PATTERN OF SOUND WORDS

Tag: Transfiguration

  • Notes and Useful Applications for Exodus 3:1–14 from Das Weimarische Bibelwerk (1877)

    The following is my translation of the notes and useful applications for one of the Old Testament Readings assigned for the Transfiguration of our Lord, Exodus 3:1–14, as they are found in Das Weimarische Bibelwerk (1877). Square brackets indicate my own notes and additions. For the useful applications, I recommend the reader see this very helpful article by Dr. Benjamin T. G. Mayes.

    Moses is Called to Lead Israel from Egypt, by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld

    I. The appearance of the Son of God in the fiery bush, and how Moses approached. (v. 1–6)

    II. The promise of God concerning help and salvation, and how Moses was called to his office. (v. 7–10)

    III. How Moses refused this call two distinct times, partly on account of his unworthiness, partly on account of the ignorance of the children of Israel, that they may not know the name of God; and how the Lord answered thereafter. (v. 11–14)

    Annotated Text

    1. Now Moses tended (in those days in the fortieth year) the sheep of Jethro, his father-in-law,1 the priest (the captain and magistrate) in Midian, and he drove the sheep out in the wilderness (into the land of Arabia, which is called the wilderness of Sinai), and came to the mountain of God (so named on account of the present and following divine revelation, called) Horeb.

    1 † Perhaps the brother-in-law, for the word from which the Hebrew comes signifies in general a relationship through marriage and can be that the son follows the father in office. Age and names can suggest this. See Exodus 2:18, 23; Numbers 10:29; Judges 1:16, 4:11, etc.

    2. And the Angel of the Lord (the Lord, the eternal self-subsisting Son of God, who afterward in the fullness of time was sent into the flesh by the Father, the Lord) appeared to him * in a fiery flame from the bush.1 And he saw that the bush burned with fire and was nevertheless not consumed (by the flame of fire).

    * Exodus 23:20; Deuteronomy 33:16 (Acts 7:30)

    1 † Thornbush, particularly a bramble-bush; from this Mount Sinai appears to have received its name.

    3. And he said (to himself with wonder), “I will (go) there and see this great sight (I will inspect and research), why the bush does not burn (what the cause might be that the green wood in the midst of which the flame of fire burns is not consumed? By this fiery bush is prefigured the mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God, that namely, in the fullness of time, He would unite true human nature to Himself personally,  and also fill it with the light of His divine majesty and divine attributes, yet so that human nature would not be harmed or consumed by the divine nature in the least, and that in such personal union His assumed human nature would complete the work of redemption of the human race, prefigured by the deliverance from Egyptian slavery.)1

    (Acts 7:31)

    1 † Whether the divine preservation of His Church in the fire and thorns of the (Egyptian) afflictions has no place here is to be considered, and it is likely that it was in view.

    4. But when the Lord saw (the Son of God in the fiery bush) that he went over (wanted to draw near) to see, God (the Son of God) called to him from the bush, and * said, “Moses, Moses!” He answered, “Here I am. (What is your desire? Speak, for Your servant listens, 1 Samuel 3:10.)”

    * Genesis 22:11

    5. He said, “Do not tread here, take off your shoes from1 your feet (as a sign of your impurity); for the place upon which you stand is (on account of My divine presence and revelation through the Word and through sign of the fiery bush) a * holy land.”

    1 Hebrew: “cast them down” (For the Jewish shoes were fasted to the foot only from above with a strap, as they are still worn by the Capuchin friars.)

    * Genesis 28:17 (Joshua 5:15)

    6. And He said further, * “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob (I have established a gracious covenant with your forefathers, the holy patriarchs, and promised them that I would be their God, that I would nourish and protect them, that I would sanctify and renew them, and that I would bestow all good upon them, that I would resurrection them again after their death, and that I would gather them into eternal life; but, in particular, that I would give the land of Canaan to their descendants, and that the Messiah shall be born from their race).” And Moses hid his face, for he (as an impure sinner) was afraid to look upon God (the most-holy Lord).

    * Matthew 22:32 (Mark 12:26; Luke 20:37; Acts 7:37, 32)

    7. And the Lord said, “I have (indeed) seen (from before time and even now) the misery of My people in Egypt (the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who are the people of My special possession), and I have heard their cries over those who drive them (King Pharoah, his counselors, and his officials); I have known their sorrow (and let it come into My heart),

    (Acts 7:34)

    8. And I have come down (I have revealed My special presence in the fiery bush and am determined) that I rescue them from the hand of Egypt (slavery and oppression), and lead them out from this land into * a good and far land, in a land in which flows milk and honey (which is rich and fruitful), namely, to the place (into the land) of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites (whom altogether are accursed and notorious sinners, Leviticus 18:24–25).

