And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus isn't just pointing out a business transaction; he's highlighting how the temple, meant to be a place of sacred connection for everyone, had been twisted into a place where people were exploited for profit. He’s emphasizing that this sacred space was intended for all people, not just a select group, but had become a "den of robbers" that excluded and preyed upon those seeking God.
And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus has just entered Jerusalem and, after inspecting the Temple, found it filled with merchants and money changers, turning God's house into a marketplace. He then drove out those selling and buying, overturning their tables. This verse captures Jesus teaching the crowds within the Temple, directly confronting the religious leaders with Scripture to expose how they have perverted its sacred purpose.
Why did Jesus bring up the Gentiles when confronting the money-changers? It goes to the very heart of God's plan.
Jesus quotes Isaiah 56:7, "'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations.'" This wasn't just a nice sentiment; it was a prophetic declaration.
A Place for Everyone
Isaiah's prophecy, spoken centuries before Jesus, envisioned a temple that wasn't exclusively for Israel. It was meant to be a place of worship and prayer for people from all nations. This was radical for its time, a glimpse into God's global redemptive plan.
Spiritual Banking, Not Divine Business
When Jesus says, "But you have made it a den of robbers," he's highlighting a tragic perversion. The temple, intended for prayer and welcoming people from everywhere, had become a marketplace. The selling of animals and the changing of money, while perhaps having some practical necessity, had been corrupted into a system of greed, essentially robbing worshippers of their money and their opportunity for genuine prayer. This commercialism excluded the very nations God intended to draw in.
Jesus didn't just call the temple leaders 'shoppers' or 'businessmen.' He used a much harsher term. What did he mean?
The phrase "den of robbers" (or thieves, in some translations) is a powerful accusation that Jesus levels against the religious establishment. It comes from Jeremiah 7:11, where the prophet condemns those who have turned the house of God into a place of illicit gain and illicit activity.
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More Than Just Commerce
It wasn't simply the act of selling goods in the temple that angered Jesus, though that was problematic. It was the spirit behind it. This marketplace had become a hub of exploitation. The priests and merchants were using their positions and the sacred space for personal profit, often at the expense of the worshippers. Think of it like a modern-day scam or a corrupt business that preys on people's needs and faith.
A Corrupted Sacred Space
Robbers use dens as hideouts, places to consolidate their ill-gotten gains and operate with impunity. By calling the temple a "den of robbers," Jesus declared that the religious leaders had turned God's house into a stronghold for their own selfish ambitions. They were essentially stealing from God and His people, desecrating the very place meant for communion with the Divine.
Understand the original words
proseuchē · Greek Noun
A spiritual discipline or act of communion where a person speaks to God, expressing adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. It is intended to be a foundational activity for the community of God's people.
spēlaion lēstōn · Greek Noun phrase
In this context, a place of refuge for those who have engaged in theft or violence. It symbolizes the corrupting of a place designed for God's holiness into a base for exploitative and sinful practices.
This dramatic confrontation in the Temple occurred just days before Jesus' crucifixion, a pivotal moment where he directly challenged the religious establishment and condemned their corruption, fulfilling prophecies and setting the stage for his ultimate sacrifice.
c. 63 BC
Roman Influence in Judea
Rome exerts increasing political and economic influence over Judea, eventually leading to direct Roman rule.
c. 4 BC
Herod the Great's Reign
King Herod the Great, a Roman client king, rules Judea and undertakes massive building projects, including extensive renovations of the Second Temple.
c. AD 27-30
Jesus' Ministry Begins
Jesus begins his public ministry, teaching, healing, and gathering disciples throughout Galilee and surrounding regions.
c. AD 30
First Temple Cleansing
Jesus drives out merchants and money changers from the Second Temple, an act of prophetic judgment against religious corruption.
The week before Passover, AD 30 or 33
Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem
Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey, hailed by crowds as a king, marking the beginning of his final week.
The day after the Triumphal Entry, AD 30 or 33— this verse
Jesus' Second Temple Cleansing and Teaching
Jesus returns to the Temple, drives out the traders again, and denounces the corrupt practices, quoting Isaiah and Jeremiah.
The same week
Jewish Leaders Plot Jesus' Death
The chief priests, scribes, and other leaders, threatened by Jesus' authority and popularity, begin to conspire to have him killed.
This passage directly prophesies that the temple will be a house of prayer for all nations, which Jesus quotes to highlight how the current practice has corrupted its intended purpose.
Jeremiah 7:11Jesus echoes the prophet Jeremiah's denunciation of the temple being turned into a 'den of robbers,' showing that this corruption was a recurring issue that God condemned.
Luke 19:45-46This parallel account describes Jesus' cleansing of the temple, reinforcing the theme of righteous anger against the commercialization of God's house and the disruption of worship.
Malachi 3:1-3This passage speaks of the Lord coming to His temple to purify it and refine the sons of Levi, a concept that aligns with Jesus' action of purifying the temple and His authority over it.
calvinMark 11:11-24: "And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve."
- And when he entered into Jerusalem, the whole city was moved, saying, Who is this? 11. And the multitudes said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth in Galilee. 12. And Jesus entered into the temple of God, and drove out all that sold and bought in the temple, and overturned the tables of the mon…
wesleyMark 11:17: "And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves."
11:17 Isa 56:7; Jer 7:11.
Jesus isn't just pointing out a business transaction; he's highlighting how the temple, meant to be a place of sacred connection for everyone, had been twisted into a place where people were exploited for profit. He’s emphasizing that this sacred space was intended for all people, not just a select group, but had become a "den of robbers" that excluded and preyed upon those seeking God.
Jesus has just entered Jerusalem and, after inspecting the Temple, found it filled with merchants and money changers, turning God's house into a marketplace. He then drove out those selling and buying, overturning their tables. This verse captures Jesus teaching the crowds within the Temple, directly confronting the religious leaders with Scripture to expose how they have perverted its sacred purpose.
Jesus has just entered Jerusalem and, after inspecting the Temple, found it filled with merchants and money changers, turning God's house into a marketplace. He then drove out those selling and buying, overturning their tables. This verse captures Jesus teaching the crowds within the Temple, directly confronting the religious leaders with Scripture to expose how they have perverted its sacred purpose.
"And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.”" — Jesus isn't just pointing out a business transaction; he's highlighting how the temple, meant to be a place of sacred connection for everyone, had been twisted into a place where people were exploite…
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Last reviewed October 2026