John 2:21

John 2:21 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But he spake of the temple of his body.
• New International Version (NIV)But the temple he had spoken of was his body.
• English Standard Version (ESV)But he was speaking about the temple of his body.
• New King James Version (NKJV)But He was speaking of the temple of His body.

Context of John 2:21

19Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it up in three days.” 20Therefore the Jews said, “This temple took forty-six years to build, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22So when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the statement Jesus had made. 23While he was in Jerusalem during the Passover Festival, many believed in his name when they saw the signs he was doing.

John 2:21 word by word

ἐκεῖνος δὲ ἔλεγεν περὶ τοῦ ναοῦ τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Butδέde · thenG1161
• heἐκεῖνοςekeinos · thatG1565
• spakeλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• ofπερίperi · aboutG4012
• the templeὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the templeναόςnaos · templeG3485
• ofσῶμαsōma · bodyG4983
• hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846

Cross-references for John 2:21

• John 1:14The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
• Colossians 1:19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,
• Colossians 2:9For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ,
• Hebrews 8:2a minister of the sanctuary and the true tabernacle that was set up by the Lord and not man.
• 1 Corinthians 3:16Don’t you yourselves know that you are God’s temple and that the Spirit of God lives in you?
• 1 Corinthians 6:19Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,
• 2 Corinthians 6:16And what agreement does the temple of God have with idols? For we are the temple of the living God, as God said: I will dwell and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.
• Ephesians 2:20built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.
• 1 Peter 2:4As you come to him, a living stone — rejected by people but chosen and honored by God —

Commentaries on John 2:21

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21Of the temple of his body - Rather, the temple, his body: his body had no particular temple: but it was the temple of his Divinity - the place in which, as in the ancient temple, his Godhead dwelt; See how the Jews perverted these words, Matthew 26:60; (note), and the notes there.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 12-22Verses 12-22 The first public work in which we find Christ engaged, was driving from the temple the traders whom the covetous priests and rulers encouraged to make a market-place of its courts. Those now make God's house a house of merchandise, whose minds are filled with cares about worldly business when attending religious exercises, or who perform Divine offices for love of gain. Christ, having thus cleansed the temple, gave a sign to those who…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 19-21Destroy this temple: Herod the Great started rebuilding the temple's grand structure in 20 BC. The work continued until AD 64. This is why Jesus amazed his audience when he claimed he could destroy and rebuild it in a few days. However, Jesus was speaking figuratively (using a word picture) about his own body. He described his body as the true temple, the place where God was present (see 1:14, 51). His body would be destroyed. Three days later, God would…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 18-2218-22. What sign showest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?--Though the act and the words of Christ, taken together, were sign enough, they were unconvinced: yet they were awed, and though at His very next appearance at Jerusalem they "sought to kill Him" for speaking of "His Father" just as He did now (Joh 5:18), they, at this early stage, only ask a sign.Read the comment

Topics related to John 2:21

• Jesus Continued
• Jesus, the Christ

In the dictionaries

• Fill
• Hour
• Propitiation
• Resurrection of Christ
• Scourge
• Syriac
• Temple
• Testify
• Body
• Jesus Christ

Commentaries on John 2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Catena Aurea
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• John Lightfoot Commentary
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings