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OET (OET-LV) And the apprentices/followers of_him asked him saying:
Why therefore are_ the scribes _saying that Aʸlias it_is_fitting to_come first?
OET (OET-RV) So his apprentices asked him, “Why do the religious teachers say that Eliyah has to come before the messiah?”
In this section, Jesus changed his appearance. He made his face and his clothes shine very brightly. He did this in front of Peter, James and John. At the same time, the disciples saw Moses and Elijah. Then they heard the voice of God. When the disciples saw and heard all this, they understood that Jesus was not an ordinary teacher. They better understood that he really was the Messiah.
This section immediately follow 16:28 which says, “Truly, I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” This section begins to fulfill that verse.
Here are some other possible headings for this section:
The disciples saw Jesus’ appearance change
Jesus’ glory was revealed on the mountain
There are parallel passages for this section in Mark 9:2–12 and Luke 9:28–36.
The disciples asked Him,
¶ Then his disciples asked him,
¶ Then his disciples asked him/Jesus,
The disciples asked Him: Here the phrase The disciples refers to the same three disciples (Peter, James and John) who were on the mountain with Jesus.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
Then the disciples asked Jesus (GNT)
And his disciples asked him (KJV)
Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?: This is a real question. It is not a rebuke. The disciples asked this question because they were confused. They knew that Jesus was the Christ, and they had just seen Elijah on the mountain. This reminded them about the prophecy that Elijah would come back to preach before the Christ came. So here the disciples asked Jesus why they had not seen the public ministry of Elijah before he, Jesus, came.
Here are some other ways to translate this question:
Why do the teachers of religious law insist that Elijah must return before the Messiah comes? (NLT)
So why do the scribes say that it is necessary that Elijah return to the earth before the Christ comes?
“Why then do the scribes say that
“Why do the teachers of the Law say that
“So, why do the teachers of the law of Moses say that
the scribes: The Greek word that the BSB translates as scribes refers to men who studied, interpreted, and taught the law of Moses. These men were called scribes because their original work was to copy the laws of Moses by hand. In New Testament times, this was no longer their main task.
Here are some other ways to translate this term:
teachers of the Law of Moses (CEV)
teachers of religious law (NLT)
teachers of the law (NIV)
experts in the law
Translate this term in the same way as you did in 15:1a and 16:21c.
Elijah must come first?”
Elijah must come before the Christ/Messiah comes?”
it is necessary for the prophet Elijah to return to the earth before the Christ/Messiah comes?”
Elijah must come first: These words mean that the prophet Elijah must return to earth before the Messiah comes.
Here are some other ways to translate these words:
Elijah must come before the Messiah does (CEV)
Elijah must return before the Messiah comes (NLT)
must: In Greek, the word that the BSB translates as must is often used to indicate something that is required because it is God’s will. The Scripture said that Elijah would come first. Therefore, it was necessary for him to come.
Here are some other ways to translate this whole clause:
it is necessary for Elijah to come first
it is required that Elijah come before the Messiah
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ
the the (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἐπηρώτησαν αὐτόν οἱ μαθηταί αὐτοῦ λέγοντες Τί οὖν οἱ γραμματεῖς λέγουσιν ὅτι Ἠλίαν δεῖ ἐλθεῖν πρῶτον)
Matthew continues to refer to Peter, James, and John, the three disciples who went up on the mountain with Jesus. You could include this information if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: [Peter, James, and John]
Note 2 topic: writing-quotations
λέγοντες
saying
Consider natural ways of introducing direct quotations in your language. Alternate translation: [and they asked]
Note 3 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result
τί οὖν
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἐπηρώτησαν αὐτόν οἱ μαθηταί αὐτοῦ λέγοντες Τί οὖν οἱ γραμματεῖς λέγουσιν ὅτι Ἠλίαν δεῖ ἐλθεῖν πρῶτον)
Here, the word then indicates that the disciples ask this question because of what they saw on the mountain. More specifically, they ask the question because they had just seen Elijah and wondered why he appeared after Jesus the Messiah came and not before. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make some or all of those ideas more explicit. Alternate translation: [Because of what we saw on the mountain, we have a question: why] or [We just saw Elijah appear after you, the Messiah, have already come. Why then]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
Ἠλείαν δεῖ ἐλθεῖν
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἐπηρώτησαν αὐτόν οἱ μαθηταί αὐτοῦ λέγοντες Τί οὖν οἱ γραμματεῖς λέγουσιν ὅτι Ἠλίαν δεῖ ἐλθεῖν πρῶτον)
Here the disciples are referring to a prophecy in [Malachi 4:5–6](../mal/04/05.md). This prophecy states that God will send Elijah before the day of the Lord arrives, and he will prepare people. Elijah was a prophet who did many powerful things a long time before Malachi wrote down this prophecy. The scribes teach that this means that Elijah must come before the Messiah does. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this idea more explicit. Alternate translation: [it is necessary for Elijah, who was a prophet long ago, to come] or [the Scriptures indicate that it is necessary for Elijah the prophet to come]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom
ἐλθεῖν
˓to˒_come
Here, the word come refers to Elijah appearing in the word and doing what God called him to do. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a comparable phrase or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [to appear] or [to do what he is predicted to do]
Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
πρῶτον
first
Here the disciples imply that Elijah comes first because he comes before the Messiah does. You could include this information if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: [first, before the Messiah comes]
OET (OET-LV) And the apprentices/followers of_him asked him saying:
Why therefore are_ the scribes _saying that Aʸlias it_is_fitting to_come first?
OET (OET-RV) So his apprentices asked him, “Why do the religious teachers say that Eliyah has to come before the messiah?”
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.