Yesaya 37:14

37:14 Hezekiah took the letter ¹  from the messengers and read it. ²  Then Hezekiah went up to the Lord’s temple and spread it out before the Lord.

Yesaya 37:1

37:1 When King Hezekiah heard this, ³  he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and went to the Lord’s temple.

1 Raja-raja 8:33

8:33 “The time will come when ⁴  your people Israel are defeated by an enemy ⁵  because they sinned against you. If they come back to you, renew their allegiance to you, ⁶  and pray for your help ⁷  in this temple,

Matius 21:13

21:13 And he said to them, “It is written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ ⁸  but you are turning it into a den ⁹  of robbers!” ¹⁰ 

[37:14]  ¹ tc The Hebrew text has the plural, “letters.” The final mem (ם) may be dittographic (note the initial mem on the form that immediately follows). Some Greek and Aramaic witnesses have the singular. If so, one still has to deal with the yod that is part of the plural ending. J. N. Oswalt refers to various commentators who have suggested ways to understand the plural form (Isaiah [NICOT], 1:652).

[37:14]  ² tn In the parallel text in 2 Kgs 19:14 the verb has the plural suffix, “them,” but this probably reflects a later harmonization to the preceding textual corruption (of “letter” to “letters”).

[37:1]  ³ tn The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[8:33]  ⁴ tn Heb “when.” In the Hebrew text vv. 33-34 actually contain one lengthy conditional sentence, which the translation has divided into two sentences for stylistic reasons.

[8:33]  ⁵ tn Or “are struck down before an enemy.”

[8:33]  ⁶ tn Heb “confess [or perhaps, “praise”] your name.”

[8:33]  ⁷ tn Heb “and they pray and ask for help.”

[21:13]  ⁸ sn A quotation from Isa 56:7.

[21:13]  ⁹ tn Or “a hideout” (see L&N 1.57).

[21:13]  ¹⁰ sn A quotation from Jer 7:11. The meaning of Jesus’ statement about making the temple courts a den of robbers probably operates here at two levels. Not only were the religious leaders robbing the people financially, but because of this they had also robbed them spiritually by stealing from them the opportunity to come to know God genuinely. It is possible that these merchants had recently been moved to this location for convenience.