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Today's Verse Analysis

Matthew 17:12 ...Elias is come already,

After the transfiguration and coming down from mountain. One of those seen with Jesus was Elias.

Spoken to
Apostles

Matthew 17:12 λέγω δὲ ὑμῖν ὅτι Ἠλείας ἤδη ἦλθεν, καὶ οὐκ ἐπέγνωσαν αὐτὸν ἀλλὰ ἐποίησαν ἐν αὐτῷ ὅσα ἠθέλησαν: οὕτως καὶ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου μέλλει πάσχειν ὑπ᾽ αὐτῶν.

KJV Verse

Matthew 17:12 But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.

NIV Verse:

Matthew 17:12  But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.”

What His Listeners Heard:

I tell you, however, that Elijah already arrived and they didn't recognize him. Instead, they did with him as much as they desired. So much also this child of the man is destined to undergo under them.

Lost In Translation:

The word translated here as "know/recognize" is a rare one for Jesus, having the sense of "learning to know." Literally, it means "learning from."

The very translated as "suffer" means "to undergo."

KJV w/Translation Issues :

But I say unto you, That Elias is(WT) come already, and they knew(CW) him not, but have(WT) done unto(WW) him whatsoever they listed(CW). Likewise shall(WT) also the Son of (MW) man suffer(CW,WF) of them.

KJV List (See full page for word-by-word analysis):
For analysis of each word of original Greek and biblical verses, click here.

Constantly Updated

My analysis standards and methods are constantly improving. New information on each verse is provided as articles are updated. It requires approximately two years for me to work through updating each of Jesus's verses.

What Jesus's Listeners Heard

The everyday meanings of the Greek words Jesus used were different than the definitions they have been given over time in biblical translation. The word translations here are based upon documents of his time such as the Greek Septuagint, not ideas unknown in his time.

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See what Jesus said in Greek and see how his words are changed in English translation. My goal is to translate Jesus's words as they were heard when he taught, not the way they are interpreted today. The work here resurrects the humor and cleverness of Jesus's words lost in translation.

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Each article provides detailed information on all the Greek words in each verse with links simplifying your own research. It compares the Greek to popular translations to show where words are confused, changed, left out, and added. This site offers research available nowhere else, such as how often Jesus uses a specific Greek word and links to a list of every verse in which he uses a given word.