John 2:15

15 And he made a whip of cords [and] drove [them] all out of the temple [courts], both the sheep and the oxen, and he poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.

John 2:15 Meaning and Commentary

John 2:15

And when he had made a scourge of small cords
That is, Jesus, as the Persic version expresses it. This scourge might be made either of thongs cut out of the hides of beasts slain in sacrifice; or of the cords, with which the owners of the cattle had brought them to this place; or with which they had fastened them in it. And it seems to be made, and used, not so much for force and terror, as to intimate, that these persons, the violators of the holy place, deserved the scourge of divine wrath and punishment; as well as to show the miraculous power of Christ in driving such a number of men before him, with so small and insignificant a weapon; for the phrase is diminutive. The reason given by Dr. Lightfoot, and others, why Christ made use of a whip, or scourge, rather than a staff, is, because it was contrary to a Jewish canon ^F4 to go into the mountain of the house, or temple, with a staff in the hand; and yet the man of the mountain of the house, or the master of it, who used to go about every ward with torches burning before him, if he found a Levite asleep in his ward ^F5, struck him (wlqmb) , with his staff, and had power to burn his clothes.

He drove them all out of the temple;
that is, he drove out "the men", as the Persic version reads; the merchants, the sellers of oxen, sheep, and doves, and the money changers: "and the sheep, and the oxen" likewise; the Persic version adds, "doves"; but these are after mentioned:

and poured out the changers money;
off of the tables, or out of the boxes, or dishes, or drawers, or purses, in which it was put:

and overthrew the tables;
at which they sat, and on which they told their money.

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FOOTNOTES:

F4 Misn. Beracot, c. 9. sect. 5.
F5 Misn. Middot, c. 1. sect. 2.

John 2:15 In-Context

13 And the Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

14 And he found in the temple [courts] those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated.

15 And he made a whip of cords [and] drove [them] all out of the temple [courts], both the sheep and the oxen, and he poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.

16 And to the ones selling the doves he said, "Take these [things] away from here! Do not make my Father's house {a marketplace}!"

17 His disciples remembered that it is written, "Zeal for your house will consume me."

Footnotes

• [a]. *Here "[and]" is supplied because the previous participle ("made") has been translated as a finite verb
• [b]. *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
• [c]. *Here "[courts]" is supplied to distinguish this area from the interior of the temple building itself
• [d]. *Literally "the"; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun