Luke 9:8

9:8 Jews expected that Elijah would come prior to God’s final judgment (see study note on 1:17). Some Jews expected that a prophet like Moses would come (Deut 18:15).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Luk 9:8. Ἐφάνη, appeared) This is put midway between ἠγέρθη, was raised up, and ἀνέστη, had risen again. For Elias had not died.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Luk 9:8 . ἐφάνη , appeared, the proper word to use of one who had not died, but been translated.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

8. that Elias had appeared] In accordance with the prophecy of Mal_4:5. The verb “appeared” is used instead of ‘risen again,’ because of Elijah’s translation to heaven. The Talmud is full of the expected appearance of Elijah, and of instances in which he shewed himself to eminent Rabbis.

one of the old prophets] Comp. Luk_7:16; Deu_18:15; Num_24:17. The Jews thought that Jeremiah or one of the other great prophets (see Luk_9:19) might rise to herald the Messiah, Joh_1:21. See 2Es_2:10; 2Es_2:18, “Tell my people...For thy help will I send my servants Isaiah and Jeremiah;” 1Ma_14:41, “Simon should be high priest...until there arose a faithful prophet.” In 2Ma_2:4-8; 2Ma_15:13-16, Jeremiah appears in a vision. It was believed that he would reveal the hiding-place of the Ark, Urim, and Sacred Fire.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And of some, that Elias had appeared,.... Who had been translated, body and soul, to heaven, and whom the Jews expected a little before the coming of the Messiah:

and of others, that one of the old prophets was risen again; that is, one of the former prophets. It is well known, that the Jews distinguish the prophets into the former and latter; the books of the prophets of the Old Testament are so distinguished; the writings of the former prophets are those of Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 of Samuel, and the first and second of Kings: the latter prophets are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, which are the greater prophets, and the twelve lesser ones: and in the Talmud (q) it is asked,

"who are , "the former prophets?" Says R. Huna, they are David, Samuel, and Solomon--and why are they called former prophets? to except (or distinguish) them from Haggai, Zachariah, and Malachi, who are the latter.''

So that by one of the old prophets, may be meant one of those that were before the times of Elias, as Samuel or David.

(q) T. Bab. Sota, fol. 48. 2.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

8 And of some, that Elias had appeared; and of others, that one of the old prophets was risen again.

Ver. 8. See Mat 14:1-2.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Risen from the dead. Herod was perplexed and in suspense about the report, that it was John [the Baptist] that was risen from the dead. ... From this it appears, that some of the Jews, and Herod himself, believed in some kind of metempsychosis, or transmigration of souls. Josephus says, (Antiq. lib. xviii, chap. 2.) that the Pharisees believed the soul to be immortal; and after death, to depart to some subterraneous places, where they received the recompense of good, or evil, according to their actions. There the souls of the wicked remain for ever, without the power of departing thence. The souls of the good sometimes returned, and entered other bodies. Herod probably thought that the soul of John the Baptist was united to that of Christ, in the same body, and was thence enabled to perform new and more extraordinary functions. Such were the reveries of some of the Rabbins; who, as St. Jerome remarks, abused the passages of the gospel we are now explaining, in support of this Pythagorean doctrine. Most of the Jews believed the true doctrine of the resurrection, viz. that of the body; which must one day be renewed to life by the same soul which now animates it: and this is the doctrine of faith and of the Church, which she teaches you from both the Old and New Testament, instead of that transmigration of souls, which has no foundation or appearance of truth. It is probable that this error was widely diffused among the Jews, in our Saviour’s time. It was a doctrine suited to the taste of the Orientals. Some think they can see traces of it in the history of Elias. That prophet being taken away, and the Jews seeing Eliseus perform the same miracles, said, that the spirit of Elias had rested on him. (Calmet)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

One of the old prophets. Jeremiah and also Isaiah, though to a lesser degree than Elijah, were looked for as heralds of the coming Messiah. (see RAPC 2Est_2:10, 18, and RAPC 2Ma 2:4-8 15:13-16) It was expected that Jeremiah would reveal the hiding-place of the long-lost ark and of the Urim.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

That Elijah had appeared - He could not rise again, because he did not die.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

8. Ἡλίας. In accordance with the prophecy of Mal 4:5. The verb ἐφάνη is used instead of ἠγέρθη, because of Elijah’s translation to heaven. The Talmud is full of the expected appearance of Elijah, and of instances in which he shewed himself to eminent Rabbis.

προφήτης τις τῶν ἀρχαίων. ‘Some prophet of those of old.’ Comp. Luk 7:16; Deu 18:15; Num 24:17. The Jews thought that Jeremiah or one of the other great prophets (see Luk 9:19) might rise to herald the Messiah, Joh 1:21. See 2Es 2:10; 2Es 2:18, “Tell my people … For thy help will I send my servants Isaiah and Jeremiah;” 1Ma 14:41, “Simon should be high priest … until there arose a faithful prophet.” In 2Ma 2:4-8; 2Ma 15:13-16, Jeremiah appears in a vision. It was believed that he would reveal the hiding-place of the Ark, Urim, and Sacred Fire.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

8. Ἠλείας ἐφάνη. The verb is changed from ἡγέρθη, because Elijah had not died. Mt. represents Antipas as saying that Jesus is the risen Baptist, and omits the suggestions about Elijah and other Prophets. The account of Lk, is intrinsically more exact. He would obtain good information at Cæsarea from Herod’s steward (8:3), and at Antioch from Herod’s foster-brother (Act 13:1).

προφήτης τις τῶν ἀρχαίων. We know from Joh 7:40, Joh 7:41 that some Jews distinguished the great Prophet of Deu 18:15 from the Messiah. Comp. Joh 1:21. And Mat 16:14 seems to show that there was an expectation that Jeremiah or other Prophets would return at some future crisis. The τῶν ἀρχαίων is peculiar to Lk. (comp. ver. 19). It may be opposed either to it new Prophet (7:16), or to the later Prophets as compared with Moses and Samuel. The former is more probable.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.