^21:12Then¹⁹ Jesus entered the temple area²⁰ and drove out all those who were selling and buying in the temple courts,²¹ and turned over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves. ^21:13And he said to them, “It is written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’²² but you are turning it into a den²³ of robbers!”²⁴

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Footnotes

19 Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
20 Grk “the temple.” The merchants (those who were selling) would have been located in the Court of the Gentiles.
21 Grk “the temple.” Matthew (here, 21:12–27), Mark (11:15–19) and Luke (19:45–46) record this incident of the temple cleansing at the end of Jesus’ ministry. John (2:13–16) records a cleansing of the temple at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. See the note on the word temple courts in for a discussion of the relationship of these accounts to one another.
22 A quotation from Isa 56:7.
23 Or “a hideout” (see L&N 1.57).
24 A quotation from Jer 7:11. The meaning of Jesus’ statement about making the temple courts a den of robbers probably operates here at two levels. Not only were the religious leaders robbing the people financially, but because of this they had also robbed them spiritually by stealing from them the opportunity to come to know God genuinely. It is possible that these merchants had recently been moved to this location for convenience.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. “It is written,” he said to them, “ ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Jesus went into the temple and threw out all those buying and selling. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves. He said to them, “It is written, my house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of thieves!”

NLTNew Living Translation

Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out all the people buying and selling animals for sacrifice. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves. He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves!”

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

And Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all those who were selling and buying in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those who were selling doves. And he said to them, “It is written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a cave of robbers!”

KJV 1900King James Version

And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

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