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Mark 09 General Notes
Special concepts in this chapter
"transfigured"
Scripture often speaks of God's glory as a great, brilliant light. When people see this light, they are afraid. Mark says in this chapter that Jesus' clothing shone with this glorious light so that his followers could see that Jesus truly was God's Son. At the same time, God told them that Jesus was his Son. (See: rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/glory and rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/fear)
Important figures of speech in this chapter
Hyperbole
Jesus said things that he did not expect his followers to understand literally. When he said, "If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off" (Mark 9:43), he was exaggerating so they would know that they should stay away from anything that caused them to sin, even if it was something they loved or thought they needed.
Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter
Elijah and Moses
Elijah and Moses suddenly appear to Jesus, James, John, and Peter, and then they disappear. All four of them saw Elijah and Moses, and because Elijah and Moses spoke with Jesus, the reader should understand that Elijah and Moses appeared physically.
Paradox
A paradox is a statement that appears to describe something impossible. Jesus uses a paradox when he says, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be last of all and servant of all" (Mark 9:35).