The Transfiguration

Mark provides a series of parables in chronological order matched to the overall story of the Bible. This one is about Noah.

The Story

42 Mark 9:2-13 2ܘܒܬܪ ܫܬܐ ܝܘܡܝܢ ܕܒܪ ܝܫܘܥ ܠܟܐܦܐ ܘܠܝܥܩܘܒ ܘܠܝܘܚܢܢ ܘܐܤܩ ܐܢܘܢ ܠܛܘܪܐ ܪܡܐ ܒܠܚܘܕܝܗܘܢ ܘܐܬܚܠܦ ܠܥܢܝܗܘܢ ܀ ܘܡܙܗܪ ܗܘܐ ܠܒܘܫܗ ܘܡܚܘܪ ܛܒ ܐܝܟ ܬܠܓܐ ܐܝܟܢܐ ܕܒܢܝ ܐܢܫܐ ܠܡܚܘܪܘ ܒܐܪܥܐ ܠܐ ܡܫܟܚܝܢ ܀ 4ܘܐܬܚܙܝܘ ܠܗܘܢ ܐܠܝܐ ܘܡܘܫܐ ܟܕ ܡܡܠܠܝܢ ܥܡ ܝܫܘܥ ܀ 5ܘܐܡܪ ܠܗ ܟܐܦܐ ܪܒܝ ܫܦܝܪ ܗܘ ܠܢ ܕܗܪܟܐ ܢܗܘܐ ܘܢܥܒܕ ܬܠܬ ܡܛܠܝܢ ܠܟ ܚܕܐ ܘܠܡܘܫܐ ܚܕܐ ܘܠܐܠܝܐ ܚܕܐ ܀ 6ܠܐ ܕܝܢ ܝܕܥ ܗܘܐ ܡܢܐ ܐܡܪ ܐܝܬܝܗܘܢ ܗܘܘ ܓܝܪ ܒܕܚܠܬܐ ܀ 7ܘܗܘܬ ܥܢܢܐ ܘܡܛܠܐ ܗܘܬ ܥܠܝܗܘܢ ܘܩܠܐ ܡܢ ܥܢܢܐ ܕܐܡܪ ܗܢܘ ܒܪܝ ܚܒܝܒܐ ܠܗ ܫܡܥܘ ܀ 8ܘܡܢ ܫܠܝܐ ܟܕ ܚܪܘ ܬܠܡܝܕܐ ܠܐܢܫ ܠܐ ܚܙܘ ܐܠܐ ܠܝܫܘܥ ܒܠܚܘܕܘܗܝ ܥܡܗܘܢ ܀ 9ܘܟܕ ܢܚܬܝܢ ܡܢ ܛܘܪܐ ܡܦܩܕ ܗܘܐ ܠܗܘܢ ܕܠܐܢܫ ܠܐ ܢܐܡܪܘܢ ܡܕܡ ܕܚܙܘ ܐܠܐ ܐܢ ܡܐ ܕܩܡ ܒܪܗ ܕܐܢܫܐ ܡܢ ܡܝܬܐ ܀ 10ܘܐܚܕܘܗ ܠܡܠܬܐ ܒܢܦܫܗܘܢ ܘܒܥܝܢ ܗܘܘ ܕܡܢܐ ܗܝ ܗܕܐ ܡܠܬܐ ܕܡܐ ܕܩܡ ܡܢ ܒܝܬ ܡܝܬܐ ܀ 11ܘܡܫܐܠܝܢ ܗܘܘ ܠܗ ܘܐܡܪܝܢ ܡܢܐ ܗܟܝܠ ܐܡܪܝܢ ܤܦܪܐ ܕܐܠܝܐ ܘܠܐ ܕܢܐܬܐ ܠܘܩܕܡ ܀ 12ܐܡܪ ܠܗܘܢ ܐܠܝܐ ܐܬܐ ܠܘܩܕܡ ܕܟܠܡܕܡ ܢܬܩܢ ܘܐܝܟܢܐ ܟܬܝܒ ܥܠ ܒܪܗ ܕܐܢܫܐ ܕܤܓܝ ܢܚܫ ܘܢܤܬܠܐ ܀ 13ܐܠܐ ܐܡܪ ܐܢܐ ܠܟܘܢ ܕܐܦ ܐܠܝܐ ܐܬܐ ܘܥܒܕܘ ܒܗ ܟܠ ܡܐ ܕܨܒܘ ܐܝܟܢܐ ܕܟܬܝܒ ܥܠܘܗܝ ܀ 14ܘܟܕ ܐܬܐ ܠܘܬ ܬܠܡܝܕܐ ܚܙܐ ܠܘܬܗܘܢ ܟܢܫܐ ܤܓܝܐܐ ܘܤܦܪܐ ܟܕ ܕܪܫܝܢ ܥܡܗܘܢ ܀ (SYP)

