God’s Word Translation
Matthew 17:6
6The disciples were terrified when they heard this and fell facedown on the ground.
Matthew 17:6 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.
- New International Version (NIV)When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified.
- English Standard Version (ESV)When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.
Context of Matthew 17:6
4Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it’s good that we’re here. If you want, I’ll put up three tents here—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 5He was still speaking when a bright cloud overshadowed them. Then a voice came out of the cloud and said, “This is my Son, whom I love and with whom I am pleased. Listen to him!” The disciples were terrified when they heard this and fell facedown on the ground. 7But Jesus touched them and said, “Get up, and don’t be afraid!” 8As they raised their heads, they saw no one but Jesus.
Read all of Matthew 17Matthew 17:6 word by word
καὶ ἀκούσαντες οἱ μαθηταὶ ἔπεσαν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον αὐτῶν καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν σφόδρα.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Andκαίkai · andG2532
- whenἀκούωakouō · to hearG191
- the disciplesὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- the disciplesμαθητήςmathētēs · discipleG3101
- they fellπίπτωpiptō petō · to collapseG4098
- onἐπίepi · upon/to/againstG1909
- theirαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- faceπρόσωπονprosōpon · faceG4383
- wereφοβέωphobeō · to fearG5399
- soreσφόδραsphodra · veryG4970
Cross-references for Matthew 17:6
- Leviticus 9:24Fire came out from the Lord’s presence and consumed the burnt offering and the pieces of fat on the altar. When all the people saw this, they shouted and bowed with their faces touching the ground.
- Judges 13:20As the flame went up toward heaven from the altar, the Messenger of the Lord went up in the flame. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they immediately bowed down with their faces touching the ground.
- 1 Chronicles 21:16When David looked up, he saw the Messenger of the Lord standing between heaven and earth. The Messenger had a sword in his hand and stretched it over Jerusalem. David and the leaders were dressed in sackcloth. They bowed down with their faces touching the ground.
- Ezekiel 3:23I got up and went to the plain. The Lord’s glory was standing there like the glory I saw by the Chebar River, and I immediately bowed down.
- Ezekiel 43:3This vision was like the one I saw when he came to destroy Jerusalem and like the one I saw by the Chebar River. I immediately bowed down.
- Daniel 8:17Gabriel came up beside me, and when he came, I was terrified and immediately knelt down. He said to me, “Son of man, understand that the vision is about the end times.”
- Daniel 10:7I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision. The men with me didn’t see the vision. Yet, they started to tremble violently, and they quickly hid themselves.
- Daniel 10:16Then someone who looked like a human touched my lips. I opened my mouth and began to talk. I said to the person standing in front of me, “Sir, because of this vision, pain has overwhelmed me, and I’m helpless.
- Acts 22:7I fell to the ground and heard a voice asking me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?’
- Acts 26:14All of us fell to the ground, and I heard a voice asking me in Hebrew, ‘Saul, Saul! Why are you persecuting me? It’s hard for ⌞a mortal like⌟ you to resist God.’
- 2 Peter 1:18We heard that voice speak to him from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain.
Commentaries on Matthew 17:6
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6Fell on their face - Dismayed by the voice, and dazzled by the glory of the cloud. So Daniel, Daniel 8:17, and Saul of Tarsus, Acts 9:4.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6They fell on their face - They entered into the cloud, or the cloud enveloped them, Luke 9:34. “They were therefore afraid.” They were awed at the presence of God, and prostrated themselves in solemn adoration on the ground, and their fears were removed only by the voice of their beloved Master. No man can see God and live; and it is only the glory of God, as it shines in the face of Christ (see 2 Corinthians 4:6), that mortals can bear.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 6-7People often react this way when they experience God's glory (for example, Isaiah 6:5; Daniel 8:17; 10:9, 15–19; Revelation 1:17).Read the comment
Topics related to Matthew 17:6
In the dictionaries
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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