MARK 11:17 Interlinear View

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 11:15–19: Jesus expelled the buyers and sellers from the temple courtyard

Jesus and his disciples arrived in the city of Jerusalem again. Jesus went back to the temple, where he had looked around at everything the day before. This time he showed his disapproval of the people there who were buying, selling, and exchanging people’s money. He overturned their tables and commanded other people to stop carrying things through the temple area. He quoted Scripture to show that what they were doing was wrong.

The Jewish leaders did not like what Jesus did. They were afraid of the influence he had on the crowds of people. They looked for a way to kill Jesus.

It is good to translate this section before you decide on a heading for it.

Here are some other possible headings for this section:

Jesus Goes to the Temple (GNT)

Jesus Cleanses the Temple (ESV)

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 21:10–17 and Luke 19:45–48. See also John 2:13–22.

Paragraph 11:15–17

When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, it was the time of the year when the Jews celebrated a festival called the Passover. Many people came to Jerusalem at Passover time to offer sacrifices to God.

11:17a

Then Jesus began to teach them, and He declared, “Is it not written:

He taught them and asked, “Do you not know what God caused to be written?
He then taught the people: “It is written in the Scriptures that God said, (GNT)
And he told them that they should know what it says in God’s word about the temple:

Then Jesus began to teach them, and He declared: In Greek, the two verbs that the BSB translates as teach and declared are in a form that sometimes shows continuing action. For example, the NRSV says:

He was teaching and saying…

The NIV shows this with the word “as”:

as he taught

The significance of the continuing form may be that Jesus said these things while he was chasing away those who were desecrating the temple court. However, you may also translate 11:17a simply as a way to introduce what Jesus taught. For example, the GNT says:

He then taught the people

them: It is not clear to whom the pronoun them refers. Jesus’ disciples and others probably watched as he chased away those who did not respect the temple. He probably taught those who were watching him, and any of the people he chased who were still close enough to hear him.

It is recommended that you use a general expression for those he taught, such as them or “the people” (GNT).

Is it not written…?: This is a rhetorical question. The negative form of the question implies that the answer is “Yes, it certainly is written.” Jesus asked this question to rebuke the merchants and others because they disregarded Scripture about the purpose of the temple. He rebuked them by emphasizing what every Jewish person should know from the Scriptures: God intended the temple to be a house of prayer for people of all nations.

There are at least two ways to translate this rebuke:

As a rhetorical question. For example, the REB says:
Does not scripture say…?
As a statement. For example, the NCV says:
It is written in the Scriptures

Use whichever form is most natural to express this rebuke in your language.

The expression Is it not written or “it is written” is often used in the New Testament to refer to the writings of the Old Testament. Some English versions make this information explicit:

It is written in the Scriptures that God said (GNT)

The Scriptures say (CEV)

See also the notes on 1:2a and 7:6b, where similar expressions occur.

11:17b

‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations’?

God said, ‘People will call my holy house a place where all the peoples come to pray.’
‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for the people of all nations.’” (GNT)
that God’s house was to be a place where people from all countries pray.

‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations’: Here Jesus was quoting from Isaiah 56:7. God had said that he intended for his temple to be a place where people from all nations would pray to him and worship him. You might want to include a footnote reference to this Old Testament passage.

In some languages it may be more natural to use indirect speech for the Old Testament quotation. For example:

…he said to them, “It is written that God’s house will be called a house of prayer. But you have made it a den of robbers.”

In some languages it may be more natural to use direct speech for both Jesus’ words and the Old Testament quotation. If that is true in your language, be careful to show this by the way you punctuate the verse.

My house: Here the expression My house refers to the temple in Jerusalem. In the Old Testament, “the house of God” was a common way to refer to the temple. In some languages it may be necessary to use an expression which is more explicit than My house. For example:

My temple (GNT)

This place where people come to worship me

You should use an expression here that is different from the expressions you used for synagogue and church.

My: The pronoun My refers to God. Make sure that in your translation it is clear that it does not refer to Jesus or Isaiah. In some languages it may be necessary to make this explicit. For example, the GNT says:

God said, “My Temple…”

will be called: This is a passive verb form. It could also be expressed as an active verb. For example:

People will call…

The verse Jesus quoted from Isaiah was what God said would be true. Isaiah wrote about what would happen in the future. People would call the temple “a house of prayer” because this is what it would be. Jesus quoted this as a command. He expected people to treat the temple as a “house of prayer for all nations.”

a house of prayer for all the nations: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as a house of prayer refers here to a place where people from all nations can pray. This means a place where all ethnic groups can speak to God, praise him, thank him, and make requests of him.

It does not refer to a house where people pray for all nations. It may be helpful to include a reference to God. For example:

a place where people from all nations pray to me

a place where people from all ethnic groups can speak to me

The word for house in this expression can be more general than the word in the previous expression “My house.”

all the nations: The Greek word that the BSB translates as nations refers to ethnic groups, that is, to groups of people, rather than to political states or countries. The word often refers specifically to Gentiles, that is, people other than Jewish people. But here it refers in general to Jews and Gentiles, that is, to all the peoples of the earth.

Here are some other ways to translate this expression:

people from all nations (NCV)

people from all ethnic groups (TRT)

Use a natural expression in your language that refers to all groups of people on the earth.

11:17c

But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”

But you^(plur) have made it like a den/cave full of robbers.”
Jesus continued, “But you^(plur) are using it as a robbers’ meeting/gathering place.”
But they had turned it into a hideout for thieves.

