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Mark 09 General Notes
Special concepts in this chapter
Transfiguration
The glory of God is seen as a great, brilliant light in scripture. God's grandeur always produces fear in the person who sees it. Such an event is presented in this chapter. It is called the "transfiguration" because Jesus is changed or transfigured and he shows some of his divine glory. (See: rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/fear and rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/glory)
Important figures of speech in this chapter
"It would be better"
This phrase introduces teachings that are intended to be taken as hyperbole. Otherwise, the church would be full of people without any hands. It is best to ensure your readers know these instructions are general principles not to be taken literally. (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hyperbole and Mark 9:42-48)
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. The translator may ask: is this a vision or did they actually appear to these men in physical form? Because all four of them saw Elijah and Moses, and because Elijah and Moses spoke with JEsus, it is best to translate this passage in a way that implies that Elijah and Moses appeared physically.
"Son of Man"
Jesus refers to himself as the "Son of Man" in this passage. (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit)
Paradox
A paradox is a seemingly absurd statement, which appears to contradict itself, but it is not absurd. For example, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be last of all and servant of all." (See: Mark 9:35)