Yesaya 66:1-6

66:1 This is what the Lord says:

“The heavens are my throne

and the earth is my footstool.

Where then is the house you will build for me?

Where is the place where I will rest?

66:2 My hand made them; ¹ 

that is how they came to be,” ²  says the Lord.

I show special favor ³  to the humble and contrite,

who respect what I have to say. ⁴ 

66:3 The one who slaughters a bull also strikes down a man; ⁵ 

the one who sacrifices a lamb also breaks a dog’s neck; ⁶ 

the one who presents an offering includes pig’s blood with it; ⁷ 

the one who offers incense also praises an idol. ⁸ 

They have decided to behave this way; ⁹ 

they enjoy these disgusting practices. ¹⁰ 

66:4 So I will choose severe punishment ¹¹  for them;

I will bring on them what they dread,

because I called, and no one responded,

I spoke and they did not listen.

They did evil before me; ¹² 

they chose to do what displeases me.”

66:5 Hear the word of the Lord,

you who respect what he has to say! ¹³ 

Your countrymen, ¹⁴  who hate you

and exclude you, supposedly for the sake of my name,

say, “May the Lord be glorified,

then we will witness your joy.” ¹⁵ 

But they will be put to shame.

66:6 The sound of battle comes from the city;

the sound comes from the temple!

It is the sound of the Lord paying back his enemies.

Yeremia 7:4-14

7:4 Stop putting your confidence in the false belief that says, ¹⁶  “We are safe! ¹⁷  The temple of the Lord is here! The temple of the Lord is here! The temple of the Lord is here!” ¹⁸  7:5 You must change ¹⁹  the way you have been living and do what is right. You must treat one another fairly. ²⁰  7:6 Stop oppressing foreigners who live in your land, children who have lost their fathers, and women who have lost their husbands. ²¹  Stop killing innocent people ²²  in this land. Stop paying allegiance to ²³  other gods. That will only bring about your ruin. ²⁴  7:7 If you stop doing these things, ²⁵  I will allow you to continue to live in this land ²⁶  which I gave to your ancestors as a lasting possession. ²⁷ 

7:8 “‘But just look at you! ²⁸  You are putting your confidence in a false belief ²⁹  that will not deliver you. ³⁰  7:9 You steal. ³¹  You murder. You commit adultery. You lie when you swear on oath. You sacrifice to the god Baal. You pay allegiance to ³²  other gods whom you have not previously known. 7:10 Then you come and stand in my presence in this temple I have claimed as my own ³³  and say, “We are safe!” You think you are so safe that you go on doing all those hateful sins! ³⁴  7:11 Do you think this temple I have claimed as my own ³⁵  is to be a hideout for robbers? ³⁶  You had better take note! ³⁷  I have seen for myself what you have done! says the Lord. 7:12 So, go to the place in Shiloh where I allowed myself to be worshiped ³⁸  in the early days. See what I did to it ³⁹  because of the wicked things my people Israel did. 7:13 You also have done all these things, says the Lord, and I have spoken to you over and over again. ⁴⁰  But you have not listened! You have refused to respond when I called you to repent! ⁴¹  7:14 So I will destroy this temple which I have claimed as my own, ⁴²  this temple that you are trusting to protect you. I will destroy this place that I gave to you and your ancestors, ⁴³  just like I destroyed Shiloh. ⁴⁴ 

Yeremia 26:6-9

26:6 If you do not obey me, ⁴⁵  then I will do to this temple what I did to Shiloh. ⁴⁶  And I will make this city an example to be used in curses by people from all the nations on the earth.’”

26:7 The priests, the prophets, and all the people heard Jeremiah say these things in the Lord’s temple. 26:8 Jeremiah had just barely finished saying all the Lord had commanded him to say to all the people. All at once some ⁴⁷  of the priests, the prophets, and the people grabbed him and shouted, “You deserve to die! ⁴⁸  26:9 How dare you claim the Lord’s authority to prophesy such things! How dare you claim his authority to prophesy that this temple will become like Shiloh and that this city will become an uninhabited ruin!” ⁴⁹  Then all the people crowded around Jeremiah.

