John 2:16

To those who sold the doves he said, “Take these things away from here! Do not make ¹  my Father’s house a marketplace!” ² 

To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!"

and to those who were selling the doves He said, "Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a place of business."

Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, "Get these things out of here. Don’t turn my Father’s house into a marketplace!"

He told the dove merchants, "Get your things out of here! Stop turning my Father's house into a shopping mall!"

And to those who were trading in doves he said, Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a market.

He told those who were selling the doves, "Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!"

And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!"

To those who sold the doves he said, “Take these things away from here! Do not make ¹  my Father’s house a marketplace!” ² 

¹ tn Or (perhaps) “Stop making.”

² tn Or “a house of merchants” (an allusion to Zech 14:21).

sn A marketplace. Zech 14:20-21, in context, is clearly a picture of the messianic kingdom. The Hebrew word translated “Canaanite” may also be translated “merchant” or “trader.” Read in this light, Zech 14:21 states that there will be no merchant in the house of the Lord in that day (the day of the Lord, at the establishment of the messianic kingdom). And what would Jesus’ words (and actions) in cleansing the temple have suggested to the observers? That Jesus was fulfilling messianic expectations would have been obvious – especially to the disciples, who had just seen the miracle at Cana with all its messianic implications.