21:5 Now 1 while some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned 2 with beautiful stones and offerings, 3 Jesus 4 said, 21:6 “As for these things that you are gazing at, the days will come when not one stone will be left on another. 5 All will be torn down!” 6 21:7 So 7 they asked him, 8 “Teacher, when will these things 9 happen? And what will be the sign that 10 these things are about to take place?”
1 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
2 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.
3 tn For the translation of ἀνάθημα (anaqhma) as “offering” see L&N 53.18.
4 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
5 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
6 tn Grk “the days will come when not one stone will be left on another that will not be thrown down.”
7 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of Jesus’ comments about the temple’s future destruction.
8 tn Grk “asked him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in English and has not been translated.
9 sn Both references to these things are plural, so more than the temple’s destruction is in view. The question may presuppose that such a catastrophe signals the end.
10 tn Grk “when.”