This part of the verse is not part of the quotation from Isaiah. Jesus himself directly condemned what was happening in the temple. You may need to make this clear by translating as follows:

Jesus continued…

But you: The words But you introduce an emphatic contrast to God’s purpose for the temple that Jesus stated in 11:17b. The pronoun you refers to the people who were buying, selling, exchanging money, and carrying things through the temple courtyard. Jesus indicated that their actions violated God’s purpose for the temple. Express this contrast in a natural way in your language.

have made it: The phrase that the BSB translates as have made it here indicates that the people treated God’s temple as if it were a meeting place for robbers. They cheated people in God’s own temple.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

You are using it as…

But you have turned it into… (GNT)

‘a den of robbers.’: The phrase a den of robbers is a metaphor. Jesus was comparing a den of robbers to the temple. You may need to make this clear by translating as follows:

But you have made it like a den of robbers.

But you are using the temple as a place for robbers.

Jesus was quoting this phrase from Scripture to describe how the people were acting toward the temple and toward God. They were like robbers in two ways:

They cheated people by charging them too much when they sold them things.
They cheated the people by using the temple courts as a marketplace, so that they were not able to pray there as God wanted.

The phrase a den of robbers is from Jeremiah 7:11. Some English versions, including the BSB, punctuate the phrase den of robbers as a quotation. Consider if you want to do this in your translation. You may also want to include a footnote reference to Jeremiah 7:11.

den: The Greek word that the BSB translates as den describes a “cave” or “hole” large enough for people to enter. There were many caves in that area. It was common for robbers to use these caves as places to live or hide.

In your translation, you could use an expression for a place where there are many thieves or a place where thieves hide. If you do not have a particular expression for this, you could describe this as:

a hideout for robbers

a place where robbers meet

robbers: The Greek word that the BSB translates as robbers refers to men who attacked people who were traveling from one place to another. They would beat them and steal from them. Sometimes they would kill them.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

brigands

highwaymen

bandits

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: writing-pronouns

καὶ ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἐδίδασκεν καί ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς Οὒ γέγραπται ὅτι Ὁ οἶκος μού Οἶκος προσευχῆς κληθήσεται πᾶσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ὑμεῖς Δέ ἐποιήσατε αὐτόν Σπήλαιον λῃστῶν)

The pronoun them refers to the people who were buying, selling, and exchanging things in the temple area. If this is not clear for your readers, you could refer to these people more directly. Alternate translation: [the people who were buying and selling, and he was saying]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / quotesinquotes

οὐ γέγραπται, ὅτι ὁ οἶκός μου, οἶκος προσευχῆς κληθήσεται πᾶσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν? ὑμεῖς δὲ ἐποιήσατε αὐτὸν σπήλαιον λῃστῶν

If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate this so that there are not quotations within a quotation. Alternate translation: [Has it not been written that God’s house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations? But you have made it, as it has been written, into a den of robbers.]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

οὐ γέγραπται, ὅτι ὁ οἶκός μου, οἶκος προσευχῆς κληθήσεται πᾶσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν?

Jesus is using the question form to rebuke the people in the temple. If you would not use the question form for this purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or an exclamation. Alternate translation: [You should have paid closer attention to what has been written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations.’] or [It has certainly been written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations’!]

Note 4 topic: writing-quotations

οὐ γέγραπται

In Jesus’ culture, Has it not been written was a normal way to introduce a quotation from an important text, in this case, the book of Isaiah (see [Isaiah 56:7](../isa/56/07.md)). If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a comparable phrase that indicates that Jesus is quoting from an important text. Alternate translation: [Can you not read in the Scriptures] or [Does it not say in the book of Isaiah]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

οὐ γέγραπται

If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. If you need to say who did the action, it is clear from the context that it was God speaking through the prophet Isaiah. Alternate translation: [Has the prophet Isaiah not said] or [Has God not had a prophet write]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

οἶκός μου & κληθήσεται

If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. If you need to say who did the action, you could use an indefinite subject. Alternate translation: [They will call my house]

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

οἶκός μου

God, speaking through the prophet Isaiah, refers to his temple as My house because his presence is there. If it would be helpful for your readers, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [My temple]

Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

οἶκος προσευχῆς & πᾶσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν

house (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἐδίδασκεν καί ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς Οὒ γέγραπται ὅτι Ὁ οἶκος μού Οἶκος προσευχῆς κληθήσεται πᾶσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ὑμεῖς Δέ ἐποιήσατε αὐτόν Σπήλαιον λῃστῶν)

Here God, speaking through the prophet Isaiah, is using the possessive form to describe a house that is a place where people perform prayer. If this is not clear in your language, you could express the idea in another way. Alternate translation: [a house where all the nations offer prayer] or [a place where there is prayer from all the nations]

Note 9 topic: writing-quotations

ὑμεῖς & ἐποιήσατε αὐτὸν σπήλαιον λῃστῶν

you_all & made (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἐδίδασκεν καί ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς Οὒ γέγραπται ὅτι Ὁ οἶκος μού Οἶκος προσευχῆς κληθήσεται πᾶσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ὑμεῖς Δέ ἐποιήσατε αὐτόν Σπήλαιον λῃστῶν)

Jesus is quoting from the Old Testament scriptures, specifically from [Jeremiah 7:11](../jer/07/11.md). If it would be helpful to your readers, you could format or introduce these words in a different way and include this information in a footnote. Alternate translation: [you have made it a ‘den of robbers,’ in the words of the Scriptures] or [you have made it, as the Scriptures say, ‘a den of robbers]

Note 10 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

σπήλαιον λῃστῶν

Here God, speaking through the prophet Jeremiah, refers to the temple as a den where robbers hide and plot their crimes. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a comparable phrase or express the idea in simile form. Alternate translation: [a place where robbers live] or [like a cave where robbers hide]

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)

Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.

Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.