The Meaning of Luke 9:35 Explained

Luke 9:35

KJV: And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.

YLT: and a voice came out of the cloud saying, 'This is My Son -- the Beloved; hear ye him;'

Darby: and there was a voice out of the cloud saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.

ASV: And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my Son, my chosen: hear ye him.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  there came  a voice  out of  the cloud,  saying,  This  is  my  beloved  Son:  hear  him. 

What does Luke 9:35 Mean?

Verse Meaning

For a second time God spoke from heaven identifying Jesus as His Son (cf. Luke 3:22). God"s words here also show that Jesus was God"s obedient Son and that He possessed divine authority. The words recall Psalm 2:7, Isaiah 42:1, and Deuteronomy 18:15. Thus this divine vindication identified Jesus as the Son of God, God"s chosen Servant, and the eschatological Prophet.
"Our culture desires to assemble a religious hall of honor from as many religious traditions as possible, all in honor of our commitment to religious toleration. But Jesus does not ask for a booth alongside the others." [1]
Many students of this verse have seen in it a divine warning against giving human wisdom precedence over divine revelation.
"The heavenly voice which declares that Jesus is God"s Son recalls the scene of Jesus praying after his baptism in Luke 3:22. In that scene Jesus was preparing for his ministry. In the transfiguration scene he is preparing for the crisis in Jerusalem. To prepare him, Jesus is given an anticipatory experience of the goal of his life and death, the heavenly glory which he will enter when exalted to the right hand of God (see Luke 24:26; Acts 7:55-56)." [2]

Context Summary

Luke 9:28-36 - A Glimpse Of Glory
From some aspects this was the highest point in our Savior's earthly career. He was the second Adam and had not sinned. There was no reason, therefore, that He should die. He might in a moment have been changed; that which was mortal might have been swallowed up of life. The door through which Moses and Elijah had come stood open, and by it our Lord might have returned. But He could never, under those circumstances, have been the Savior of mankind. He knew this, so He turned His back on the joy set before Him and set His face toward Calvary.
Moses came as representing the Law; and Elijah, the Prophets. Each of these great departments of divine revelation had anticipated His coming, Luke 24:27; Luke 24:44. As stars fade in the sunrise, so their mission was now merged in Him. They spoke of His decease, literally, His exodus, and it was from this that Peter caught the term which he applied to his own death, 2 Peter 1:15. The Apostles never forgot this manifestation of the glory of the Lord, 1 John 1:1-4; 2 Peter 1:17. When you hear that Christ is the Beloved of God, remember Ephesians 1:6. [source]

Chapter Summary: Luke 9

1  Jesus sends his apostles to work miracles, and to preach
7  Herod desires to see Jesus
10  The apostles return
12  Jesus feeds five thousand;
18  inquires what opinion the world had of him; foretells his passion;
23  proposes to all the pattern of his patience
28  The transfiguration
37  He heals the lunatic;
43  again forewarns his disciples of his passion;
46  commends humility;
51  bids them to show mildness toward all, without desire of revenge
57  Many would follow him, but upon conditions

Greek Commentary for Luke 9:35

Out of the cloud [εκ της νεπελης]
This voice was the voice of the Father like that at the baptism of Jesus (Luke 3:22; Mark 1:11; Matthew 3:17) and like that near the end (John 12:28-30) when the people thought it was a clap of thunder or an angel.My son, my chosen (ο υιος μου ο εκλελεγμενος — Ho huios mou ho eklelegmenos). So the best documents (Aleph B L Syriac Sinaitic). The others make it “My Beloved” as in Mark 9:7; Matthew 17:5. These disciples are commanded to hear Jesus, God‘s Son, even when he predicts his death, a pointed rebuke to Simon Peter as to all. [source]
My son, my chosen [ο υιος μου ο εκλελεγμενος]
So the best documents (Aleph B L Syriac Sinaitic). The others make it “My Beloved” as in Mark 9:7; Matthew 17:5. These disciples are commanded to hear Jesus, God‘s Son, even when he predicts his death, a pointed rebuke to Simon Peter as to all. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Luke 9:35

Luke 1:35 Holy, the Son of God [αγιον υιος τεου]
Here again the absence of the article makes it possible for it to mean “Son of God.” See Matthew 5:9. But this title, like the Son of Man It is the title used by the Father at the baptism (Luke 3:22) and on the Mount of Transfiguration (Luke 9:35). The wonder of Mary would increase at these words. The Miraculous Conception or Virgin Birth of Jesus is thus plainly set forth in Luke as in Matthew. The fact that Luke was a physician gives added interest to his report. [source]
2 Peter 1:17 From the excellent glory [υπο της μεγαλοπρεπους δοχης]
“By the majestic glory.” Μεγαλοπρεπης — Megaloprepēs old compound (μεγας — megas great, πρεπει — prepei it is becoming), here only in N.T., several times in O.T., Apocr. (2 Macc. 8:15), adverb in the inscriptions. Probably a reference to νεπελη πωτεινη — nephelē phōteinē (bright cloud, shekinah) in Matthew 17:5. The words given here from the “voice” agree exactly with Matthew 17:5 except the order and the use of εις ον — eis hon rather than εν ωι — en hōi Mark (Mark 9:7) and Luke (Luke 9:35) have ακουετε — akouete But Peter did not need any Gospel for his report here. [source]

What do the individual words in Luke 9:35 mean?

And a voice came out of the cloud saying This is the Son of Me - whom I have chosen Him listen to
καὶ φωνὴ ἐγένετο ἐκ τῆς νεφέλης λέγουσα Οὗτός ἐστιν Υἱός μου ἐκλελεγμένος αὐτοῦ ἀκούετε

φωνὴ  a  voice 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: φωνή  
Sense: a sound, a tone.
ἐγένετο  came 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Middle, 3rd Person Singular
Root: γίνομαι  
Sense: to become, i.
ἐκ  out  of 
Parse: Preposition
Root: ἐκ 
Sense: out of, from, by, away from.
νεφέλης  cloud 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: νεφέλη  
Sense: a cloud.
λέγουσα  saying 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: λέγω 
Sense: to say, to speak.
Οὗτός  This 
Parse: Demonstrative Pronoun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: οὗτος  
Sense: this.
Υἱός  Son 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: υἱός  
Sense: a son.
μου  of  Me 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
  - 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
ἐκλελεγμένος  whom  I  have  chosen 
Parse: Verb, Perfect Participle Middle or Passive, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: ἐκλέγομαι  
Sense: to pick out, choose, to pick or choose out for one’s self.
ἀκούετε  listen  to 
Parse: Verb, Present Imperative Active, 2nd Person Plural
Root: ἀκουστός 
Sense: to be endowed with the faculty of hearing, not deaf.