17:1 Bringeth them up into an high mountain apart
―And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high
mountain apart,‖
There is a "sod" (hidden) level of understanding to this verse. The "going up" to a high mountain can also be
understood as a heightened level of spiritual awareness (i.e., insight into the Kingdom), especially in light of
what occurs over the next few verses.
17:2 And was transfigured before them
―And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the
light.‖
It is possible that this had also occurred when they saw Y‘shua walking on the water, as mentioned in an
earlier chapter. (Compare His comment to Peter after the latter began to sink in the water to what He says
the disciples could do if they had faith, in verse 20 below.)
17:3 There appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him
―And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.‖
The key to understanding what is occurring here lies in the next verse.
17:4 Let us make here three tabernacles
―Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here
three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.‖
Peter clearly views this as a vision of the Kingdom of YHWH. His desire to build "tabernacles" (succot) is tied
to the Feast of Succot. This is the last of the Feasts of YHWH, and the one directly associated with the
coming of the Kingdom of YHWH.
Interestingly, the time of this vision is not Succot. The same allusion will be seen later in Matthew's Gospel,
when people lay out palm branches (another Succot symbol) before Y‘shua on His entry into Jerusalem just
before Pesach (Passover) in the spring (Matt 21:8).
17:5-10 A bright cloud and behold a voice out of the cloud
―(5) While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the
cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. (6) And when the
disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. (7) And Jesus came and touched them, and
said, Arise, and be not afraid. (8) And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.
(9) And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until
the Son of man be risen again from the dead. (10) And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the
scribes that Elias must first come?‖
The cloud is associated with the Shekinah - YHWH's visible presence on earth. (Much of Jewish mystical
literature surrounding the Kingdom is concerned with the Shekinah.) The voice from heaven is called the Bat-
kol (literally, "daughter of the voice"). The Shekinah and the Bat-kol are feminine in the Hebrew, as is the
Ruach haKodesh ("Holy Spirit").
The "feminine aspect" of YHWH is one that is ignored, if not frowned upon, in Christianity. Again, this is
partly due to the pagan doctrine of "the mother of God" (as found in Catholicism) and a lack of understanding
of the deeper meaning of the Hebrew Scriptures that is lacking in both Catholicism and Protestantism.
YHWH is described as being both masculine and feminine at the time of the creation: