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Matthew

About this book
Chapter 17

1 Six days later Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John the brother of James, and led them privately up a high mountain.⁠ 2 And he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.⁠ 3 Then Moses and Elijah also appeared before them, talking with him. 4 So Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you want, I will make three shelters—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my one dear Son, in whom I take great delight. Listen to him!”⁠ 6 When the disciples heard this, they were overwhelmed with fear and threw themselves down with their faces to the ground. 7 But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Do not be afraid.” 8 When they looked up, all they saw was Jesus alone. 9 As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Do not tell anyone about the vision until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” 10 The disciples asked him, “Why then do the experts in the law say that Elijah must come first?” 11 He answered, “Elijah does indeed come first and will restore all things.⁠ 12 And I tell you that Elijah has already come. Yet they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wanted. In the same way, the Son of Man will suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist. 14 When they came to the crowd, a man came to him, knelt before him, 15 and said, “Lord, have mercy on my son because he has seizures and suffers terribly, for he often falls into the fire and into the water. 16 I brought him to your disciples, but they were not able to heal him.” 17 Jesus answered, “You unbelieving and perverse generation! How much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I endure you? Bring him here to me.” 18 Then Jesus rebuked the demon and it came out of him, and the boy was healed from that moment. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why couldn’t we cast it out?” 20 He told them, “It was because of your little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; nothing will be impossible for you.” 21 When they gathered together in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. 22 They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised.” And they became greatly distressed. 23 After they arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax came to Peter and said, “Your teacher pays the double drachma tax, doesn’t he?” 24 He said, “Yes.” When Peter came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do earthly kings collect tolls or taxes—from their sons or from foreigners?” 25 After he said, “From foreigners,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. 26 But so that we don’t offend them, go to the lake and throw out a hook. Take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth, you will find a four-drachma coin. Take that and give it to them for me and you.”

Texts in conversation

Compare Sirach 48:10 and Matthew 17:11

Deuterocanon · New Testament

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Summary

In Matthew 17, Jesus refers to Elijah’s return to restore order before the end of the age, using language also found in Sirach. Both describe Elijah as a figure chosen to renew Israel’s unity, following an interpretation of Malachi.

Passages

Sirach 48:10

Deuterocanon · Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus
3 By the word of the Lord he shut up the heavens. He brought down fire three times. 4 How you were glorified, O Elijah, in your wondrous deeds! Whose glory is like yours? 5 You raised up a dead man from death, from Hades, by the word of the Most High. 6 You brought down kings to destruction, and honorable men from their sickbeds. 7 You heard rebuke in Sinai, and judgments of vengeance in Horeb. 8 You anointed kings for retribution, and prophets to succeed after you. 9 You were taken up in a tempest of fire, in a chariot of fiery horses. 10 You were recorded for reproofs in their seasons, to pacify anger, before it broke out into wrath, to turn the heart of the father to the son, and to restore the tribes of Jacob.
195–180 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Sirach

Matthew 17:11

New Testament
8 When they looked up, all they saw was Jesus alone. 9 As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Do not tell anyone about the vision until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” 10 The disciples asked him, “Why then do the experts in the law say that Elijah must come first?” 11 He answered, “Elijah does indeed come first and will restore all things. 12 And I tell you that Elijah has already come. Yet they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wanted. In the same way, the Son of Man will suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist.
70–90 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Matthew

References

"... The reappearance of Elijah was connected with eschatological events. This verse has as its biblical background Malachi 3:23–24 (NRSV 4:5–6, which has the phrase “to turn the hearts of parents to their children”) ... The Hebrew participle 'haketuv' is most often translated “it is written.” But this translation breaks up the consistent use of the participles in verses 5–10 to refer specifically to Elijah. This one must refer to the prophet as well. An alternative translation might be: “The one who is certainly appointed (or: enrolled) for the time.” ..."
Benjamin G. Wright in Outside the Bible: Ancient Jewish Writings Related to Scripture, ed. Louis H. Feldman, James L. Kugel, and Lawrence H. Schiffman (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2013), 2340.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Sirach 48:10 and Matthew 17:11

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