Matthew 24:1-2

The Destruction of the Temple

24:1 Now ¹  as Jesus was going out of the temple courts and walking away, his disciples came to show him the temple buildings. ²  24:2 And he said to them, ³  “Do you see all these things? I tell you the truth, ⁴  not one stone will be left on another. ⁵  All will be torn down!” ⁶ 

Mark 13:1-2

The Destruction of the Temple

13:1 Now ⁷  as Jesus ⁸  was going out of the temple courts, one of his disciples said to him, “Teacher, look at these tremendous stones and buildings!” ⁹  13:2 Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left on another. ¹⁰  All will be torn down!” ¹¹ 

John 2:20

2:20 Then the Jewish leaders ¹²  said to him, “This temple has been under construction ¹³  for forty-six years, ¹⁴  and are you going to raise it up in three days?”

[24:1]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[24:1]  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.

[24:2]  ³ tn Grk “answering, he said to them.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (ajpokriqei") is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[24:2]  ⁴ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[24:2]  ⁵ 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.

[24:2]  ⁶ tn Grk “not one stone will be left here on another which will not be thrown down.”

[13:1]  ⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[13:1]  ⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:1]  ⁹ 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.

[13:2]  ¹⁰ 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.

[13:2]  ¹¹ tn Grk “not one stone will be left here on another which will not be thrown down.”

[2:20]  ¹² tn See the note on this phrase in v. 18.

[2:20]  ¹³ tn A close parallel to the aorist οἰκοδομήθη (oikodomhqh) can be found in Ezra 5:16 (LXX), where it is clear from the following verb that the construction had not yet been completed. Thus the phrase has been translated “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years.” Some, however, see the term ναός (naos) here as referring only to the sanctuary and the aorist verb as consummative, so that the meaning would be “this temple was built forty-six years ago” (so ExSyn 560-61). Ultimately in context the logic of the authorities’ reply appears to fit more naturally if it compares length of time for original construction with length of time to reconstruct it.

[2:20]  ¹⁴ sn According to Josephus (Ant. 15.11.1 [15.380]), work on this temple was begun in the 18th year of Herod the Great’s reign, which would have been ca. 19 b.c. (The reference in the Ant. is probably more accurate than the date given in J. W. 1.21.1 [1.401]). Forty-six years later would be around the Passover of a.d. 27/28.