42 Mark 9:2-13 2And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them. 3And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. 4And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus. 5And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. 6For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid. 7And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. 8And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves. 9And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead. 10And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean. 11And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come? 12And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought. 13But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him.(KJV)

42 Mark 9:2-13 2And after 6 days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them. 3And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. 4And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus. 5And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make 3 tabernacles; 1 for thee, and 1 for Moses, and 1 for Elias. 6For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid. 7And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. 8And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves. 9And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead. 10And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning 1 with another what the rising from the dead should mean. 11And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come? 12And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought. 13But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him.(KJV/NC)

42 Mark 9:2-13 2And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them; 3and his garments became glistering, exceeding white, so as no fuller on earth can whiten them. 4And there appeared unto them Elijah with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus. 5And Peter answereth and saith to Jesus, Rabbi, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah. 6For he knew not what to answer; for they became sore afraid. 7And there came a cloud overshadowing them: and there came a voice out of the cloud, This is my beloved Son: hear ye him. 8And suddenly looking round about, they saw no one any more, save Jesus only with themselves. 9And as they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, save when the Son of man should have risen again from the dead. 10And they kept the saying, questioning among themselves what the rising again from the dead should mean. 11And they asked him, saying, How is it that the scribes say that Elijah must first come? 12And he said unto them, Elijah indeed cometh first, and restoreth all things: and how is it written of the Son of man, that he should suffer many things and be set at nought? 13But I say unto you, that Elijah is come, and they have also done unto him whatsoever they would, even as it is written of him. (ASV)

42 Mark 9:2-13 2And six days after, Jesus took Peter and James and John, and brought them up to a high mountain alone; and he was transfigured before their eyes. 3His clothes shone and became white like snow in such a manner that men on earth cannot make white. 4And there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. 5And Peter said to him, Teacher, it is better for us to remain here; and let us make three shelters, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah. 6For he did not know what he was saying, for they were afraid. 7And there was a cloud overshadowing them, and a voice out of the cloud said, This is my beloved Son; hear him. 8And suddenly, when the disciples looked around, they saw no man except Jesus alone with them. 9And as they came down from the mountain, he commanded them not to tell any man what they had seen until the Son of man had risen from the dead. 10So they kept that saying to themselves, and they wanted to know what risen from the dead meant. 11And they asked him, saying, Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must first come? 12He said to them, Elijah does come first to prepare everything; and as it is written concerning the Son of man that he will suffer much and be rejected. 13But I say to you that Elijah has come, and they did with him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him. (LAM)

42 Mark 9:2-13 2And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves; and he was transfigured before them, 3and his garments became glistening, intensely white, as no fuller on earth could bleach them. 4And there appeared to them Eli'jah with Moses; and they were talking to Jesus. 5And Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is well that we are here; let us make three booths, one for you and one for Moses and one for Eli'jah." 6For he did not know what to say, for they were exceedingly afraid. 7And a cloud overshadowed 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 any one with them but Jesus only.

9And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of man should have risen from the dead. 10So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant. 11And they asked him, "Why do the scribes say that first Eli'jah must come?" 12And he said to them, "Eli'jah does come first to restore all things; and how is it written of the Son of man, that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? 13But I tell you that Eli'jah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him."(RSV)

42 Mark 9:2-13 2After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. 3His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 4And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.

5Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters -- one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." 6(He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)

7Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!"

8Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.

9As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what "rising from the dead" meant.

11And they asked him, "Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?"

12Jesus replied, "To be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected? 13But I tell you, Elijah has come, and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him."(NIV)

42 Mark 9:2-13 2After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John, and brought them up onto a high mountain privately by themselves, and he was changed into another form in front of them. 3His clothing became glistening, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them. 4Elijah and Moses appeared to them, and they were talking with Jesus.

5Peter answered Jesus, 'Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let's make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.' 6For he didn't know what to say, for they were very afraid.

7A cloud came, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, 'This is my beloved Son. ListenP to him.'

8Suddenly looking around, they saw no one with them any more, except Jesus only.

9As they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no one what things they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10They kept this saying to themselves, questioning what the 'rising from the dead' meant.

11They asked him, saying, 'Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?'

12He said to them, 'Elijah indeed comes first, and restores all things. How is it written about the Son of Man, that he should suffer many things and be despised? 13But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they have also done to him whatever they wanted to, even as it is written about him.'(WEB)

42 Mark 9:2-13 2After six days Yeshua took with him Peter, Jacob, and Yochanan, and brought them up onto a high mountain privately by themselves, and he was changed into another form in front of them. 3His clothing became glistening, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them. 4Elijah and Moses appeared to them, and they were talking with Yeshua.

5Peter answered Yeshua, 'Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let's make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.' 6For he didn't know what to say, for they were very afraid.

7A cloud came, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, 'This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.'

8Suddenly looking around, they saw no one with them any more, except Yeshua only.

9As they were coming down from the mountain, he commanded them that they should tell no one what things they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10They kept this saying to themselves, questioning what the 'rising from the dead' meant.

11They asked him, saying, 'Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?'

12He said to them, 'Elijah indeed comes first, and restores all things. How is it written about the Son of Man, that he should suffer many things and be despised? 13But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they have also done to him whatever they wanted to, even as it is written about him.'(WEB/HNV)

42 Mark 9:2-13 2And 6 days after, Jesus took Peter and Jacob and John, and brought them up to a high mountain alone; and he was transfigured before their eyes. 3His clothes shone and became white like snow in such a manner that men on earth cannot make white. 4And there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. 5And Peter said to him, Teacher, it is better for us to remain here; and let us make 3 shelters, 1 for you and 1 for Moses and 1 for Elijah. 6For he did not know what he was saying, for they were afraid. 7And there was a cloud overshadowing them, and a voice out of the cloud said, This is my beloved Son; hear him. 8And suddenly, when the disciples looked around, they saw no man except Jesus alone with them. 9And as they came down from the mountain, he commanded them not to tell any man what they had seen until the Son of man had risen from the dead. 10So they kept that saying to themselves, and they wanted to know what risen from the dead meant. 11And they asked him, saying, Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first? 12He said to them, Elijah does come first to prepare everything; and as it is written concerning the Son of man that he will suffer much and be rejected. 13But I say to you that Elijah has come, and they did with him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him. (BRB)

Background

This story begins with a reference to 6 days. As with all prophetic stories involving Jesus, each day with Jesus is 1000 years of God's dealing with mankind. This particular 6 day reference spans the 6000 years between Adam and Noah's Flood. Curiously, Adam's fall could only have happened when he was old enough to participate in a legal contract. That age is when someone is in their 20th year. The flood of Noah's time began on the 17th day of the 2nd month of the 6020th year from Adam. This suggests strongly that the flood was timed to match exactly 6000 years from Adam's fall.

The reference can also be taken another way. "After 6 days" is a carefully chosen way to say 7 days, which is the warning at the start of the storyline of Noah's flood itself.

In the parable Jesus takes 3 of his disciples with him up the mountain. This is a prophetic match to Noah and his 3 sons.

Jesus' clothes became shining white, suggesting the cleansing of the earth of the time is more complete than anyone on earth could have accomplished. It may also suggest something of the encounter Noah had with the Lord when the Lord sealed him in the Ark.

The Two who Appear

Two men, Elijah and Moses appear with Jesus. These two men are unusual because the man who should be here, but isn't is Abraham. Abraham is more important than these two men because all relations between the Lord and men happen under the umbrella covenant established with Abraham.

The reason these two men appear with Jesus is because both are associated with important baptisms. This is of course what Noah's flood was originally, a baptism of the race. (cite Paul) Moses took the ancient Hebrews out of Egypt through the Red Sea. This too was a baptism. Elijah struck the water with his cloak. (cite)

Building

At this sight Peter wants to built a shelter for everyone. Peter was greatly afraid. This matches Noah's predicament closely. Noah had to build a shelter, an ark. Noah was also greatly afraid because his world was about to be destroyed in a flood. His ark mattered.

Gone in a Cloud

A cloud overshadows the group and a voice says listen to Jesus. Suddenly the cloud, and everyone else, was gone. In Moses' day a cloud also overshadowed him. When the cloud was gone, so too were all the people in the pre-flood world.

Hidden Until After Ressurection

When they were coming down the mountain, likely prophetic for Mount Ararat in Turkey, (cite) Jesus command they tell no one until after the resurrection.

One of the biggest questions surrounding the story of Noah is what was the pre-flood world like? This question even fascinates people in the secular world that acknowledge there was a worldwide flood. Flood stories occur in essentially every people group across the world.

Some have suggested the pre-flood world was industrial, like our world now or even better. The people alive in that era had 6000 years to develop it. Our industrial world only took 500 years or so to develop. So it was quite possible this was a least an industrial world as we think of it.

Still other people believe, perhaps, that there was a planetary shift at the same time as Noah. This is supported by Moses and Elijah, two men who also left the planet.

Whatever may have happened in the world before Noah, no extensive details have been passed down in reliable written forms. Jesus' claim that nothing is to be revealed about the pre-flood world suggests that full details from that era will not be widely available to people until after the general resurrection at the end of this age. (This by his sovereign plan.)

The pre-flood world will remain a great secret until Noah is raised from the dead when he can share about what happened in that world with everyone. The disciples wondering about what "raising from the dead" might mean is a parable for the Christian world today that rarely discusses the general resurrection at the end of the age.

Elijah the Restorer

The final dialog in this parable involves references to Elijah. The one who would come and restore all things.

Of course this is John the Baptist. It is also a reference to the baptism of the earth at the time of Noah. Noah came and restored all things, wiping out the consequences of sin from the previous generations. The world was left in a nearly virgin state, much of it would remain undisturbed until the past 100 years.

The general chronology of the Bible is symetric about the Exodus from Egypt. These stories are also parables about our current era, with less than 30 years remaining before these have all happened again.