John 2:20

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible

The Jews, therefore, said - In forty and six years, was this shrine built. And, thou, in three days, wilt raise it!

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
They answered, "People worked 46 years to build this Temple! Do you really believe you can build it again in three days?"

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Then sayde the Iewes: xlvi. yeares was this temple abuyldinge: and wylt thou reare it vp in thre dayes?

Hebrew Names Version
The Yehudim therefore said, "Forty-six years was this temple in building, and will you raise it up in three days?"

International Standard Version
The Jews said, "This sanctuary has been under construction for forty-six years, and you're going to rebuild it 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?"

New Century Version
They answered, "It took forty-six years to build this Temple! Do you really believe you can build it again in three days?"

Update Bible Version
The Jews therefore said, Forty and six years was this temple in building, 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?

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?"

World English Bible
The Jews therefore said, "Forty-six years was this temple in building, and will you raise it up in three days?"

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou raise it up in three days?

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

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor the Jewis seiden to hym, In fourti and sixe yeer this temple was bildid, and schalt thou in thre daies reise it?

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?

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?"

Contemporary English Version
The leaders replied, "It took forty-six years to build this temple. What makes you think you can rebuild it 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?"

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?

Bible in Basic English
The Jews said, The building of this Temple took forty-six years; and you will put it up in three days!

Complete Jewish Bible
The Judeans said, "It took 46 years to build this Temple, and you're going to raise it in three days?"

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

Etheridge Translation
The Jihudoyee say to him, Forty-and six years was this temple being built, and wilt thou in three days raise it ?

Murdock Translation
The Jews said to him: Forty and six years, this temple was building; and wilt thou build it again in three days?

King James Version (1611)
Then said the Iewes, Fourty and six yeres was this Temple in building, and wilt thou reare it vp in three dayes?

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

New Life Bible
Then the Jews said, "It took forty-six years to build this house of God. Will You build it up in three days?"

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

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then said the Iewes, Fourtie & sixe yeeres was this Temple a building, and wilt thou reare it vp in three daies?

George Lamsa Translation
The Jews said to him, It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up 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?

Revised 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?"

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then sayde the Iewes, fourtie and sixe yeres was this temple a buildyng, and wilt thou reare it vp in three dayes?

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!"

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

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

Lexham English Bible
Then the Jews said, "This temple has been under construction forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?"

Literal Translation
Then the Jews said, This sanctuary was forty six years being built, and do 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?'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then sayde the Iewes: Sixe and fourtye yeare was this temple abuyldinge, and wilt thou set it vp in thre dayes?

Mace New Testament (1729)
to this said the Jews, forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?

THE MESSAGE
They were indignant: "It took forty-six years to build this Temple, and you're going to rebuild it in three days?" But Jesus was talking about his body as the Temple. Later, after he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered he had said this. They then put two and two together and believed both what was written in Scripture and what Jesus had said.

New English Translation
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 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?"

Simplified Cowboy Version
They scoffed at him, "It took forty-six years to build this church. You think you could rebuild it in three days?"

New American Standard Bible (1995)
The Jews then 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?"

Contextual Overview

¹² After this, he came down into Capernaum, - he, and his mother and brethren, and his disciples; and, there, they abode, not many days. ¹³ And, near, was the passover of the Jews; and, Jesus, went up unto Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And he found, in the temple, them that were selling oxen and sheep and doves, also the money-changers sitting. ¹⁵ And, making a scourge out of rushes, all of them, thrust he forth out of the temple, both the sheep and the oxen; and, the money-changers' small coins, poured he forth, and, the tables, he overturned; ¹⁶ and unto them who were selling, the doves, he said - Take these things hence! Be not making, the house of my Father, a house of merchandise. ¹⁷ His disciples remembered that it was written - The zeal of thy house, eateth me up. ¹⁸ The Jews therefore answered, and said unto him, What sign, dost thou point out to us, in that, these things, thou doest? ¹⁹ Jesus answered, and said unto them - Take down this shrine, and, in three days, will I raise it. ²⁰ The Jews, therefore, said - In forty and six years, was this shrine built. And, thou, in three days, wilt raise it! ²¹ But, he, was speaking concerning the shrine of his body.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 6:38 - seven years Matthew 24:1 - show Luke 21:5 - as Romans 6:4 - by the

