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Today's Verse Analysis

Matthew 17:11 Elias truly shall first come

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

Spoken to
Apostles

ΜΑΘΘΑΙΟΝ 17:11 Ἠλείας” μὲν ἔρχεται καὶ “ἀποκαταστήσει” πάντα:

KJV Verse

Matthew 17:11 Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.

NIV Verse:

Matthew 17:11 “To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things.

What His Listeners Heard:

Elijah truly shows up and will/might re-establish everything.

Lost In Translation:

Jesus here refers to the Jewish prediction that Elijah would return before the Messiah. The context is Jesus's appearance with Moses and Elijah. The statement seems to be a direct statement about a general belief among the Jews in reincarnation, where Elijah was prophesied to come again, which was seen as being reincarnated as someone else. Jesus says elsewhere that this was John the Bptist. The House of Hillel among the Distinguished taught a embodiment that could have been reincarnation.  In answering an earlier statement in Matthew 16:14, the apostles describe the people's general belief that Jesus himself may have been a reincarnation.

KJV w/Translation Issues :

Elias truly shall(WW) first(OS) come, and restore(CW) all things.

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.

About this Site

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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