Yeremia 26:12

26:12 Then Jeremiah made his defense before all the officials and all the people. ⁵⁰  “The Lord sent me to prophesy everything you have heard me say against this temple and against this city.

Yeremia 26:18

26:18 “Micah from Moresheth ⁵¹  prophesied during the time Hezekiah was king of Judah. ⁵²  He told all the people of Judah,

‘The Lord who rules over all ⁵³  says,

“Zion ⁵⁴  will become a plowed field.

Jerusalem ⁵⁵  will become a pile of rubble.

The temple mount will become a mere wooded ridge.”’ ⁵⁶ 

Daniel 9:26

9:26 Now after the sixty-two weeks,

an anointed one will be cut off and have nothing. ⁵⁷ 

As for the city and the sanctuary,

the people of the coming prince will destroy ⁵⁸  them.

But his end will come speedily ⁵⁹  like a flood. ⁶⁰ 

Until the end of the war that has been decreed

there will be destruction.

Mikha 3:12

3:12 Therefore, because of you, ⁶¹  Zion will be plowed up like ⁶²  a field,

Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins,

and the Temple Mount ⁶³  will become a hill overgrown with brush! ⁶⁴ 

Zakharia 11:1

The History and Future of Judah’s Wicked Kings

11:1 Open your gates, Lebanon,

so that the fire may consume your cedars. ⁶⁵ 

Zakharia 14:2

14:2 For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem ⁶⁶  to wage war; the city will be taken, its houses plundered, and the women raped. Then half of the city will go into exile, but the remainder of the people will not be taken away. ⁶⁷ 

Matius 24:1-2

The Destruction of the Temple

24:1 Now ⁶⁸  as Jesus was going out of the temple courts and walking away, his disciples came to show him the temple buildings. ⁶⁹  24:2 And he said to them, ⁷⁰  “Do you see all these things? I tell you the truth, ⁷¹  not one stone will be left on another. ⁷²  All will be torn down!” ⁷³ 

Markus 14:58

14:58 “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with hands and in three days build another not made with hands.’”

Lukas 13:34-35

13:34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, ⁷⁴  you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! ⁷⁵  How often I have longed ⁷⁶  to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but ⁷⁷  you would have none of it! ⁷⁸  13:35 Look, your house is forsaken! ⁷⁹  And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’” ⁸⁰ 

Lukas 21:6

21:6 “As for these things that you are gazing at, the days will come when not one stone will be left on another. ⁸¹  All will be torn down!” ⁸² 

Lukas 21:24

21:24 They ⁸³  will fall by the edge ⁸⁴  of the sword and be led away as captives ⁸⁵  among all nations. Jerusalem ⁸⁶  will be trampled down by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. ⁸⁷ 

Yohanes 4:21

4:21 Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, ⁸⁸  a time ⁸⁹  is coming when you will worship ⁹⁰  the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.

[66:2]  ¹ tn Heb “all these.” The phrase refers to the heavens and earth, mentioned in the previous verse.

[66:2]  ² tn Heb “and all these were.” Some prefer to emend וַיִּהְיוּ (vayyihyu, “and they were”) to וְלִי הָיוּ (vÿli hayu, “and to me they were”), i.e., “and they belong to me.”

[66:2]  ³ tn Heb “and to this one I look” (KJV and NASB both similar).

[66:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “to the humble and the lowly in spirit and the one who trembles at my words.”

[66:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “one who slaughters a bull, one who strikes down a man.” Some understand a comparison here and in the following lines. In God’s sight the one who sacrifices is like (i.e., regarded as) a murderer or one whose worship is ritually defiled or idolatrous. The translation above assumes that the language is not metaphorical, but descriptive of the sinners’ hypocritical behavior. (Note the last two lines of the verse, which suggests they are guilty of abominable practices.) On the one hand, they act pious and offer sacrifices; but at the same time they commit violent crimes against men, defile their sacrifices, and worship other gods.

