9:4a–b
And Elijah and Moses appeared before them, talking with Jesus: The Greek clauses here indicate that Elijah and Moses were already talking with Jesus when the disciples saw them. The context also implies that Elijah, Moses, and Jesus were still talking when Peter interrupted them in 9:5a. Try to translate in a way that allows for either of these two meanings.
Elijah and Moses: Elijah and Moses were both Old Testament prophets who lived many years before Jesus. But God brought them to the mountain to talk with Jesus.
If people in your area will not know that Elijah and Moses lived long before Jesus, you may want to include some implied information. For example:
Elijah and Moses, prophets of long ago
appeared: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as appeared is literally “was seen.” This form of the verb is often used to describe beings who appear in a supernatural manner. Here, this verb indicates that the disciples suddenly saw Elijah and Moses. The disciples did not see them coming from a distance. For this reason, it is possible to translate this as:
Elijah and Moses suddenly appeared to them
-or-
They suddenly saw Elijah and Moses
them: The pronoun them refers to the three disciples. However, your translation should not imply that Elijah and Moses suddenly became visible to the three disciples but not to Jesus. Clearly, Jesus saw them as well as the three disciples. In some languages you may be able to leave the word them implicit. For example, the New Living Translation says:
Then Elijah and Moses appeared
9:4b
talking with Jesus: The Greek grammar probably indicates that Elijah and Moses were already talking with Jesus when the disciples saw them. The grammar could also indicate that Elijah, Moses, and Jesus were still talking when Peter interrupted them (9:5a). Try to translate in a way that allows for either of those two meanings.
Paragraph 9:5–8
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