translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: MAT

label: NET study note

text: 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 . So the disciples saw Jesus transfigured , 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).


text: 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).


text: This cloud is the cloud of God’s presence and the voice is his as well.


text: 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.


text: The phrase their sons may mean “their citizens,” but the term “sons” has been retained here in order to preserve the implicit comparison between the Father and his Son, Jesus.


text: See the note on the phrase their sons in the previous verse.


text: The four drachma coin was a stater ( στατήρ , stathr ), a silver coin worth four drachmas. One drachma was equivalent to one denarius, the standard pay for a day’s labor (L&N 6.80).