[66:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “one who sacrifices a lamb, one who breaks a dog’s neck.” Some understand a comparison, but see the previous note.

[66:3]  sn The significance of breaking a dog’s neck is uncertain, though the structure of the statement when compared to the preceding and following lines suggests the action is viewed in a negative light. According to Exod 13:13 and 34:20, one was to “redeem” a firstborn donkey by offering a lamb; if one did not “redeem” the firstborn donkey in this way, then its neck must be broken. According to Deut 21:1-9 a heifer’s neck was to be broken as part of the atonement ritual to purify the land from the guilt of bloodshed. It is not certain if these passages relate in any way to the action described in Isa 66:3.

[66:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “one who offers an offering, pig’s blood.” Some understand a comparison, but see the note at the end of the first line.

[66:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “one who offers incense as a memorial offering, one who blesses something false.” Some understand a comparison, but see the note at the end of the first line. אָוֶן (’aven), which has a wide variety of attested nuances, here refers metonymically to an idol. See HALOT 22 s.v. and BDB 20 s.v. 2.

[66:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “also they have chosen their ways.”

[66:3]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “their being [or “soul”] takes delight in their disgusting [things].”

[66:4]  ¹¹ tn The precise meaning of the noun is uncertain. It occurs only here and in 3:4 (but see the note there). It appears to be derived from the verbal root עָלַל (’alal), which can carry the nuance “deal severely.”

[66:4]  ¹² tn Heb “that which is evil in my eyes.”

[66:5]  ¹³ tn Heb “who tremble at his word.”

[66:5]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “brothers” (so NASB, NIV); NRSV “Your own people”; NLT “Your close relatives.”

[66:5]  ¹⁵ tn Or “so that we might witness your joy.” The point of this statement is unclear.

[7:4]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “Stop trusting in lying words which say.”

[7:4]  ¹⁷ tn The words “We are safe!” are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[7:4]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are these (i.e., these buildings).” Elsewhere triple repetition seems to mark a kind of emphasis (cf. Isa 6:3; Jer 22:29; Ezek 21:27 [32 HT]). The triple repetition that follows seems to be Jeremiah’s way of mocking the (false) sense of security that people had in the invincibility of Jerusalem because God dwelt in the temple. They appeared to be treating the temple as some kind of magical charm. A similar feeling had grown up around the ark in the time of the judges (cf. 1 Sam 3:3) and the temple and city of Jerusalem in Micah’s day (cf. Mic 3:11). It is reflected also in some of the Psalms (cf., e.g., Ps 46, especially v. 5).

[7:5]  ¹⁹ tn The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.

[7:5]  ²⁰ tn Heb “you must do justice between a person and his fellow/neighbor.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.

[7:6]  ²¹ tn Heb “Stop oppressing foreigner, orphan, and widow.”

[7:6]  ²² tn Heb “Stop shedding innocent blood.”

[7:6]  ²³ tn Heb “going/following after.” See the translator’s note at 2:5 for an explanation of the idiom involved here.

[7:6]  ²⁴ tn Heb “going after other gods to your ruin.”

[7:7]  ²⁵ tn The translation uses imperatives in vv. 5-6 followed by the phrase, “If you do all this,” to avoid the long and complex sentence structure of the Hebrew sentence which has a series of conditional clauses in vv. 5-6 followed by a main clause in v. 7.

[7:7]  ²⁶ tn Heb “live in this place, in this land.”

[7:7]  ²⁷ tn Heb “gave to your fathers [with reference to] from ancient times even unto forever.”

[7:8]  ²⁸ tn Heb “Behold!”

[7:8]  ²⁹ tn Heb “You are trusting in lying words.” See the similar phrase in v. 4 and the note there.

