Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Matthew: Chapter 17].
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17:1 {After six days} (\meth' h•mer•s hex\). This could be on the
sixth day, but as Luke (Lu 9:28) puts it "about eight days" one
naturally thinks of a week as the probable time, though it is not
important. {Taketh with him} (\paralambanei\). Literally, {takes
along}. Note historical present. These three disciples form an
inner group who have shown more understanding of Jesus. So at
Gethsemane. {Apart} (\kat' idian\) means "by themselves"
({alone}, \monous\, Mark has it) up (\anapherei\) into a high
mountain, probably Mount Hermon again, though we do not really
know. "The Mount of Transfiguration does not concern geography"
(Holtzmann).
17:2 {He was transfigured before them} (\metemorph•th• emprosthen
aut•n\). The word is the same as the metamorphoses (cf. Ovid) of
pagan mythology. Luke does not use it. The idea is change
(\meta-\) of form (\morph•\). It really presents the essence of a
thing as separate from the \sch•ma\ (fashion), the outward
accident. So in Ro 12:2 Paul uses both verbs,
\sunschematizesthe\ (be not fashioned) and \metamorphousthe\ (be
ye transformed in your inner life). So in 1Co 7:31 \sch•ma\ is
used for the fashion of the world while in Mr 16:12 \morph•\ is
used of the form of Jesus after his resurrection. The false
apostles are described by \metasch•matisomai\ in 2Co 11:13-15.
In Php 2:6 we have \en morph•i\ used of the Preincarnate state
of Christ and \morph•n doulou\ of the Incarnate state (Php
2:7), while \sch•mati h•s anthr•pos\ emphasizes his being found
"in fashion as a man." But it will not do in Mt 17:2 to use the
English transliteration \metamorph•sis\ because of its pagan
associations. So the Latin _transfigured_ (Vulgate
_transfiguratus est_) is better. "The deeper force of
\metamorphousthai\ is seen in 2Co 3:18 (with reference to the
shining on Moses' face), Ro 12:2" (McNeile). The word occurs in
a second-century papyrus of the pagan gods who are invisible.
Matthew guards against the pagan idea by adding and explaining
about the face of Christ "as the sun" and his garments "as the
light."
17:3 {There appeared} (\•phth•\). Singular aorist passive verb
http://www.ccel.org/r/robertson_at/wordpictures/htm/MT17.RWP.html (1 of 5) [28/08/2004 09:03:15 a.m.]
Word Pictures in the New Testament
(Matthew: Chapter 17)