John 2:20
New International Version
They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?”

New Living Translation
“What!” they exclaimed. “It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can rebuild it in three days?”

English Standard Version
The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?”

Berean Standard Bible
“This temple took forty-six years to build,” the Jews replied, “and You are going to raise it up in three days?”

Berean Literal Bible
Therefore the Jews said, "This temple was built in forty and six years, and You will raise it up in three days?"

King James Bible
Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?

New King James Version
Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?”

New American Standard Bible
The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and yet You will raise it up in three days?”

NASB 1995
The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?”

NASB 1977
The Jews therefore said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?”

Legacy Standard Bible
The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this sanctuary, and will You raise it up in three days?”

Amplified Bible
Then the Jews replied, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and You will raise it up in three days?”

Christian Standard Bible
Therefore the Jews said, “This temple took forty-six years to build, and will you raise it up in three days? ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Therefore the Jews said, “This sanctuary took 46 years to build, and will You raise it up in three days?”

American Standard Version
The Jews therefore said, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou raise it up in three days?

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
The Jews were saying to him: “For forty six years this temple has been being built, and will you raise it in three days?”

Contemporary English Version
The leaders replied, "It took 46 years to build this temple. What makes you think you can rebuild it in three days?"

Douay-Rheims Bible
The Jews then said: Six and forty years was this temple in building; and wilt thou raise it up in three days?

English Revised Version
The Jews therefore said, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou raise it up in three days?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The Jews said, "It took forty-six years to build this temple. Do you really think you're going to rebuild it in three days?"

Good News Translation
"Are you going to build it again in three days?" they asked him. "It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple!"

International Standard Version
The Jewish leaders said, "This sanctuary has been under construction for 46 years, and you're going to rebuild it in three days?"

Literal Standard Version
The Jews, therefore, said, “This temple was built [in] forty-six years, and will You raise it up in three days?”

Majority Standard Bible
“This temple took forty-six years to build,” the Jews replied, “and You are going to raise it up in three days?”

New American Bible
The Jews said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?”

NET Bible
Then the Jewish leaders said to him, "This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and are you going to raise it up in three days?"

New Revised Standard Version
The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?”

New Heart English Bible
The Jewish leaders therefore said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?"

Webster's Bible Translation
Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?

Weymouth New Testament
"It has taken forty-six years," replied the Jews, "to build this Sanctuary, and will you rebuild it in three days?"

World English Bible
The Jews therefore said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple! Will you raise it up in three days?”

Young's Literal Translation
The Jews, therefore, said, 'Forty and six years was this sanctuary building, and wilt thou in three days raise it up?'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Jesus Cleanses the Temple
19Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again.” 20“This temple took forty-six years to build,” the Jews replied, “and You are going to raise it up in three days?” 21But Jesus was speaking about the temple of His body.…

Cross References
Ezra 5:16
So this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundation of the house of God in Jerusalem, and from that time until now it has been under construction, but it has not yet been completed."

John 1:19
And this was John's testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him, "Who are you?"

1 Corinthians 15:4
that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,


Treasury of Scripture

Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and will you raise it up in three days?

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Build Building Forty Forty-Six Jews Raise Rear Rebuild Sanctuary Six Temple Three Wilt
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Build Building Forty Forty-Six Jews Raise Rear Rebuild Sanctuary Six Temple Three Wilt
John 2
1. Jesus turns water into wine;
12. departs into Capernaum,
13. and to Jerusalem,
14. where he purges the temple of buyers and sellers.
18. He foretells his death and resurrection.
23. Many believe because of his miracles, but he will not trust himself with them.














(20) They profess to seek a sign for evidence; they use it for cavil.

Forty and six years was this temple in building.--It is implied that it was not then finished. The date of the completion is given by Josephus (Ant. xx. 9, ? 7) as A.D. 64. The same author gives the eighteenth year of the reign of Herod the Great (Nisan 734--Nisan 735, A.U.100) as the commencement of the renewal of the Temple of Zerubbabel (Ant. xv. 11, ? 1). This would give A.U.C. 781-782, i.e., A.D. 28-29, as the date of the cleansing. In another passage Josephus gives the month Kislev A.U.C. 734, as the date of the festival connected with the building of the Temple (Ant. xiv. 16, ? 4). This would fix our present date as the Passover of A.U.C. 781, i.e., A.D. 28. St. Luke furnishes us with an independent date for the commencement of the ministry of John the Baptist. If we count the "fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius (comp. Note on Luke 3:1) from the commencement of his first reign with Augustus (A.U.C. 765, i.e., A.D. 12), this date will be A.U.C. 780, i.e., A.D. 27. The present Passover was in the following year, i.e., as before, A.D. 28. The sole reign of Tiberius commenced two years later (A.D. 14), so that while we have certainly no discrepancy between these independent dates, we have probably a very striking coincidence. Its bearing upon the authenticity of the present Gospel is evident.

Rear it up represents the same Greek word as "raise up," in the previous verse; but the word fits the double meaning. It is the regular term for raising from the dead; but it is also used of rearing up a building, as, e.g., in 3 Ezra 5:44; Ecclesiasticus 49:11.

