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InterlinearVerse GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOB JOS JDG RUTH 1 SAM 2 SAM PSA AMOS HOS 1 KI 2 KI 1 CHR 2 CHR PROV ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA (JNA) NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL LAO GES LES ESG DNG 2 PS TOB JDT WIS SIR BAR LJE PAZ SUS BEL MAN 1 MAC 2 MAC 3 MAC 4 MAC YHN (JHN) MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC (JAM) GAL 1 TH 2 TH 1 COR 2 COR ROM COL PHM EPH PHP 1 TIM TIT 1 PET 2 PET 2 TIM HEB YUD (JUD) 1 YHN (1 JHN) 2 YHN (2 JHN) 3 YHN (3 JHN) REV
Mat C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16 C17 C18 C19 C20 C21 C22 C23 C24 C25 C26 C27 C28
Mat 17 V1 V2 V3 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13 V14 V15 V16 V17 V18 V19 V20 V21 V22 V23 V24 V25 V26 V27
OET (OET-LV) And the Petros answering, said to_ the _Yaʸsous/(Yəhōshūˊa):
master, it_is good us to_be here.
If you_are_wanting, I_will_be_making three tents here, one for_you, and one for_Mōsaʸs, and one for_Aʸlias.
OET (OET-RV) Then Peter spoke up and said to Yeshua, “Master, it’s good that we’re here. If you want, I could make three shelters here: one for you and one for Mosheh and one for Eliyah.”
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.
Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here.
Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us(excl) to be here.
Then Peter said to Jesus, “Sir, we(excl) are happy/privileged to be here!
Peter said to Jesus: In Greek, this verse begins with a conjunction that sometimes indicates a change of participants. Here the change is from the prophets to Peter. Some English versions translate this conjunction as “And.” The BSB and many other English versions do not translate this conjunction.
Verse 17:4 is the next event in the story. So here are some other ways to begin this verse:
Then Peter said to Jesus (NRSV)
So Peter said to Jesus (NET)
Lord: For help in translating the term Lord, see the note at 15:22c.
it is good for us to be here: There are at least three ways to interpret Peter’s words:
Peter meant that he and the other disciples were happy to be there. They were happy to see the glory of Jesus. They were also happy to see the prophets Moses and Elijah. It was a privilege for them to be there.One commentator who follow this interpretation is Nolland who writes on page 702, “Peter expresses on behalf of the disciple group present a sense of the privilege of witnessing the scene before them.” The NLT probably follows this interpretation. It says:
it’s wonderful for us to be here
Peter meant that it was good that he and the other disciples were there so that they could help Jesus and the prophets.One commentator who follows this interpretation is France who writes on page 649, “‘It is good that we are here’ in context means not so much ‘we are glad/privileged to be here’ but rather ‘it is a good thing that we are here because we are available to do what needs to be done.’” The NCV probably follow this interpretation. It says:
it is good that we are here
Peter meant that it was wonderful for all six men to be there together.One commentator who follows this interpretation of Blomberg who writes on page 262, “‘It is good for us to be here’ will then mean not that it is good that Peter, James, and John can help put up the tents but that it is good that all of the participants can preserve this moment for some length of time.”
Many English versions are ambiguous and it is not possible to tell which interpretation they follow. It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). Peter naturally thought about himself first and what he was experiencing. He first talked about what he thought and felt based on what he saw in front of him.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
we(excl) are happy to be here
it is a privilege for us(excl) to be here
us to be here: The pronoun us probably refers to Peter and the other two disciples. In other words, it probably excludes Jesus, Moses and Elijah. If your language has inclusive and exclusive pronouns, you should use the exclusive us here.
If You wish, I will put up three shelters—
If you want/desire, I will build three shelters.
If you want me to, I will put up three temporary shelters.
one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
One will be for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
I will put up one for you, another one for the prophet Moses and another for the prophet Elijah.”
If You wish: The Greek word that the BSB translates as wish could also be translated “want” or “desire.” Peter used this phrase to offer his services to Jesus.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
If you want (NCV)
If you desire
I will put up three shelters: The Greek word that the BSB translates as shelters refers to temporary shelters. These shelters were often made of cloth or animal skins. They were held up by poles and tied down with ropes. These shelters were traditionally used by herders. They could put them up and take them down quickly as they followed their wandering herds. They could sleep in them at night or use them for shade during the day.
These shelters could also be made from sticks and branches. This must have been what Peter meant since he would not have had cloth or skins with him on the mountain.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
I will make three tents here (ESV)
I will erect three shelters/huts
put up: The Greek verb that the BSB translates as put up is a general verb used to refer to building or constructing something. You should a verb in your language that goes with building/making temporary shelters.
Here are some other ways to translate this verb:
build
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
ἀποκριθεὶς
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἀποκριθείς Δέ ὁ Πέτρος εἶπεν τῷ Ἰησοῦ Κύριε καλόν ἐστίν ἡμάς ὧδε εἶναι Εἰ θέλεις ποιήσω ὧδε τρεῖς σκηνάς σοί μίαν καί Μωϋσεῖ μίαν καί Ἠλίᾳ μίαν)
Here, the word answering indicates that Peter was responding to what he saw. He was not answering a question. You could include this information if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: [in response to seeing those things]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / exclusive
ἡμᾶς
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἀποκριθείς Δέ ὁ Πέτρος εἶπεν τῷ Ἰησοῦ Κύριε καλόν ἐστίν ἡμάς ὧδε εἶναι Εἰ θέλεις ποιήσω ὧδε τρεῖς σκηνάς σοί μίαν καί Μωϋσεῖ μίαν καί Ἠλίᾳ μίαν)
By we, Peter could mean: (1) everyone who was there, including himself, the other two disciples, Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. Alternate translation: [for us all] (2) just himself and the other two disciples. Alternate translation: [for us disciples]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / yousingular
θέλεις & σοὶ
˱you˲_˓are˒_wanting & (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἀποκριθείς Δέ ὁ Πέτρος εἶπεν τῷ Ἰησοῦ Κύριε καλόν ἐστίν ἡμάς ὧδε εἶναι Εἰ θέλεις ποιήσω ὧδε τρεῖς σκηνάς σοί μίαν καί Μωϋσεῖ μίαν καί Ἠλίᾳ μίαν)
Since Peter is talking to Jesus, the word you is singular throughout this verse.
Note 4 topic: translate-textvariants
ποιήσω
˱I˲_˓will_be˒_making
Many ancient manuscripts read I will make. The ULT follows that reading. Other ancient manuscripts read “let us make.” If a translation of the Bible exists in your region, you may wish to use the reading that it uses. If a translation of the Bible does not exist in your region, you may wish to use the reading of the ULT.
Note 5 topic: translate-unknown
σκηνάς
tents
The term tents means simple, temporary places in which to sit or sleep. Peter probably had in mind that he would build them from the materials available on the mountain such as tree branches. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that refers to this kind of temporary shelter. Alternate translation: [booths]
17:4 three shelters as memorials: Peter probably thought that the Kingdom was about to be ushered in with full glory (cp. Acts 1:6), and he desired to memorialize the moment.
OET (OET-LV) And the Petros answering, said to_ the _Yaʸsous/(Yəhōshūˊa):
master, it_is good us to_be here.
If you_are_wanting, I_will_be_making three tents here, one for_you, and one for_Mōsaʸs, and one for_Aʸlias.
OET (OET-RV) Then Peter spoke up and said to Yeshua, “Master, it’s good that we’re here. If you want, I could make three shelters here: one for you and one for Mosheh and one for Eliyah.”
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.