And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias:
Parallel translations
- WEB Behold, two men were talking with him, who were Moses and Elijah,
- BSB Suddenly two men, Moses and Elijah, began talking with Jesus.
- 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 shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
- 2 Cor 3:7–11But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:
- Heb 3:3–6For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house.
- John 1:17For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
- Matt 17:3–4And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.
- Luke 24:44And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
- Luke 24:27And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
- Mark 9:4–6And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus.
- Rom 3:21–23But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
- Luke 9:19They answering said, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others say, that one of the old prophets is risen again.
- Jas 5:17–18Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
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.