Matthew 17

Key takeaways

Matthew 17 belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Matthew 17 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Matthew 17 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Matthew 17 is the seventeenth chapter in the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament section of the Christian Bible. Jesus continues his final journey to Jerusalem ministering through Galilee. William Robertson Nicoll identifies "three impressive tableaux" in this chapter: the transfiguration, the epileptic boy and the temple tribute.

Locations The chapter opens six days after the events of the previous chapter, which take place in the region of Caesarea Philippi, near the southwestern base of Mount Hermon. Matthew in verse 16:21 states that Jesus must go to Jerusalem, but this journey does not properly begin until Matthew 19:1. With Peter, James and John, he goes to a high mountain, traditionally understood and commemorated as Mount Tabor, where he is transfigured. Mount Tabor is in the south of Galilee. By verse 14 they have returned to a location where the crowd is gathered, verse 22 notes that they are still in Galilee, and in verse 24 they have returned to Capernaum at the northern end of the Sea of Galilee. James Burton Coffman suggests that the location of the transfiguration would have been either Mount Hermon, closer to Caesarea Philippi, "or one of its adjacent peaks": "Mount Tabor, in the days of Christ and the apostles was populated and had a fortress on top of it; and Christ's taking his apostles there would not have been taking them 'apart', as Matthew said" (Matthew 17:1 in the King James Version), nor was Mount Tabor a particularly "high" mountain.

Text The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 27 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are:

Codex Vaticanus (AD 325–350; no verse 21) Codex Sinaiticus (330–360; no verse 21) Codex Bezae (c. 400; complete) Codex Washingtonianus (c. 400; complete) Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (c. 450; extant verses 1–25) Codex Purpureus Rossanensis (6th century) Codex Sinopensis (6th century; extant verses 2–24) Papyrus 44 (6th/7th century; extant verses 1–3, 6–7)

Chapter organisation The New King James Version organises this chapter as follows:

Jesus transfigured on the Mount (Matthew 17:1–13) A Boy is Healed (Matthew 17:14–21) Jesus Again Predicts His Death and Resurrection (Matthew 17:22–23) Peter and His Master Pay Their Taxes (Matthew 17:24–27)

Transfiguration of Jesus (verses 1–8)

The first eight verses of this chapter record the account of the Transfiguration of Jesus, an event where Jesus is transfigured and becomes radiant in glory on top of a mountain. The passage has parallels in other Synoptic Gospels—Mark 9:2–8 and Luke 9:28–36—and the event is referred to in the Second Epistle of Peter (2 Peter 1:16–18) as well as possibly alluded in the first chapter of the Gospel of John (John 1:14).

Verse 1 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves. In Luke's gospel, the account of the transfiguration of Jesus comes about eight days after the previous events. Protestant theologian Heinrich Meyer notes, in accordance with the observations of "Chrysostom, Jerome, Theophylact, Erasmus, and many others ... that Luke has included the dies a quo and ad quem" (i.e. inclusive of the days at the start and end of the interval).

Verse 2 And He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. Some versions state "white as snow" rather than "white as the light". The Jerusalem Bible notes that the angel of the resurrection in Matthew 28:3 wore a robe which was "white as snow".

Verse 3 Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Moses and Elijah are the only figures in the Old Testament who speak with God on Mount Sinai: see Exodus 33:11 and 1 Kings 19:8–18. Dale Allison comments that "their presence together makes us think of that mountain".

Verse 4 And Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah." The "tents" refer to the "booths" or "tabernacles" familiar to Jesus and his disciples from the Jewish feast which they celebrated each year. Verna Holyhead suggests that Peter is grasping for something familiar to hold onto in the face of this otherwise unfamiliar experience.

Verses 14–21

Coin in the fish's mouth (verses 24–27)

The coin in the fish's mouth is one of the miracles of Jesus, told in verses 24–27. The four-drachma (or shekel) coin would be exactly enough to pay the temple tax (a two-drachma coin) for two people. It is usually thought to be a Tyrian shekel.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Matthew 17

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Matthew 17 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Matthew 17 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Matthew 17 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Matthew 17

In research: Matthew 17 appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Matthew 17 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Matthew 17 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Gospel of Matthew chapters, Shekel, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Matthew 17 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Matthew 17 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Matthew 17 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Matthew 17 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Matthew 17 in simple terms?

Matthew 17 is the seventeenth chapter in the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament section of the Christian Bible. Jesus continues his final journey to Jerusalem ministering through Galilee.

Why does Matthew 17 matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Matthew 17?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Matthew 17.