Charles Ellicott Commentary Luke 9:29

"And as he was praying, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment [became] white [and] dazzling." — Luke 9:29 (ASV)

And as he prayed.—We again note, as characteristic of Saint Luke, the emphasis placed on our Lord’s prayers here, as before in Luke 3:21; Luke 5:16; Luke 6:12.

The fashion of his countenance was altered.—It is, perhaps, noticeable that the Evangelist who had the most classical culture avoids using the classical word “transfigured” or “metamorphosed,” used by the others. For him, that word might have seemed too suggestive of the “Metamorphoses” which the great work of Ovid had connected with the legends of Greek mythology.