Text -- Matthew 24:1-2 (NET)

The Destruction of the Temple

24:1 Now as Jesus was going out of the temple courts and walking away, his disciples came to show him the temple buildings. 24:2 And he said said to them, “Do you see all these things? I tell you the truth, not one stone will be left on another. All will be torn down!”

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Mat 24:1

¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

² sn The Jerusalem temple was widely admired around the world. See Josephus, Ant. 15.11 [15.380-425]; J. W. 5.5 [5.184-227] and Tacitus, History 5.8, who called it “immensely opulent.” Josephus compared it to a beautiful snowcapped mountain.

NET Notes: Mat 24:2

¹ tn Grk “answering, he said to them.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (ajpokriqei") is redundant in English and has not been translated.

² tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

³ sn With the statement not one stone will be left on another Jesus predicted the total destruction of the temple, something that did occur in a.d. 70.

⁴ tn Grk “not one stone will be left here on another which will not be thrown down.”