[7:8]  ³⁰ tn Heb “not profit [you].”

[7:9]  ³¹ tn Heb “Will you steal…then say, ‘We are safe’?” Verses 9-10 are one long sentence in the Hebrew text.

[7:9]  ³² tn Heb “You go/follow after.” See the translator’s note at 2:5 for an explanation of the idiom involved here.

[7:10]  ³³ tn Heb “over which my name is called.” For this nuance of this idiom cf. BDB 896 s.v. קָרָא Niph.2.d(4) and see the usage in 2 Sam 12:28.

[7:10]  ³⁴ tn Or “‘We are safe!’ – safe, you think, to go on doing all those hateful things.” Verses 9-10 are all one long sentence in the Hebrew text. It has been broken up for English stylistic reasons. Somewhat literally it reads “Will you steal…then come and stand…and say, ‘We are safe’ so as to/in order to do…” The Hebrew of v. 9 has a series of infinitives which emphasize the bare action of the verb without the idea of time or agent. The effect is to place a kind of staccato like emphasis on the multitude of their sins all of which are violations of one of the Ten Commandments. The final clause in v. 8 expresses purpose or result (probably result) through another infinitive. This long sentence is introduced by a marker (ה interrogative in Hebrew) introducing a rhetorical question in which God expresses his incredulity that they could do these sins, come into the temple and claim the safety of his protection, and then go right back out and commit the same sins. J. Bright (Jeremiah [AB], 52) catches the force nicely: “What? You think you can steal, murder…and then come and stand…and say, ‘We are safe…’ just so that you can go right on…”

[7:11]  ³⁵ tn Heb “over which my name is called.” For this nuance of this idiom cf. BDB 896 s.v. קָרָא Niph.2.d(4) and see the usage in 2 Sam 12:28.

[7:11]  ³⁶ tn Heb “Is this house…a den/cave of robbers in your eyes?”

[7:11]  ³⁷ tn Heb “Behold!”

[7:12]  ³⁸ tn Heb “where I caused my name to dwell.” The translation does not adequately represent the theology of the Lord’s deliberate identification with a place where he chose to manifest his presence and desired to be worshiped (cf. Exod 20:25; Deut 16:2, 6, 11).

[7:12]  ³⁹ sn The place in Shiloh…see what I did to it. This refers to the destruction of Shiloh by the Philistines circa 1050 b.c. (cf. Ps 78:60). The destruction of Shiloh is pertinent to the argument. The presence of the tabernacle and ark of the covenant did not prevent Shiloh from being destroyed when Israel sinned. The people of Israel used the ark as a magic charm but it did not prevent them from being defeated or the ark being captured (1 Sam 4:3, 11, 21-22).

[7:13]  ⁴⁰ tn This reflects a Hebrew idiom (e.g., 7:25; 11:7; 25:3, 4), i.e., an infinitive of a verb meaning “to do something early [or eagerly]” followed by an infinitive of another verb of action. Cf. HALOT 1384 s.v. שָׁכַם Hiph.2.

[7:13]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “I called to you and you did not answer.” The words “to repent” are not in the text but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[7:14]  ⁴² tn Heb “over which my name is called.” For this nuance of this idiom cf. BDB 896 s.v. קָרָא Niph.2.d(4) and see the usage in 2 Sam 12:28.

[7:14]  ⁴³ tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 22, 25, 26).

[7:14]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “I will do to this house which I…in which you put…and to this place which…as I did to Shiloh.”

[26:6]  ⁴⁵ tn 26:4-6 are all one long sentence containing a long condition with subordinate clauses (vv. 4-5) and a compound consequence in v. 6: Heb “If you will not obey me by walking in my law…by paying attention to the words of the prophets which…and you did not pay heed, then I will make…and I will make…” The sentence has been broken down in conformity to contemporary English style but an attempt has been made to reflect all the subordinations in the English translation.

[26:6]  ⁴⁶ sn See the study note on Jer 7:13.

