---
title: "Matthew 17 - Study King James Bible with calvins commentary on the bible"
description: "Read Matthew 17 with calvins commentary on the bible commentary. 1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, 2 And was transfigured before them"
image: "/_app/immutable/assets/missing.C7wGMEZ6.jpg"
url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/calvins-commentary-on-the-bible/matthew/17"
---

[ Read](/kjv/matthew/17)[ Commentary](/study/matthew/17)[ Interlinear](/interlinear/matthew/17) Audio

 1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,

 2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.

 3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.

 4 Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.

 5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

 6 And when the disciples heard *it*, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.

 7 And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.

 8 And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.

 9 And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.

 10 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?

 11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.

 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.

 13 Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.

 14 ¶ And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a *certain* man, kneeling down to him, and saying,

 15 Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.

 16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.

 17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.

 18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.

 19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?

 20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

 21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

 22 ¶ And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men:

 23 And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry.

 24 ¶ And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute *money* came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute?

 25 He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers?

 26 Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free.

 27 Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.
 
[Matthew 16](/study/matthew/16) [Matthew 18](/study/matthew/18)

## Commentary

 To verse 1
 
**[Matthew 17:1](/kjv/matthew/17/1)****.***And after six days.* We must first inquire for what purpose Christ clothed himself with heavenly glory for a short time, and why he did not admit more than three of his disciples to be spectators. Some think that he did so, in order to fortify them against the trial which they were soon to meet with, arising from his death. That does not appear to me to be a probable reason; for why should he have deprived the rest of the same remedy, or rather, why does he expressly forbid them to make known what they had seen till after his resurrection, but because the result of the vision would be later than his death? I have no doubt whatever that Christ intended to show that he was not dragged unwillingly to death, but that he came forward of his own accord, to offer to the Father the sacrifice of obedience. The disciples were not made aware of this till Christ rose; nor was it even necessary that, at the very moment of his death, they should perceive the divine power of Christ, so as to acknowledge it to be victorious on the cross; but the instruction which they now received was intended to be useful at a future period both to themselves and to us, that no man might take offense at the weakness of Christ, as if it were by force and necessity that he had suffered. (477) It would manifestly have been quite as easy for Christ to protect his body from death as to clothe it with heavenly glory. 

We are thus taught that he was subjected to death, because he wished it to be so; that he was crucified, because he offered himself. That same flesh, which was sacrificed on the cross and lay in the grave, might have been exempted from death and the grave; for it had already partaken of the heavenly glory. We are also taught that, so long as Christ remained in the world, bearing the form of a servant, and so long as his majesty was concealed under the weakness of the flesh, nothing had been taken from him, for it was of his own accord that he *emptied himself*, ([Philippians 2:7](/kjv/philippians/2/7);) but now his resurrection has drawn aside that veil by which his power had been concealed for a time. 

Our Lord reckoned it enough to select *three witnesses*, because that is the number which the Law has laid down for proving any thing; 

at the mouth of two witnesses or three witnesses, 
([Deuteronomy 17:6](/kjv/deuteronomy/17/6).) 

The difference as to time ought not to give us uneasiness. Matthew and Mark reckon *six* entire *days*, which had elapsed between the events. Luke says that *it happened about eight days afterwards*, including both *the* day on which Christ spake these words, and *the day* on which he was transfigured. We see then that, under a diversity of expression, there is a perfect agreement as to the meaning. 

(477) “Comme si par force et contreinte il fust renu endurer la mort;” — “as if by force and constraint he had come to suffer death.”

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