Matthew 21:13

And he said to them, “It is written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ ¹  but you are turning it into a den ²  of robbers!” ³ 

"It is written," he said to them, "‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a ‘den of robbers’."

And He *said to them, "It is written, ‘MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER’; but you are making it a ROBBERS’ DEN."

He said, "The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a place of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves!"

He quoted this text: My house was designated a house of prayer; You have made it a hangout for thieves.

And he said to them, It is in the Writings, My house is to be named a house of prayer, but you are making it a hole of thieves.

He said to them, "It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a den of robbers."

And He said to them, "It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’"

And he said to them, “It is written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ ¹  but you are turning it into a den ²  of robbers!” ³ 

¹ sn A quotation from Isa 56:7.

² tn Or “a hideout” (see L&N 1.57).

³ 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.