[26:8]  ⁴⁷ tn The translation again represents an attempt to break up a long complex Hebrew sentence into equivalent English ones that conform more to contemporary English style: Heb “And as soon as Jeremiah finished saying all that…the priests…grabbed him and said…” The word “some” has been supplied in the translation, because obviously it was not all the priests, the prophets, and all the people, but only some of them. There is, of course, rhetorical intent here to show that all were implicated, although all may not have actually participated. (This is a common figure called synecdoche where all is put for a part – all for all kinds or representatives of all kinds. See E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech, 614-19, and compare usage in Acts 10:12; Matt 3:5.)

[26:8]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “You must certainly die!” The construction here is again emphatic with the infinitive preceding the finite verb (cf. Joüon 2:423 §123.h, and compare usage in Exod 21:28).

[26:9]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “Why have you prophesied in the Lord’s name, saying, ‘This house will become like Shiloh and this city will become a ruin without inhabitant?’” It is clear from the context here and in 7:1-15 that the emphasis is on “in the Lord’s name” and that the question is rhetorical. The question is not a quest for information but an accusation, a remonstrance. (For this figure see E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech, 953-54, who calls a question like this a rhetorical question of remonstrance or expostulation. For good examples see Pss 11:1; 50:16.) For the significance of “prophesying in the Lord’s name” see the study note on 14:14. The translation again utilizes the indirect quote to eliminate one level of embedded quotation.

[26:9]  sn They are questioning his right to claim the Lord’s authority for what they see as a false prophecy. They believed that the presence of the Lord in the temple guaranteed their safety (7:4, 10, 14) and that the Lord could not possibly be threatening its destruction. Hence they were ready to put him to death as a false prophet according to the law of Moses (Deut 18:20).

[26:12]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “Jeremiah said to all the leaders and all the people….” See the note on the word “said” in the preceding verse.

[26:18]  ⁵¹ sn Micah from Moresheth was a contemporary of Isaiah (compare Mic 1:1 with Isa 1:1) from the country town of Moresheth in the hill country southwest of Jerusalem. The prophecy referred to is found in Mic 3:12. This is the only time in the OT where an OT prophet is quoted verbatim and identified.

[26:18]  ⁵² sn Hezekiah was co-regent with his father Ahaz from 729-715 b.c. and sole ruler from 715-686 b.c. His father was a wicked king who was responsible for the incursions of the Assyrians (2 Kgs 16; 2 Chr 28). Hezekiah was a godly king, noted for his religious reforms and for his faith in the Lord in the face of the Assyrian threat (2 Kgs 18–19; 2 Chr 32:1-23). The deliverance of Jerusalem in response to his prayers of faith (2 Kgs 19:14-19, 29-36) was undoubtedly well-known to the people of Jerusalem and Judah and may have been one of the prime reasons for their misplaced trust in the inviolability of Zion/Jerusalem (see Ps 46, 76) though the people of Micah’s day already believed it too (Mic 3:11).

[26:18]  ⁵³ tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.”

[26:18]  sn For an explanation of this title for God see the study note on 2:19.

[26:18]  ⁵⁴ sn Zion was first of all the citadel that David captured (2 Sam 5:6-10), then the city of David and the enclosed temple area, then the whole city of Jerusalem. It is often in poetic parallelism with Jerusalem as it is here (see, e.g., Ps 76:2; Amos 1:2).

[26:18]  ⁵⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[26:18]  ⁵⁶ sn There is irony involved in this statement. The text reads literally “high places of a forest/thicket.” The “high places” were the illicit places of worship that Jerusalem was supposed to replace. Because of their sin, Jerusalem would be like one of the pagan places of worship with no place left sacrosanct. It would even be overgrown with trees and bushes. So much for its inviolability!

[9:26]  ⁵⁷ sn The expression have nothing is difficult. Presumably it refers to an absence of support or assistance for the anointed one at the time of his “cutting off.” The KJV rendering “but not for himself,” apparently suggesting a vicarious death, cannot be defended.