Cross-References

Genesis 2:18
And Yahweh God said, It is, not good, that the man should remain alone, - I will make for him a helper as his counterpart.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then said the Jews,.... Unto him, as read the Syriac, Arabic, Persic, and Ethiopic versions:

forty and six years was this temple in building; which cannot be understood of the temple as built by Solomon, for that was but seven years in building, 1 Kings 6:37. But rather of the temple, as built by Zorobabel, commonly called the second temple, and might be more properly said to be "this temple"; the calculations of this made by learned men, are various and endless to recite. Daniel's seven weeks, or forty nine days, which are so many years, can have nothing to do with this account; since they regard not the building of the temple, but the city of Jerusalem; though from the second year of Cyrus, in which the temple began to be built, to the thirty second of Darius exclusive, were just forty six years; Cyrus reigning three years, Artaxerxes Ahasuerus fourteen years, and Artaxerxes Darius thirty two; but their account is more likely, which begins at the first of Artaxerxes Longimanus, who reigned forty years, and ends in the sixth year of Darius, his successor, in which year the temple was finished, Ezra 6:15. But to me it seems rather, that Herod's temple, or the temple as rebuilt, or repaired by Herod, is here meant; and which the Jews call, בניין הורודוס, "the building of Herod" g; and say of it, that

"he who has not seen Herod's building, never saw a beautiful building.''

And this, according to Josephus h, was begun in the "eighteenth" year of his reign, in the "thirty fifth" of which Christ was born, who was now "thirty" years of age: so that reckoning either the eighteenth year of Herod, or the thirtieth of Christ, the present year exclusively, just forty six years had run out, since the rebuilding or reparations were first begun; and which were not yet finished; for some years after this, the above writer observes i, the temple was finished, even in the times of Nero and Agrippa: and agreeably to this, the words may be rendered, "forty six years has this temple been building"; and which still adds more force to the following reasoning of the Jews:

and wilt thou rear it up in three days? the thing is impossible and impracticable; it is madness to the last degree, to talk at this rate: thus from the length of time which had run out from Herod's first beginning to repair and beautify the temple, till now, and yet not finished, they argue the absurdity of his pretending to raise up such a fabric, should it be demolished, in three days time; they understanding him either ignorantly or wilfully, to speak of the material temple, when his sense was otherwise, as appears from the words of the evangelist, in the next verse. The Jew k objects to this account, of the temple being forty six years in building; he observes, that

"according to the sense of the Nazarenes, this was the building of king Herod, that was in the time of Jesus; and the whole time of his reign were but seven and thirty years, as is manifest from the book of Joseph ben Gorion, c. 65. Besides, that which Herod built, was built in eight years, as is evident from the same author, c. 55, wherefore the number of forty six years, in the words of the writer, (the evangelist,) is, a palpable error.''

To which may be replied, that admitting there is an error in this number, it is not the error of the evangelist, but of the Jews, whose words the evangelist relates; and supposing this was a mistake of theirs, either ignorantly or wilfully made, to aggravate the absurdity and impossibility of Christ's rebuilding the temple; and that even the evangelist knew it to be a mistake; yet he acts the most faithful and upright part, in repeating the words of the Jews, as they delivered them; and it lies upon the Jew to prove, that these words were not said by them, or that it is not credible that they should: that this was the building of Herod which is here referred to; and that he reigned but thirty seven years, will be granted; but this is no objection to its being forty six years in building, since in this account it is not said that it was forty six years in building by Herod; the sense is only, that such a number of years had passed, since it first began to be built by him: as for what Joseph ben Gorion says, of its being built by him in the space of eight years, it is not to be depended upon, since he is not the true Josephus, that wrote the history of the Jews, and is to be corrected by the genuine historian; and from what has been before observed, from the time which, according to the true Josephus, this building was begun, to this present year of Christ, when this discourse was had, were just forty six years; and admitting, that the main of the building was finished in eight years time, yet additions were continually made to it, so that it was not finished entirely, until many years after.