    * Exodus 33:3 (Exodus 13:5ff; Genesis 9:25, 11:7, 15:16, 18:21)

    9. Because now the cry of the children of Israel has come before me (because the children of Israel, in their cries and prayers have set My covenant and promise before Me), and I have seen their fear (the external bodily need), how the Egyptians frighten them;

    10. so * go now, I will send you to Pharoah (the King in Egypt), that you1 lead my people, the children of Israel from Egypt (the house of slavery).”

    * Psalm 105:26; Acts 7:34 (Hosea 12:14; Sirach 45:3ff.)

    1 Hebrew: “Come now! Behold, the cry has come, etc.” (v. 9) “Come! (I say) go, for I will send you to Pharoah, and you will lead My people, etc.”

    11. Moses said to God, * “Who am I, that I should go to Pharoah and lead the children of Israel from Egypt?” (My person, reputation, and strength are far too meagre for such a great work.)

    * Exodus 4:10; 1 Samuel 18:18

    12. He said, * “I will be with you (as Immanuel, the strong God). And this shall be the sign for you (a sign of remembrance, to remind you of what I now say to you in the future, and now are assured of this blessing), that I have sent you: When you have led My people from Egypt, you will offer sacrifice to God on1 this mountain (where I have now appeared to you and have given you the call to lead My people).”

    * Genesis 31:3; Judges 6:16

    1 Hebrew: “in” (For sacrifices were never offered upon it, also upon which few were allowed come. See Exodus 24:9ff.)

    13. Moses said to God, “Behold, when I come to the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ they will say to me, ‘How shall we call His name (what is His proper name, by which He will be distinguished from the gods of the Egyptians)?’ What shall I say to them (as an answer)?”

    14. God said to Moses, * “I AM WHO I AM (I am the eternal, unchangeable God, the Creator and Preserver of all creatures, complete in Myself; I will also the fullness of time assume human nature, and in it complete the great work of redemption from spiritual slavery.).” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel (the only true God’s name is this): ‘I AM has sent me to you (Luther: “When you come there, then I will be with you, and show Myself such that you shall know that it is I.”).”

    * Deuteronomy 4:35; Revelation 1:4, 8

    Useful Applications

    I. CORRECTION: That we ought to come to the place where God deals with us through His word with reverence, just as Moses did. (v. 1–6) II. DOCTRINE: That God alone knows how to raise up useful people for the help and comfort of His suffering Church, as He did with Moses. (v. 7–10) III. COMFORT: That those who are orderly called, even to a dangerous office, ought to comfort themselves with the assistance of God. (v. 11–12)

  • Notes and Useful Applications for 2 Peter 1:16–21 from Das Weimarische Bibelwerk (1877)

    The following is my translation of the notes and useful applications for the Epistle Reading of the Transfiguration of our Lord, 2 Peter 1:16–21, as they are found in Das Weimarische Bibelwerk (1877). Square brackets indicate my own notes and additions. For the useful applications, I recommend the reader see this very helpful article by Dr. Benjamin T. G. Mayes.

    The Transfiguration of Jesus, by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld

    IV. A new admonition to pure apostolic doctrine. (v. 16–21)

    Annotated Text

    16. For we (I and other apostles) have not followed * clever fables (cleverly devised poems), when we had proclaimed † the power and coming1 of our Lord Jesus Christ (how He will one day come for judgment in power and glory); but rather we have seen His glory (and divine majesty) ourselves;

    *1 Corinthians 1:17

    † 1 Corinthians 2:4 (John 1:14)

    1 Greek: present (that He now shines in reality as the Savior of the world)

    17. when1 He (in His transfiguration) received honor and praise from God the Father through a (clear and audible) voice that came2 to Him from the great Glory, “This is My (only-begotten, own, and) beloved Son, in whom I have good pleasure (whom I not only love in a fatherly way, but rather, for His sake, also have good pleasure in all who believe in Him, Ephesians 1:6).”

    * Matthew 3:17, 17:1–5; Luke 9:35 (Matthew 12:18)

    1 Greek: “For when…” [γὰρ]

    2 Greek: “and such a voice came to Him…” [φωνῆς ἐνεχθείσης αὐτῷ τοιᾶσδε]

    18. And we (I and my fellow apostles James and John) have heard this Voice which was came from heaven,1 * when we were with Him on the holy mountain (which, on account of this divine revelation, is called the holy mountain, Exodus 3:5).