[9:26]  ⁵⁸ tc Some witnesses (e.g., the Syriac) understand a passive verb and the preposition עִם (’im, “with) rather than the noun עַם (’am, “people”), thus reading “the city and the sanctuary will be destroyed with the coming prince.”

[9:26]  ⁵⁹ tn The words “will come speedily” are not in the Hebrew text but have been added in the translation for clarity.

[9:26]  ⁶⁰ sn Flood here is a metaphor for sudden destruction.

[3:12]  ⁶¹ tn The plural pronoun refers to the leaders, priests, and prophets mentioned in the preceding verse.

[3:12]  ⁶² tn Or “into” (an adverbial accusative of result).

[3:12]  ⁶³ tn Heb “the mountain of the house” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV).

[3:12]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “a high place of overgrowth.”

[11:1]  ⁶⁵ sn In this poetic section, plants and animals provide the imagery for rulers, especially evil ones (cf. respectively Isa 10:33-34; Ezek 31:8; Amos 2:9; Nah 2:12).

[14:2]  ⁶⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[14:2]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “not be cut off from the city” (so NRSV); NAB “not be removed.”

[24:1]  ⁶⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[24:1]  ⁶⁹ sn The Jerusalem temple was widely admired around the world. See Josephus, Ant. 15.11 [15.380-425]; J. W. 5.5 [5.184-227] and Tacitus, History 5.8, who called it “immensely opulent.” Josephus compared it to a beautiful snowcapped mountain.

[24:2]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “answering, he said to them.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (ajpokriqei") is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[24:2]  ⁷¹ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[24:2]  ⁷² sn With the statement not one stone will be left on another Jesus predicted the total destruction of the temple, something that did occur in a.d. 70.

[24:2]  ⁷³ tn Grk “not one stone will be left here on another which will not be thrown down.”

[13:34]  ⁷⁴ sn The double use of the city’s name betrays intense emotion.

[13:34]  ⁷⁵ tn Although the opening address (“Jerusalem, Jerusalem”) is direct (second person), the remainder of this sentence in the Greek text is third person (“who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her”). The following sentences then revert to second person (“your… you”), so to keep all this consistent in English, the third person pronouns in the present verse were translated as second person (“you who kill… sent to you”).

[13:34]  ⁷⁶ sn How often I have longed to gather your children. Jesus, like a lamenting prophet, speaks for God here, who longed to care tenderly for Israel and protect her.

[13:34]  ⁷⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[13:34]  ⁷⁸ tn Grk “you were not willing.”

[13:35]  ⁷⁹ sn Your house is forsaken. The language here is from Jer 12:7 and 22:5. It recalls exilic judgment.

[13:35]  ⁸⁰ sn A quotation from Ps 118:26. The judgment to come will not be lifted until the Lord returns. See Luke 19:41-44.

[21:6]  ⁸¹ sn With the statement days will come when not one stone will be left on another Jesus predicted the total destruction of the temple, something that did occur in a.d. 70.

[21:6]  ⁸² tn Grk “the days will come when not one stone will be left on another that will not be thrown down.”

[21:24]  ⁸³ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:24]  ⁸⁴ tn Grk “by the mouth of the sword” (an idiom for the edge of a sword).

[21:24]  ⁸⁵ sn Here is the predicted judgment against the nation until the time of Gentile rule has passed: Its people will be led away as captives.

[21:24]  ⁸⁶ tn Grk “And Jerusalem.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:24]  ⁸⁷ sn Until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled implies a time when Israel again has a central role in God’s plan.

[4:21]  ⁸⁸ sn Woman was a polite form of address (see BDAG 208-9 s.v. γυνή 1), similar to “Madam” or “Ma’am” used in English in different regions.

[4:21]  ⁸⁹ tn Grk “an hour.”

[4:21]  ⁹⁰ tn The verb is plural.