Luke 21:5

As some spake (tinwn legontwn). Genitive absolute. The disciples we know from Mark 13:1 ; Matthew 24:1 . How (oti). Literally, "that." It was adorned (kekosmhtai). Perfect passive indicative, state of completion, stands adorned, tense retained in indirect discourse, though English has to change it. Kosmew, old and common verb for orderly arrangement and adorning. With goodly stones and offerings (liqoi kaloi kai anaqhmasin). Instrumental case. Some of these stones in the substructure were enormous. "The columns of the cloister or portico were monoliths of marble over forty feet high" (Plummer). Cf. Josephus, War, V.5. The word anaqhma (here only in the N.T.) is not to be confused with anaqema from the same verb anatiqhmi, but which came to mean a curse ( Galatians 1:8 ; Acts 23:14 ). So anaqema came to mean devoted in a bad sense, anaqhma in a good sense. "Thus knave, lad, becomes a rascal; villain, a farmer, becomes a scoundrel; cunning, skilful, becomes crafty" (Vincent). These offerings in the temple were very numerous and costly (2Macc. 3:2-7) like the golden vine of Herod with branches as tall as a man (Josephus, Ant. XV. ii.3).