Matthew 21:12-13
And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
Jesus didn't just clear out the sellers; he overturned their tables and seats, a physical act of disrupting their entire livelihood and position within the Temple. This wasn't merely an eviction, but a powerful statement that their commercial activity had fundamentally corrupted the sacred space, making it unsuitable for prayer.
Fresh from his triumphant entry into Jerusalem, Jesus visits the Temple and finds it overrun with merchants and money-changers. This marketplace, situated in the outer courts, had become a place of commerce rather than worship, deeply troubling Jesus. He immediately acts to cleanse the Temple, overturning tables and driving out those who were profaning the sacred space.
Why was Jesus so angry? The temple wasn't just a building; it was the heart of worship, and something was deeply wrong.
A Market in God's House?
Imagine walking into a place of worship, expecting quiet reverence, only to find a bustling marketplace. That's what Jesus encountered in the temple courts.
This wasn't just about inconvenience; it turned a place set apart for God into a business center, drowning out prayer with the noise of commerce.
Jesus' actions were anything but passive. This wasn't a gentle suggestion; it was a powerful, disruptive display of divine authority.
A King's Righteous Indignation
Jesus didn't just frown at the scene; he acted decisively. This wasn't a loss of temper, but a holy anger directed at the desecration of God's house.
Understand the original words
hieron · Greek Noun
A building or structure consecrated as a place for the presence and worship of God; in the New Testament, it often refers to the sacred precinct in Jerusalem.
kollybistēs · Greek Noun
Individuals who exchanged foreign currencies for the local currency required to pay the temple tax or purchase sacrificial animals, often seen as facilitating commercial exploitation in the temple courts.
proseuchē · Greek Noun
A place designated for communication with God, emphasizing communion, intercession, and the seeking of His will.
spēlaion lēstōn · Greek Noun phrase
A metaphor used to describe a place where people engage in dishonest gain, exploitation, and violence, contradicting the sacred purpose of a site.
This act of cleansing the Temple occurred at the close of Jesus' ministry, a powerful public demonstration of his authority as King and his zeal for God's house, contrasting sharply with the corrupt religious establishment.
c. 1005 BC
Solomon's First Temple Built
King Solomon constructs the magnificent First Temple in Jerusalem, serving as the center of Israelite worship for centuries.
584 BC
Destruction of the First Temple
The Babylonians conquer Jerusalem and destroy Solomon's Temple, marking the beginning of the Babylonian exile for the Jewish people.
c. 516 BC
Rebuilding of the Second Temple
After the return from exile, the Second Temple is rebuilt by Zerubbabel, though it is less grand than the first, leading some to weep.
c. 16 BC
Herod the Great Begins Temple Renovation
King Herod the Great initiates a massive renovation and expansion of the Second Temple, a project that would continue for decades.
c. 27-30 AD
This passage describes an earlier instance where Jesus cleansed the temple, highlighting His consistent zeal for the sanctity of God's house at different points in His ministry.
Malachi 3:1-3This prophecy speaks of a 'messenger' who will suddenly come to the temple to purify it, directly foreshadowing Jesus' actions in cleansing the temple.
Jeremiah 7:11Jesus quotes this passage when confronting the merchants, showing that the corruption He was addressing was a long-standing issue that God had condemned before.
Psalm 69:9This psalm expresses a zeal for God's house that consumes the psalmist, a sentiment directly reflected in Jesus' passionate actions during the temple cleansing.
barnesMatthew 21:12: "And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,"
This paragraph contains the account of the barren fig-tree, and of the cleansing of the temple. See also Mark 11:12-19 ; Luke 19:45-48 . Matthew 21:12 And Jesus went into the temple of God ... - From Mark 11:11-15, it is probable that this cleansing of the temple did not take place on the day that…
clarkeMatthew 21:12: "And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,"
Jesus went into the temple of God, etc. - "Avarice," says one, "covered with the veil of religion, is one of those things on which Christ looks with the greatest indignation in his Church. Merchandize of holy things, simoniacal presentations, fraudulent exchanges, a mercenary spirit in sacred funct…
Jesus didn't just clear out the sellers; he overturned their tables and seats, a physical act of disrupting their entire livelihood and position within the Temple. This wasn't merely an eviction, but a powerful statement that their commercial activity had fundamentally corrupted the sacred space, making it unsuitable for prayer.
Fresh from his triumphant entry into Jerusalem, Jesus visits the Temple and finds it overrun with merchants and money-changers. This marketplace, situated in the outer courts, had become a place of commerce rather than worship, deeply troubling Jesus. He immediately acts to cleanse the Temple, overturning tables and driving out those who were profaning the sacred space.
Fresh from his triumphant entry into Jerusalem, Jesus visits the Temple and finds it overrun with merchants and money-changers. This marketplace, situated in the outer courts, had become a place of commerce rather than worship, deeply troubling Jesus. He immediately acts to cleanse the Temple, overturning tables and driving out those who were profaning the sacred space.
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Matthew 21:12-13 is available in the Sola app.
This event reveals Jesus not just as a gentle teacher, but as a King who defends the honor of His Father's house with fierce zeal.
Jesus' First Temple Cleansing
Early in his ministry, Jesus drives merchants and money changers out of the Temple, as recorded by John.
Sunday of the Triumphal Entry
Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem
Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey, hailed by crowds as a king, fulfilling prophecy and causing a stir.
Monday of Holy Week— this verse
Jesus Cleanses the Temple
Jesus returns to the Temple and drives out those who were selling and buying, overturning tables and denouncing their activities as a desecration of the house of prayer.
"And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a hous…" — Jesus didn't just clear out the sellers; he overturned their tables and seats, a physical act of disrupting their entire livelihood and position within the Temple. This wasn't merely an eviction, but…
