John 2:16

Translations

Modern

To those selling doves He said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn My Father’s house into a marketplace!”

Traditional

And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.

Literal

And to those selling the doves He said, “Take these from here! Do not make the house of My Father a house of trade!”

Latin

Et his qui columbas vendebant, dixit: Auferte ista hinc, et nolite facere domum patris mei, domum negotiationis.

Interlinear

Greek

English

To those selling doves He said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn My Father’s house into a marketplace!”

Notes

John 2:14–17

Many people came to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. They needed animals that met the requirements for sacrifice. The animals had to be approved for worship.
Because of this need, a large business developed. People sold animals and exchanged money for the right kind of coins. However, this buying and selling was taking place in the temple itself.
Jesus acted like a prophet. He demanded that God’s house return to its true purpose. The temple was meant for worship, prayer, teaching, and sacrifice. It was not meant to be a marketplace. This action brought Jesus into conflict with the temple leaders.
The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) place the clearing out of the temple near the end of the ministry of Jesus (Matthew 21:12–13; Mark 11:15–17; Luke 19:45–46). John might have included this event earlier to emphasize its connection to the miracle where Jesus turned water into wine (John 2:1–11). Both the temple and the stone jars of water were instruments for spiritual purity in Judaism. The jars, once filled with water for ceremonial washing, now held the wine Jesus changed by a miracle.
In a similar way, the stone temple, which was linked to sacrifice and purification, would no longer be central. Jesus himself would take its place (2:19–21).
Some scholars believe that Jesus cleansed the temple twice. They think he did this once at the beginning of his ministry and again at the end.

John 2:1–10:42

Jesus showed who he is and what he came to do through the religious practices and festivals of the Jewish people (see 2:1; 5:1). He used these familiar events to reveal his identity and his mission.

John 2:1–25

In this section, Jesus appeared at two symbolic Jewish ceremonies. At a wedding in Cana (2:1–12), he replaced the ritual cleansing water with his own superior wine. Later, around Passover, he cleansed the temple (2:13–25).

Theme notes and profiles

Anger Violation of the Sacred Worship in Jerusalem

Events

First Passover and Temple Cleansingc. AD 27

Related verses

Jeremiah 7:11
Has this house, which bears My Name, become a den of robbers in your sight? Yes, I too have seen it, declares the LORD.
Matthew 21:13
And He declared to them, “It is written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer.’ But you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”
Mark 11:17
Then Jesus began to teach them, and He declared, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”
Isaiah 56:5–11
I will give them, in My house and within My walls, a memorial and a name better than that of sons and daughters. I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off.
Luke 2:49
“Why were you looking for Me?” He asked. “Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?”
2 Peter 2:14–15
Their eyes are full of adultery; their desire for sin is never satisfied; they seduce the unstable. They are accursed children with hearts trained in greed.
Hosea 12:7–8
A merchant loves to defraud with dishonest scales in his hands.
2 Peter 2:3
In their greed, these false teachers will exploit you with deceptive words. The longstanding verdict against them remains in force, and their destruction does not sleep.
John 5:17
But Jesus answered them, “To this very day My Father is at His work, and I too am working.”
John 20:17
“Do not cling to Me,” Jesus said, “for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go and tell My brothers, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.’”
1 Timothy 6:5
…and constant friction between men of depraved mind who are devoid of the truth. These men regard godliness as a means of gain.
Acts 19:24–27
It began with a silversmith named Demetrius who made silver shrines of Artemis, bringing much business to the craftsmen.

John 2:16

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