g T. Bab. Bava Bathra, fol. 4. 1. h Antiqu. Jud. l. 15. c. 14. i Antiqu. Jud. l. 20. c. 8. k R. Isaac Chizzuk Emuna, par. 2. c. 43. p. 434.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Then said the Jews ... - The Jews, either from the ambiguity of his language, or more probably from a design to cavil, understood him as speaking of the temple at Jerusalem. What he said here is all the evidence that they could adduce on his trial Matthew 26:61; Mark 14:58, and they reproached him with it when on the cross, Matthew 27:40. The Jews frequently perverted our Saviour’s meaning. The language which he used was often that of parables or metaphor; and as they Sought to misunderstand him and pervert his language, so he often left them to their own delusions, as he himself says, “that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand,” Matthew 13:13. This was a case which they “might,” if they had been disposed, have easily understood. They were in the temple; the conversation was about the temple; and though he probably pointed to his body, or designated it in some plain way, yet they chose to understand him as referring to the temple itself; and as it appeared so improbable that he could raise up that in three days, they sought to pervert his words and pour ridicule on his pretensions.

Forty and six years ... - The temple in which they then were was that which was commonly called “the second temple,” built after the return of the Jews from Babylon. See the notes at Matthew 21:12. This temple Herod the Great commenced repairing, or began to rebuild, in the eighteenth year of his reign - that is, sixteen years before the birth of Christ (Jos. ‘Ant.,’ b. xv. Section 1). The main body of the temple he completed in “nine years and a half” (Jos. ‘Ant.,’ xv. 5, 6), yet the temple, with its outbuildings, was not entirely complete in the time of our Saviour. Herod continued to ornament it and to perfect it even until the time of Agrippa (Jos. ‘Ant.,’ b. xx. chapter viii. Section 11). As Herod began to rebuild the temple sixteen years before the birth of Jesus, and as what is here mentioned happened in the thirtieth year of the age of Jesus, so the time which had been occupied in it was “forty-six years.” This circumstance is one of the many in the New Testament which show the accuracy of the evangelists, and which prove that they were well acquainted with what they recorded. It demonstrates that their narration is true. Impostors do not trouble themselves to be very accurate about names and dates, and there is nothing in which they are more liable to make mistakes.

Wilt thou ... - This is an expression of contempt. Herod, with all his wealth and power, had been engaged in this work almost half a century. Can you, an obscure and unknown Galilean, accomplish it in three days? The thing, in their judgment, was ridiculous, and showed, as “they” supposed, that he had no authority to do what he had done in the temple.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse John 2:20. Forty and six years was this temple in building — The temple of which the Jews spake was begun to be rebuilt by Herod the Great, in the 18th year of his reign: Jos. Ant. b. xv. c. 11, s. 1; and xx. c. 9, s. 5, 7. But though he finished the main work in nine years and a half, yet some additional buildings or repairs were constantly carried on for many years afterwards. Herod began the work sixteen years before the birth of our Lord: the transactions which are here related took place in the thirtieth year of our Lord, which make the term exactly forty-six years. Rosenmuller. Josephus, Ant. b. xx. c. 8, s. 5, 7, has told us that the whole of the buildings belonging to the temple were not finished till Nero's reign, when Albinus, the governor of Judea, was succeeded by Gessius Florus, which was eighty years after the eighteenth year of Herod's reign. See Bp. Pearce.