesus, the Greek form of the Hebrew Yehoshua (Joshua), which means "YHWH saves". It is the name the angel told Joseph to give him (Matthew 1:21).

Where else “Iēsou” appears
“LordΚύριεKyrie

Lord

The Lord: God, whose name is YHWH; also Jesus.

Where else “Kyrie” appears
it isἐστινestin

be

To be: says who or what something is.

Where else “estin” appears
goodκαλόνkalon

beautiful

Lovely to look at.

Where else “kalon” appears
you wantθέλειςtheleis

want

To have the desire or the resolve for something.

Where else “theleis” appears
I will makeποιήσωpoiēsō

make

To bring something into being: to make or create it.

Where else “poiēsō” appears
threeτρεῖςtreis

three

Three.

Where else “treis” appears
tentsσκηνάςskēnas

tent

A portable shelter of cloth or skins, or a hut of branches.

Where else “skēnas” appears
oneμίανmian

one

The quantity one, or a single one within a group.

Where else “mian” appears
for MosesΜωϋσεῖMōysei

Moses

Moses, who led Israel out of Egypt and received God's law.

Where else “Mōysei” appears
for ElijahἨλίᾳĒliai

Elijah

Elijah, the prophet of Israel taken up to heaven (2 Kings 2); Malachi announced his return.

Where else “Ēliai” appears

Translation note

These may be tents like those of the feast of Booths (Leviticus 23:42), or like the tent of meeting with God in the wilderness (Exodus 33:7).

Parallel passages

Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.

The transfiguration

Mark 9:2-13Luke 9:28-36

See them side by side

Matthew 17:1-13

1And after six days Jesus takes along Peter and James and John his brother, and leads them up onto a high mountain by themselves. 2And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as the light. 3And look, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4And Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you want, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 5While he was still speaking, look, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and look, a voice from the cloud was saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” 6And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were very afraid. 7And Jesus came and, touching them, said, “Get up, and do not be afraid.” 8And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone. 9And as they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell no one the vision until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” 10And the disciples asked him, saying, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” 11And he answered and said, “Elijah does come and will restore all things. 12But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wanted. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer by them.” 13Then the disciples understood that he had spoken to them about John the Immerser.

Mark 9:2-13

2And after six days Jesus takes along Peter and James and John, and leads them up onto a high mountain by themselves alone. And he was transfigured before them, 3and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them like that. 4And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5And Peter responds and says to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6For he did not know what to answer, for they had become terrified. 7And a cloud came, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud: “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” 8And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only. 9And as they were coming down from the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one what they had seen, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10And they kept the matter to themselves, discussing what the rising from the dead meant. 11And they were asking him, saying, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” 12And he said to them, “Elijah does come first and restores all things. And how is it written about the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? 13But I tell you that Elijah has indeed come, and they did to him whatever they wanted, as it is written of him.”

Luke 9:28-36

28Now it happened, about eight days after these words, that taking along Peter and John and James, he went up onto the mountain to pray. 29And it happened, while he was praying, that the appearance of his face became different, and his clothing became white, flashing like lightning. 30And look, two men were talking with him, who were Moses and Elijah, 31who, appearing in glory, were speaking of his departure, which he was about to fulfill in Jerusalem. 32Now Peter and those with him were weighed down with sleep; but becoming fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 33And it happened, as they were parting from him, that Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”— not knowing what he was saying. 34And while he was saying these things, a cloud came and was overshadowing them; and they were afraid as they entered into the cloud. 35And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, the Chosen One; listen to him.” 36And when the voice had come, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.

The context

3And look, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him.

4 · This verse (above)

5While he was still speaking, look, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and look, a voice from the cloud was saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

Read all of Matthew 17

To study Matthew 17 in a group

  1. 1. What it says

    What did Peter, James, and John see on the mountain, and what did the voice from the cloud say (vv. 1–5)?

  2. 2. What it means

    What did Jesus command the three disciples as they came down the mountain, and until when (v. 9)?

  3. 3. How I live it

    The voice said, “Listen to him” (v. 5). How can you make a quiet moment today to listen?

How to use it