Matthew 17:5

A bright cloud] i.e. the visible glory which, according to Jewish ideas, manifested the divine presence. It is the same as the pillar of cloud and fire in the wilderness, the cloud that filled Solomon's Temple, and the visible glory which, according to the rabbis, rested upon the ark, and was called the 'Shechinah.' This is my beloved Son] Lk 'This is my Son, my chosen.' These words, in which the Father Himself testified to Christ's divine Sonship, are similar to those spoken at the Baptism; but whereas those were spoken in part at least to Christ Himself, these were spoken entirely to the disciples. They contain a striking confirmation of Peters late confession, and further teach what the Apostles found it so hard to learn, that the old dispensation was to be entirely superseded by the new. 'Hear,' said the voice of the Father, 'not Moses and Elias, but my beloved Son.'