For God’s word is alive and active and sharper than any double-edged sword. It penetrates [deep enough] even to divide [a person’s] soul [from his] spirit, and his joints [from his] bone marrow [Note: This is figurative language describing the penetrating effect of God’s word into a person’s spiritual, inner being] and is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of a person’s heart.
Now about that time King Herod began a persecution of certain people in the [Jerusalem] church. [Note: This man was the grandson of Herod the Great. See Matt. 2:1].
Simon Peter; Thomas, called “The Twin;” Nathaniel from Cana in Galilee; the sons of Zebedee [i.e., James and John] and two other disciples of Jesus were [all] together [at the lake].
And after six days had passed, Jesus took Peter, James and John aside alone and went up to a high mountain [i.e., probably Mt. Tabor, which was nearby]. [There] His whole appearance was [miraculously] changed in front of them.
And they said to me [Note: The plural “they” may mean simply “it was told to me”], “You must prophesy again about many races, and nations, and language groups and kings.”
[As] Jesus went from there He saw two [other] brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in the boat with their father Zebedee, repairing their nets. He called them,
Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew [i.e., the same person as Nathaniel. See John 1:45], Matthew [i.e., the same person as Levi. See Mark 2:14], Thomas [i.e., the same person as Didymus. See John 11:16], James, the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus [i.e., the same person as Judas, the son of James. See Luke 6:16], Simon the Cananaean [i.e., the same person as the Zealot. See Luke 6:15],