Suddenly two men, Moses and Elijah, began talking with Jesus.
Parallel translations
- WEB Behold, two men were talking with him, who were Moses and Elijah,
- KJV And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias:
- NKJV And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah,
- NASB And behold, two men were talking with Him; and they were Moses and Elijah,
- NLT Suddenly, two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared and began talking with Jesus.
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
Moses and Elijah appear and talk with Jesus. The two great Old Testament figures bear witness that He fulfills the Law and the Prophets.
Overview
Moses represents the Law and Elijah the Prophets, and their presence shows that all of Scripture points to Christ. Their appearance in conversation with Jesus affirms continuity between the old covenant and the new. The whole of the Old Testament finds its goal and fulfillment in Him.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Luke 1:17And he will go on before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
- 2 Cor 3:7–11Now if the ministry of death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at the face of Moses because of its fleeting glory,
- Heb 3:3–6For Jesus has been counted worthy of greater glory than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself.
- John 1:17For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
- Matt 17:3–4Suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared before them, talking with Jesus.
- Luke 24:44Jesus said to them, “These are the words I spoke to you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.”
- Luke 24:27And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was written in all the Scriptures about Himself.
- Mark 9:4–6And Elijah and Moses appeared before them, talking with Jesus.
- Rom 3:21–23But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, as attested by the Law and the Prophets.
- Luke 9:19They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that a prophet of old has arisen.”
- Jas 5:17–18Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 9:30 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.