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.’”
Parallel translations
- WEB He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers!”
- KJV 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.
- NKJV And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ”
- NASB And He *said to them, “It is written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a den of robbers.”
- NLT 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!”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus declares that God's house should be a house of prayer but they have made it a den of robbers. He indicts the leaders for corrupting worship into exploitation.
Overview
Combining Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11, Jesus condemns how the temple meant for prayer has become a place of greed and exploitation. The reference to Jeremiah recalls a warning of judgment on a corrupt temple. Jesus' words assert his authority over the temple and expose the spiritual bankruptcy of its leadership.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Jer 7:11Has this house, which bears My Name, become a den of robbers in your sight? Yes, I too have seen it, declares the LORD.
- Isa 56:7I will bring them to My holy mountain and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on My altar, for My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations.”
- Luke 19:46He declared to them, “It is written: ‘My house will be a house of prayer.’ But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”
- Mark 11:17Then 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.’”
- Ps 93:5Your testimonies are fully confirmed; holiness adorns Your house, O LORD, for all the days to come.
- John 15:25But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated Me without reason.’
- Matt 2:5“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 21:13 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.