    1 Greek: “So we (ourselves) also have heard this voice (clearly), when it resounded from heaven” [καὶ ταύτην τὴν φωνὴν ἡμεῖς ἠκούσαμεν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ ἐνεχθεῖσαν]

    * Matthew 17:5 (Luke 9:35ff.)

    19. We have1 a firm (even more firm than the aforementioned revelation on the mountain and the divine Voice which was heard there, namely, a) prophetic Word (contained in the Scriptures of the Old Testament inspired by God, through which the doctrine of Jesus Christ and His righteousness, which comes through faith, is manifestly attested, Romans 3:21), and you do well that you pay heed to it (and diligently search therein, John 5:39, Acts 17:11) as to * a light, which here (together with the doctrine of the Gospel contained in the New Testament in the apostolic Scriptures, 2 Peter 3:15–16) shines in a dark place (in this poor mortal life, which in comparison to the future eternal life is a true land of darkness and gloom, Job 10:21),2 until the day (of the full radiance and the glorious light of eternal life) dawns and the Morningstar (Christ Jesus, Revelation 22:16) rises in your hearts (when there will be no more night, and one will not need a lamp or the light of the sun because God the Lord Himself will illumine the elect, Revelation 22:5).3

    1 Greek: “We also have” [καὶ ἔχομεν] (namely, beyond the first vision mentioned)

    * Psalm 119:105; 2 Corinthians 4:6

    2 Or, “in your soul,” which without this light is darkness by nature.

    3 This may also be a description of the dawn, that is, the believing knowledge of Christ that appears to us here and always is increased in divine grace, upon which the full day of eternal life follows. See Isaiah 8:20.

    20. And that you should know this first (first of all), that no prophecy in Scripture (thus recorded in Holy Divine Scripture) happened from one’s own interpretation1 (which a man spins and devises from his own mind, but rather, the interpretation of the prophetic prophecy must be taken from Holy Scripture itself);

    (Romans 12:7; 2 Timothy 3:16)

    1 Greek: Alternatively, “As you know above all (as a foundational principle of your faith), that no prophecy contained in (Holy) Scripture comes from one’s own resolution (or the arbitrary will of men).” [τοῦτο πρῶτον γινώσκοντες ὅτι πᾶσα προφητεία γραφῆς ἰδίας ἐπιλύσεως οὐ γίνεται]

    21. For no prophecy ever (contained in Holy Scripture) was ever brought about from the will of men; rather, the * holy men of God (the holy prophets) spoke (of divine mysteries), being driven † by the Holy Spirit. (Therefore, just as Holy Scripture did not flow forth from human reason, but is inspired by God, 2 Timothy 3:16, so also must the correct interpretation of prophetic Scripture not be spun from human reason, but rather must arise from the Holy Spirit, who, just as He is the origin of Holy Scripture, must also be its most certain interpreter.)

    * Wisdom 7:27

    † Acts 28:25 (2 Samuel 23:2; Acts 2:16; 1 Peter 1:11)

    Useful Applications

    IV. CORRECTION: To pay attention to the prophetic Holy Scriptures, to hold them high and of worth, and also to follow them in faith and life as a light bestowed by God. (v. 19) * COMFORT: Because the Holy Scripture is not man’s Word, but rather is God’s Word, so we ourselves can rely upon it in life and death. (v. 20–21)

  • Notes and Useful Applications for Matthew 17:1–9 from Das Weimarische Bibelwerk (1877)

    The following is my translation of the notes and useful applications for the Holy Gospel of the Transfiguration of our Lord, Matthew 17:1–9, as they are found in Das Weimarische Bibelwerk (1877). Square brackets indicate my own notes and additions. For the useful applications, I recommend the reader see this very helpful article by Dr. Benjamin T. G. Mayes.

    The Transfiguration of Jesus, by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld

    I. The history of the transfiguration of Christ on Mount Tabor. (v. 1–8)
    II. The conversation of Christ with His disciples concerning the future Elijah. (v. 9–13)

    Annotated Text

    1. And after * six days (In Luke it says, “And it came to pass about eight days after these sayings,” [Luke 9:28]. For there had been six days between the time Jesus spoke these words at the end of the nearest preceding chapter and afterwards on the eighth day this Transfiguration followed), Jesus took to Himself Peter and James and John, his (James’s) brother (which three He likewise afterwards took to Himself  when He wanted to go to His suffering in the garden of the Mount of Olives, Matthew 26:37, to indicate that those who have much of the suffering of Christ are also richly comforted through Christ, 2 Corinthians 1:5), and lead them (specially alone from other people, and went with them) to a high mountain (called Tabor, situated in Galilee,1 to which He withdrew to pray, and when He prayed, the form of His face was altered, Luke 9:28–29).

