1 Kings 9:8

9:8 This temple will become a heap of ruins;¹ everyone who passes by it will be shocked and will hiss out their scorn,² saying, ‘Why did the Lord do this to this land and this temple?’

Jeremiah 7:12-14

7:12 So, go to the place in Shiloh where I allowed myself to be worshiped³ in the early days. See what I did to it⁴ because of the wicked things my people Israel did. 7:13 You also have done all these things, says the Lord, and I have spoken to you over and over again.⁵ But you have not listened! You have refused to respond when I called you to repent!⁶ 7:14 So I will destroy this temple which I have claimed as my own,⁷ this temple that you are trusting to protect you. I will destroy this place that I gave to you and your ancestors,⁸ just like I destroyed Shiloh.⁹

Matthew 23:38

23:38 Look, your house is left to you desolate!

Matthew 24:1-2

The Destruction of the Temple

24:1 Now¹⁰ as Jesus was going out of the temple courts and walking away, his disciples came to show him the temple buildings.¹¹ 24:2 And he said to them,¹² “Do you see all these things? I tell you the truth,¹³ not one stone will be left on another.¹⁴ All will be torn down!”¹⁵

Acts 1:20

1:20 “For it is written in the book of Psalms, ‘Let his house become deserted,¹⁶ and let there be no one to live in it,’¹⁷ and ‘Let another take his position of responsibility.’¹⁸

¹tn Heb “and this house will be high [or elevated].” The statement makes little sense in this context, which predicts the desolation that judgment will bring. Some treat the clause as concessive, “Even though this temple is lofty [now].” Others, following the lead of several ancient versions, emend the text to, “this temple will become a heap of ruins.”

²tn Heb “hiss,” or perhaps “whistle.” This refers to a derisive sound one would make when taunting an object of ridicule.

³tn Heb “where I caused my name to dwell.” The translation does not adequately represent the theology of the Lord’s deliberate identification with a place where he chose to manifest his presence and desired to be worshiped (cf. Exod 20:25; Deut 16:2, 6, 11).

⁴sn The place in Shiloh…see what I did to it. This refers to the destruction of Shiloh by the Philistines circa 1050 b.c. (cf. Ps 78:60). The destruction of Shiloh is pertinent to the argument. The presence of the tabernacle and ark of the covenant did not prevent Shiloh from being destroyed when Israel sinned. The people of Israel used the ark as a magic charm but it did not prevent them from being defeated or the ark being captured (1 Sam 4:3, 11, 21-22).

⁵tn This reflects a Hebrew idiom (e.g., 7:25; 11:7; 25:3, 4), i.e., an infinitive of a verb meaning “to do something early [or eagerly]” followed by an infinitive of another verb of action. Cf. HALOT 1384 s.v. שָׁכַם Hiph.2.

⁶tn Heb “I called to you and you did not answer.” The words “to repent” are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

⁷tn Heb “over which my name is called.” For this nuance of this idiom cf. BDB 896 s.v. קָרָא Niph.2.d(4) and see the usage in 2 Sam 12:28.

⁸tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 22, 25, 26).

⁹tn Heb “I will do to this house which I…in which you put…and to this place which…as I did to Shiloh.”

¹⁰tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

¹¹sn 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.

¹²tn Grk “answering, he said to them.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (ajpokriqei") is redundant in English and has not been translated.

¹³tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

¹⁴sn 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.

¹⁵tn Grk “not one stone will be left here on another which will not be thrown down.”

¹⁶tn Or “uninhabited” or “empty.”

¹⁷sn A quotation from Ps 69:25.

¹⁸tn Or “Let another take his office.”