Bible Strands
Luke 9:28
About eight days after Jesus had said these things, He took with Him Peter, John, and James, and went up on a mountain to pray.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses His disciples after declaring that some standing there will see the kingdom of God before dying, then takes Peter, John, and James up a mountain to pray. This establishes the immediate chronological moment and identifies the specific companions chosen for the ascent.
The words — The phrase ὡσεὶ ἡμέραι (hōsei hēmerai) literally renders "about days," fixing the timeline to the period following Jesus' prior statement. The verb Ἐγένετο (Egeneto) translates as "it came to pass," marking the transition from promise to action.
The thread — This mountain ascent with Peter, John, and James mirrors Matthew 17:1, where Jesus leads the same three to a high mountain after a comparable timeframe. The pattern of Jesus taking these specific disciples to a place of prayer also appears in Matthew 26:37.
Why it lands — The text explicitly records Jesus' deliberate timing and selection of witnesses before any supernatural event occurs. It requires a reader to note the sequence of promise, preparation, and prayer without importing external theological conclusions.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray.
Cross-references
- Psalms 109:4 In return for my love they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer.
- Matthew 17:1 After six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James, and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
- Matthew 26:37 He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee and began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed.
- Mark 9:2 After six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James, and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There He was transfigured before them.
- Mark 14:33 He took with Him Peter, James, and John, and began to be deeply troubled and distressed.
- Luke 6:12 In those days Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and He spent the night in prayer to God.
- Mark 1:35 Early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up and went out to a solitary place to pray.
- Mark 6:46 After bidding them farewell, He went up on the mountain to pray.
- Luke 8:51 When He entered the house, He did not allow anyone to go in with Him except Peter, John, James, and the child’s father and mother.
- Luke 9:18 One day as Jesus was praying in private and the disciples were with Him, He questioned them: “Who do the crowds say I am?”