    * Mark 9:2 (Luke 9:28)

    1 † Or as others hold, “Panium, near Caesarea Philippi.” Peter calls it simply “the holy mountain” [τῷ ἁγίῳ ὄρει], 2 Peter 1:18.

    2. And (He) was * transfigured before them (He was transfigured before them, Mark 9:2, in such a way that He received an entirely different form, He allowed them to see a glance of His heavenly, peculiar Majesty and glory, which was communicated to Him according to His human nature by virtue of the personal union, so that they would be guarded against the offense of the cross of Christ), and His face shown as the sun, and His clothes were white (and gleamed) as light (they became bright and very white as the snow, in such a way that no fuller on earth can make them so white, Mark 9:3).

    * John 1:14; 2 Peter 1:16–17

    3. And behold, there appeared to them (two men bodily, who were) Moses and Elijah, who (appeared in radiance and) spoke with Him (concerning the departure [τὴν ἔξοδον] which He was to fulfill at Jerusalem, that is, concerning His suffering. As Moses and the prophets had prophesied of Christ in their writings, John 5:39, 5:46, Acts 10:43, so also Moses thus speaks here with Christ, as well as Elijah in the name of the all the prophets, and give Him testimony, that He is the Messiah and Savior of the world).

    4. But Peter (and those who were with Him were full of sleep; but when they awoke, they saw His radiance and the two men standing with Him. And it came to pass when they were departing from Him, Luke 9:32–33, Peter began) answered and said to Jesus, “Lord (and Rabbi, Mark 9:5, that is, Master, Luke 9:33), it is good to be1 here (for this transfiguration of Christ and this bodily conversation which Moses and Elijah held with Christ was a foretaste and prefiguration of the joy of eternal life); if you would like, then I will make three huts here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah (but he did not know what he was saying, for they were confused, Mark 9:6).

    1 Greek: “It is something (truly) beautiful (and pleasant), that we are here (in such a pleasurable bright light).” [καλόν ἐστιν ἡμᾶς ὧδε εἶναι]

    5. Then while He was thus still speaking, behold, there (came and) overshadowed them a luminous cloud (so that they were surrounded by it and were terrified when the cloud covered over them). And behold, a Voice (namely, the heavenly Father, fell) from the cloud (which) said (concerning Jesus Christ), * “This is My beloved (only-begotten) Son (whom I have begotten from eternity out of My essence), in whom I have good pleasure, whom you ought to hear (that you believe what He says to you and do what He commands you. Thus there is found here once more a glorious revelation of the most-holy Trinity: the Father allows His voice to beard from heaven, the Son stands in His transfiguration on the mountain, the Holy Spirit, who enlightens the hearts of men, reveals Himself in a bright cloud).”

    * Matthew 3:17ff.; 2 Peter 1:17

    6. When the disciples heard this, they fell (from fear) on their faces, and were very terrified (because they could not bear God’s majesty).

    7. But Jesus came to them, * touched them (strengthened and comforted them) and said, “Stand up, and do not be afraid.”

    * Daniel 8:18, 10:10

    8. Now then they lifted up their eyes (and looked around themselves, Mark 9:8, and while such a Voice occurred, Luke 9:36, they found and) they saw no one (with them), except Jesus alone (Moses and Elijah had disappeared again).1

    1 * Or rather had entered the bright cloud, Luke 9:35.

    9. And when they descended from the mountain, Jesus commanded them and said, “You shall tell no one this vision (this revelation of My glory) until the Son of Man is raised from the dead (for Christ at that time was still in the state of His humiliation, and wanted that He should suffer and die beforehand before He entered into His glory, Luke 24:26. But afterward, after Christ’s resurrection and ascension, both apostles Matthew and Peter not only proclaimed such, but rather also recorded it in their Scriptures. The disciples have followed such a command, as is fitting; for Luke reports of them when he says, “And they were silent and proclaimed nothing to anyone in those days as to what they had seen,” Luke 9:36).

    * Matthew 16:20

    Useful Applications

    I. DOCTRINE: Christ’s transfiguration according to His humanity on the mountain is a picture of the glory and transfiguration of the bodies of believers as they will be in the resurrection of the dead and in eternal life (v. 1–2)