Verses 20, 21. - The immediate reference of the words to the building before them was only one of a thousand misapplications of the words of Jesus. The seeds of truth which his words contain would take root in after days. Meanwhile the Jews answered and said - taking the obvious and literal sense of the words, and treating them with an ill-concealed irony, if not scoff, to which our Lord made no reply - In forty and six years was this temple built as we see it today. This is one of the most important chronological data for the life of our Lord. Herod the Great, according to Josephus ('Ant.,' 15:11 1), commenced the rebuilding of the second temple in the autumn of the eighteenth year of his reign. We find that his first year reckoned from Nisan, A.U.C. 717-718. Consequently, the eighteenth year must have commenced between Nisan, A.U.C. 734-735 and 735-736. The forty-sixth year after this would make the. Passover at which this speech was delivered - the spring of A.U.C. 781 (Wieseler, 'Chronicles Synopsis of the Four Gospels,' translation; and Herzog, 'Encyc.,' 21:546. The fact that Josephus, in his 'Bell. Jud.,' 1:21, gives the fifteenth year of Herod's reign instead of the eighteenth, is shown by Wieseler to be an error of the transcriber, see p. 152, note), which, if we compare with the other hints, is a fixed point from which to reckon the birth year and death year of our Lord. The "about thirty years old" of the Lord at his baptism throws us to about A.U.C. 751, B.C. 2, for the year of his birth, and if there be only one Passover mentioned in John's Gospel between this and the last Passover, it gives A.U.C. 783 for the year of his death. This date is at least coincident with the date derived from the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar, as that of the commencement of the mission of John (see my examination of these dates in appendix to 'John the Baptist'). The temple which Herod began to repair in the eighteenth year of his reign was not completed until A.D. , under Herod Agrippa II., a very short period before its utter destruction. The irony and scorn are manifest: Wilt thou raise it up in three days? John shows, in ver. 21, that, in the deep sense in which our Lord used the words, he abundantly justified his promise. But he - ἐκεῖνος, the Lord, not the people, not the disciples - spake of the temple of his body. This is the reflection which was made upon the word of Jesus by the evangelists in after days. Even Mark (Mark 14:58) reveals the presence of a spiritual interpretation of the words by some of his unsympathetic listeners. It must not be forgotten that, in the synoptists, we find the presence of the idea that his service was a temple service, and that he was greater than the temple (Matthew 12:6; cf. also Hebrews 3:6; 1 Corinthians 12:12, 27; 1 Corinthians 6:15; Romans 12:5; Ephesians 4:12; Ephesians 1:22, 23; with Ephesians 2:19-22). Nor must it be forgotten that the Logos itself was, in the figurative language of Philo, spoken of as the house, or temple, of God. Later rabbinical representations also describe "the body of man as the temple in which the Shechinah operates" (Wunsche). A difficulty arises from the Lord's having claimed in these words to be on the point of raising himself from the dead, whereas elsewhere his resurrection is referred to the mighty power of God, as in ver. 22; Acts 2:24; Acts 3:15; Acts 4:10; Romans 4:24; Romans 8:11; Galatians 1:1; Ephesians 1:20, etc. Without doubt, God and the Father, the Supreme Power, was thus seen in living activity; but the Divine nature of Christ not infrequently so steps forward into his consciousness that he can say, "I and the Father are one;" and (ch. 10:17, 18) "I will lay down my life that I may take it again" (cf. Ephesians 4:8-10).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
“This
οὗτος (houtos)
Demonstrative Pronoun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3778: This; he, she, it.

temple {took}
ναὸς (naos)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3485: A temple, a shrine, that part of the temple where God himself resides. From a primary naio; a fane, shrine, temple.

forty-six
Τεσσεράκοντα (Tesserakonta)
Adjective - Dative Neuter Plural
Strong's 5062: Forty. The decade of tessares; forty.

years
ἔτεσιν (etesin)
Noun - Dative Neuter Plural
Strong's 2094: A year. Apparently a primary word; a year.

to build,”
οἰκοδομήθη (oikodomēthē)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 3618: From the same as oikodome; to be a house-builder, i.e. Construct or confirm.

the
οἱ (hoi)
Article - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

Jews
Ἰουδαῖοι (Ioudaioi)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 2453: Jewish. From Iouda; Judaean, i.e. Belonging to Jehudah.

replied,
Εἶπαν (Eipan)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 2036: Answer, bid, bring word, command. A primary verb; to speak or say.

“and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

You
σὺ (sy)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Nominative 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

are going to raise it up
ἐγερεῖς (egereis)
Verb - Future Indicative Active - 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 1453: (a) I wake, arouse, (b) I raise up. Probably akin to the base of agora; to waken, i.e. Rouse.

in
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

three
τρισὶν (trisin)
Adjective - Dative Feminine Plural
Strong's 5140: Three. Or neuter tria a primary number; 'three'.

days?”
ἡμέραις (hēmerais)
Noun - Dative Feminine Plural
Strong's 2250: A day, the period from sunrise to sunset.


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