Matthew 17:12

Matthew 17:12 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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.
• New International Version (NIV)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.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands."
• New King James Version (NKJV)But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.”

Context of Matthew 17:12

10Then the three disciples said to Jesus, ‘The teachers of God's Law say that God's prophet Elijah must return first, before the Messiah comes. Why do they say this?’ 11Jesus replied, ‘Yes, Elijah does come first. He gets everything ready. But I tell you that Elijah has already come. People did not recognize him. They did to him all the things that they wanted to do. In the same way, they will also give me, the Son of Man, great pain.’ 13Then the disciples understood that he was really talking about John the Baptist. 14Then Jesus, and the three disciples reached the place where the crowd was. A man came to Jesus. He went down on his knees in front of him.

Matthew 17:12 word by word

λέγω δὲ ὑμῖν ὅτι Ἠλίας ἤδη ἦλθεν, καὶ οὐκ ἐπέγνωσαν αὐτὸν ἀλλ᾽ ἐποίησαν ἐν αὐτῷ ὅσα ἠθέλησαν· οὕτως καὶ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου μέλλει πάσχειν ὑπ᾽ αὐτῶν.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Butδέde · thenG1161
• I sayλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• unto youσύsu · youG4771
• Thatὅτιhoti · that/since: thatG3754
• EliasἩλίαςHēlias · ElijahG2243
• is comeἔρχομαιerchomai · to come/goG2064
• alreadyἤδηēdē · alreadyG2235
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• they knewἐπιγινώσκωepiginōskō · to come to knowG1921
• himαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• notοὐou · noG3756
• butἀλλάalla · butG235
• have doneποιέωpoieō · to do/make: doG4160
• untoἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• whatsoeverὅσοςhosos · just as/how muchG3745
• they listedθέλωthelō ethelō · to will/desireG2309
• Likewiseοὕτωςhoutō · thus(-ly)G3779
• shallμέλλωmellō · to ensueG3195
• the Sonὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the Sonυἱόςuihos · sonG5207
• of manἄνθρωποςanthrōpos · a humanG444
• sufferπάσχωpaschō pathō penthō · to sufferG3958
• ofὑπόhupo · by/under: byG5259

Cross-references for Matthew 17:12

• Matthew 11:9So what did you go to see? Did you go to see a prophet sent by God? Yes! But I tell you, John was even more important than a prophet.
• Matthew 21:23Then Jesus returned to the yard of the temple. While he was teaching the people there, the leaders of the priests and important Jews went to him. They asked him, ‘What authority do you have to do these things? Tell us. Who gave you the authority to do them?’
• Mark 9:12Jesus said to them, ‘Elijah does come first. He makes everything ready. But what is written in the Bible about the Son of Man? It says that people will cause him to suffer a lot. They will think that he is nothing.
• Mark 11:30John baptized people. Did God give him authority to do this? Or did men tell him to do it? Now, tell me your answer.’
• Luke 7:33You are like those children. When John the Baptist came to you, he did not eat ordinary food. He never drank wine. So you say that John has a bad spirit in him.
• John 1:11He came to his own place, but his own people did not accept him.
• John 5:32But there is someone else who speaks about me. I know that what he says about me is true.
• Acts 13:24Before Jesus began his work in this world, John spoke a message to all the people of Israel. He told people to stop doing wrong things and to turn to God. Then he would baptize them.
• Matthew 11:2At that time, John the Baptist was in prison. But people told him about all the things that Jesus the Messiah was doing. So John sent some of his own disciples to ask Jesus some questions.
• Matthew 14:3Before that, Herod had commanded his soldiers, ‘Take hold of John. Tie his hands and feet and put him in prison.’ Herod had done this because of his wife Herodias. Before Herod married her, she was the wife of Herod's brother Philip.
• Mark 6:14People were talking about Jesus. King Herod heard about what was happening. Some people were saying that Jesus was really John the Baptist. They said that John had died, but he had become alive again. ‘That is why this man can do these very powerful things,’ they said.
• Luke 3:19One day John told Herod, the ruler, that it was wrong for him to marry Herodias. Before that, she had been the wife of Herod's brother. John also told Herod that he had done many other bad things.
• Acts 7:52Your ancestors did bad things to every prophet that God sent to them. They even killed the prophets who told them about the Righteous Man that God would send. Now you have given that Man to his enemies. You have made them kill him.
• Matthew 16:21After this, Jesus began to explain everything to his disciples. He told them, ‘I must go to Jerusalem. There, I will suffer in many ways. The important Jews, the leaders of the priests, and the teachers of God's Law will hurt me. Then people will kill me. But three days later, God will cause me to become alive again.’
• Isaiah 53:3People did not respect him. They refused to accept him. He was a man who received much pain. He knew what it felt like to be weak and ill. People did not even want to look at him. They did not respect him. We decided that he was worth nothing.
• Luke 9:21Jesus spoke very strongly to them. He told them that they must not tell anyone about this.

Commentaries on Matthew 17:12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12Knew him not - Or, , They have not acknowledged him. That is, the Jewish rulers have not acknowledged him, did not receive him as the forerunner of the Messiah. But it appears that all the rest acknowledged him as such; and some, from the power and demonstration of his preaching, were inclined to think he was more, even the Messiah himself: see Luke 3:15.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 10-13Verses 10-13 See also Mark 9:11-13. Why then say the scribes … - The disciples appear to have been satisfied now that he was the Messiah. The transfiguration had taken away all their doubts, but they recollected that it was a common doctrine among the Jews that Elijah would appear before the Messiah came, and they did not then recollect that he had appeared. To this difficulty the word then refers. “We are satisfied that thou art the Christ, but Elijah…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 10-13Elijah’s appearance made the disciples ask about the belief that Elijah must return before the Messiah comes (see Malachi 4:5–6). Jesus pointed to John the Baptist as the one who fulfilled that role. In doing so, he reminded them of the surprising truth that the Messiah must suffer, just as John, his forerunner, had also suffered (Matthew 14:3–12).Read the comment

Topics related to Matthew 17:12

• Elijah
• Jesus Continued
• Jesus, the Christ
• John
• Prophecy

In the dictionaries

• Son of man
• Betray
• Cure
• Malachi, Prophecies of
• Tabernacle
• Talking
• Christ, Offices of
• Elijah
• Jesus Christ
• John, the Apostle

Commentaries on Matthew 17

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Catena Aurea
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• John Lightfoot Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings