The statement Elijah does come has been rendered by Barclay as “It is quite true … that Elijah is to come.” The implication is that he will precede the coming of the Messiah, so some have said “Elijah will come back first.” Come may be rendered as in verse 10.

Restore all things (New American Bible “restore everything”) is translated “set everything in order” by Barclay, “get everything ready” by Good News Translation, and “restore the whole people of God” by Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch. Elsewhere Matthew uses the verb restore only in 12.13 in connection with the healing of a man’s crippled hand: “and it was restored, whole like the other.” The reference to Elijah is perhaps best understood as that of Malachi 4.5-6, where it is promised that Elijah will come before the day of the LORD to reconcile parents and children with one another.

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .