And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah,
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:
- BSB Suddenly two men, Moses and Elijah, began talking with Jesus.
- 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 1:17He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to prepare a people prepared for the Lord.”
- 2 Cor 3:7–11But if the service of death, written engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the children of Israel could not look steadfastly on the face of Moses for the glory of his face; which was passing away:
- Heb 3:3–6For he has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, because he who built the house has more honor than the house.
- John 1:17For the law was given through Moses. Grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.
- Matt 17:3–4Behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them talking with him.
- Luke 24:44He said to them, “This is what I told you, while I was still with you, that all things which are written in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms, concerning me must be fulfilled.”
- Luke 24:27Beginning from Moses and from all the prophets, he explained to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
- Mark 9:4–6Elijah and Moses appeared to them, and they were talking with Jesus.
- Rom 3:21–23But now apart from the law, a righteousness of God has been revealed, being testified by the law and the prophets;
- Luke 9:19They answered, “‘John the Baptizer,’ but others say, ‘Elijah,’ and others, that one of the old prophets is risen again.”
- Jas 5:17–18Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it didn’t rain on the earth for 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.