Mark 9:3

And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(3) Shining.—Better, perhaps, glittering.

Exceeding white as snow.—The two last words are wanting in the best MSS. The comparison of the bright raiment with clothes that had just passed through the fuller’s or bleacher’s hands, is, in its homely vividness, peculiar to St. Mark.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

9:1-13 Here is a prediction of the near approach Christ's kingdom. A glimpse of that kingdom was given in the transfiguration of Christ. It is good to be away from the world, and alone with Christ: and how good to be with Christ glorified in heaven with all the saints! But when it is well with us, we are apt not to care for others, and in the fulness of our enjoyments, we forget the many wants of our brethren. God owns Jesus, and accepts him as his beloved Son, and is ready to accept us in him. Therefore we must own and accept him as our beloved Saviour, and must give up ourselves to be ruled by him. Christ does not leave the soul, when joys and comforts leave it. Jesus explained to the disciples the prophecy about Elias. This was very suitable to the ill usage of John Baptist.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

No fuller - Rather, no "scourer." The office of the person here mentioned was to "scour" or "whiten" cloth; not to "full" it, or to render it thicker.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

CHAPTER 9

Mr 9:1-13. Jesus Is Transfigured—Conversation about Elias. ( = Mt 16:28-17:13; Lu 9:27-36).

See on [1462]Lu 9:27-36.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

See Poole on "Mark 9:2"

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And his raiment became shining,.... With the rays of glory and brightness which darted from his body through his clothes, and made them as bright as the light of the sun at noon day: and

exceeding white as snow; than which nothing is whiter;

so as no fuller on earth can white them. The Syriac version renders it, "as men cannot white on earth"; and the Persic thus, "so as men could not behold him". Just as the Israelites could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses, because of the glory of his countenance, when he came down from the mount; See Gill on Matthew 17:2.

Geneva Study Bible

And his raiment {b} became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.

(b) Did sparkle as it were.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Expositor's Greek Testament

Mark 9:3. στίλβοντα, glittering; here only in N. T., common in classics; in Sept[70] of bright brass (Ezra 8:27); “flashing sword “(R. V[71], Nahum 3:3); sunshine on shields (1Ma 6:39).—λευκὰ λίαν, white very. All the evangelists become descriptive. Mk., as was to be expected, goes beyond the two others.—ὡς χιὠν (T.R.) is a tempting addition, especially if Hermon was the scene, but it so adequately expresses the highest degree of whiteness, that alongside of it λίαν and the following words, οἷα, etc., would have been superfluous.—γναφεὺς, a fuller, here only in N. T. (ἀγνάφου in Mark 2:21).—ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, suggesting a contrast between what fullers on this earth can do in the way of whitening cloth, and the heaven-wrought brightness of Christ’s garments (Schanz).

[70]Septuagint.

[71] Revised Version.

Bengel's Gnomen

Mark 9:3. Χιὼν, snow) The production of nature.—λευκᾶναι, make white) the effect of art.

Mark 9:3

Vincent's Word Studies

Shining (οτίλβοντα)

Rev., glistering. The word is used of a gleam from polished surfaces - arms, sleek horses, water in motion, the twinkling of the stars, lightning.

As no fuller, etc

Peculiar to Mark.