New Testament Greek

But I say to you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished; likewise the Son of Man is about to suffer by them.

This verse is part of Jesus’ explanation following the Transfiguration, interpreting Elijah’s return in light of John the Baptist’s ministry. The grammar intertwines prophetic fulfillment with impending passion, using perfective tenses, adversative conjunctions, and prophetic futurity.

The personal pronoun ἐγώ is unnecessary for grammatical sense but here is used emphatically—“But I tell you.”… Learn Koine Greek

This verse follows the Transfiguration narrative and captures a moment of transition—physically from the mountaintop to the valley, and theologically from revelation to restraint. Its Greek syntax blends narrative action, direct discourse, and temporal limitation, creating a tense-filled scene.

The genitive plural present participle καταβαινόντων (“as they were coming down”) with the genitive pronoun αὐτῶν forms a genitive absolute. This construction sets the background circumstance independent of the main verb: the command takes place while the descent is in progress.… Learn Koine Greek