Expositor's Bible Commentary 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)

Luke omits the actual word “transfigured,” possibly to avoid a term that might have suggested Hellenistic ideas of an epiphany, the appearance of a god. Instead he describes the remarkable alteration of Jesus’ face and the dazzling whiteness of his clothing.