And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering.
Parallel translations
- WEB As he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became white and dazzling.
- BSB And as He was praying, the appearance of His face changed, and His clothes became radiantly white.
- NKJV As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening.
- NASB And while He was praying, the appearance of His face became different, and His clothing became white and gleaming.
- NLT And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was transformed, and his clothes became dazzling white.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
As Jesus prays, His face changes and His clothing becomes dazzling white. The Transfiguration reveals the hidden glory of the Son of God.
Overview
While praying, Jesus is visibly transformed, His face and garments radiating heavenly light. This momentary unveiling shows the divine glory that His humanity ordinarily concealed. It confirms the truth of Peter's confession and assures the disciples that the coming suffering would not diminish His true majesty.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Matt 17:2And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
- Mark 9:2–3And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them.
- 2 Pet 1:16–18For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
- Exod 34:29–35And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.
- Isa 53:2For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
- Phil 3:7–8But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
- Isa 33:17Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off.
- Rev 20:11And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
- Acts 6:15And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.
- Mark 16:12After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country.
- John 1:14And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
- Rev 1:13–16And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 9:29 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.