In Matthew 17:1-13, we have the account of the Transfiguration. In it, Jesus was transfigured (verse two), and “Moses and Elijah appeared to them” (Matt. 17:3). Then says to Jesus, ““Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah” (Matt. 17:4). When we look at the other accounts of the same event, we find no answer to the question. Mark 9:4 says, “Elijah appeared to them along with Moses; and they were talking with Jesus.” Also, in Luke’s account, it simply says, “and behold, two men were talking with Him; and they were Moses and Elijah” (Luke 9:30). In neither gospel is there an explanation on how they determined the identity of Moses and Elijah.
Possible explanations for recognizing Moses and Elijah
Since the Bible does not tell us how they knew who Moses and Elijah were in the context of the Transfiguration, we can only offer possibilities.
- It is possible that there was information that the Jews had at the time regarding the attire, speech pattern, or whatever it might be regarding Moses and Elijah that helped them recognize who they were.
- Jesus told them it was Moses and Elijah.
- Moses and Elijah introduced themselves.
- The Holy Spirit revealed their identities to the disciples.
- There was an expectation of the return of Moses and Elijah.
So, the Bible does not tell us how they knew it was Moses and Elijah. But there is one final interesting point worth mentioning. Jesus said in John 5:39 that the Scriptures testified of Him. In Luke 16:16, Jesus said, “The law and the prophets were proclaimed until John.” In Luke 22:40, Jesus said, “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” Therefore, the two major divisions of the Old Testament are the Law and the Prophets. The Law consists of the first five books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. “The Prophets” refers to all the rest of the books of the Old Testament. Moses represented the Law and Elijah represented the prophets. This would explain why those two are the ones who appeared in the Transfiguration because they represented the complete Old Testament revelation.
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