TRV
Translation
King James Version
We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.
Complete Jewish Bible
"We heard him say, `I will destroy this Temple made with hands; and in three days I will build another one, not made with hands.'"
Berean Standard Bible
“We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this man-made temple, and in three days I will build another that is made without hands.’”
American Standard Version
We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.
World English Bible Messianic
“We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.’”
Geneva Bible (1599)
We hearde him say, I will destroy this Temple made with hands, and within three daies I will builde another, made without hands.
Young's Literal Translation
`We heard him saying--I will throw down this sanctuary made with hands, and by three days, another made without hands I will build;'
See on the biblical-era map
In the KJVVerse 24,813 of 31,102
Study This Verse
Commentary on Mark 14 verses 53–65
53 ¶ And they led Jesus away to the high priest: and with him were assembled all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes.
54 And Peter followed him afar off, even into the palace of the high priest: and he sat with the servants, and warmed himself at the fire.
55 And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found none.
56 For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together.
57 And there arose certain, and bare false witness against him, saying,
58 We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.
59 But neither so did their witness agree together.
60 And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?
61 But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?
62 And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
63 Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further witnesses?
64 Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death.
65 And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy: and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands.
We have here Christ's arraignment, trial, conviction, and condemnation, in the ecclesiastical court, before the great sanhedrim, of which the high priest was president, or judge of the court; the same Caiaphas that had lately adjudged it expedient he should be put to death, guilty or not guilty (Joh 11:50), and who therefore might justly be excepted against as partial.
I. Christ is hurried away to his house, his palace it is called, such state did he live in. And there, though, in the dead of the night, all the chief priests, and elders, and scribes, that were in the secret, were assembled, ready to receive the prey; so sure were they of it.
II. Peter followed at a distance, such a degree of cowardice was his late courage dwindled into, Mar 14:54. But when he came to the high priest's palace, he sneakingly went, and sat with the servants, that he might not be suspected to belong to Christ. The high priest's fire side was no proper place, nor his servants proper company, for Peter, but it was his entrance into a temptation.
III. Great diligence was used to procure, for love or money, false witnesses against Christ. They had seized him as a malefactor, and now they had him they had no indictment to prefer against him, no crime to lay to his charge, but they sought for witnesses against him; pumped some with ensnaring questions, offered bribes to others, if they would accuse him, and endeavored to frighten others, if they would not, Mar 14:55, Mar 14:56. The chief priests and elders were by the law entrusted with the prosecuting and punishing of false witnesses (Deu 19:16, Deu 19:17); yet those were now ringleaders in a crime that tends to overthrow of all justice. It is time to cry, Help, Lord, when the physicians of a land are its troublers, and those that should be the conservators of peace and equity, are the corrupters of both.
IV. He was at length charged with words spoken some years ago, which, as they were represented, seemed to threaten the temple, which they had made no better than an idol of (Mar 14:57, Mar 14:58); but the witnesses to this matter did not agree (Mar 14:59), for one swore that he said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days (so it is in Matthew); the other swore that he said, I will destroy this temple, that is made with hands, and within three days, I will build not it, but another made without hands; now these two differ much from each other; oude isē ēn hē marturia - their testimony was not sufficient, nor equal to the charge of a capital crime; so Dr. Hammond: they did not accuse him of that upon which a sentence of death might be founded, no not by the utmost stretch of their law.
V. He was urged to be his own accuser (Mar 14:60); The high priest stood up in a heat, and said, Answerest thou nothing? This he said under pretence of justice and fair dealing, but really with a design to ensnare him, that they might accuse him, Luk 11:53, Luk 11:54; Luk 20:20. We may well imagine with what an air of haughtiness and disdain this proud high priest brought our Lord Jesus to this question; "Come you, the prisoner at the bar, you hear what is sworn against you; what have you now to say for yourself?" Pleased to think that he seemed silent, who had so often silenced those that picked quarrels with him. Still Christ answered nothing, that he might set us an example, 1. Of patience under calumnies and false accusations; when we are reviled, let us not revile again, Pe1 2:23. And, 2. Of prudence, when a man shall be made an offender for a word (Isa 29:21), and our defence made our offence; it is an evil time indeed when the prudent shall keep silence (lest they make bad worse), and commit their cause to him that judgeth righteously. But,
VI. When he was asked whether he was the Christ, he confessed, and denied not, that he was, Mar 14:61, Mar 14:62. He asked, Art thou the Son of the Blessed? that is the Son of God? for, as Dr. Hammond observes, the Jews, when they named God, generally added, blessed for ever; and thence the Blessed is the title of God, a peculiar title, and applied to Christ, Rom 9:5. And for the proof of his being the Son of God, he binds them over to his second coming; "Ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power; that Son of man that now appears so mean and despicable, whom ye see and trample upon (Isa 53:2, Isa 53:3), you shall shortly see and tremble before." Now, one would think that such a word as this which our Lord Jesus seems to have spoken with a grandeur and majesty not agreeable to his present appearance (for through the thickest cloud of his humiliation some rays of glory were still darted forth), should have startled the court, and at least, in the opinion of some of them, should have amounted to a demurrer, or arrest of judgment, and that they should have stayed process till they had considered further of it; when Paul at the bar reasoned of the judgment to come, the judge trembled, and adjourned the trial, Act 24:25. But these chief priests were so miserably blinded with malice and rage, that, like the horse rushing into the battle, they mocked at fear, and were not affrighted, neither believed they that it was the sound of the trumpet, Job 39:22, Job 39:24. And see Job 15:25, Job 15:26.
VII. The high priest, upon this confession of his, convicted him as a blasphemer (Mar 14:63); He rent his clothes - chitōnas autou. Some think the word signifies his pontifical vestments, which, for the greater state, he had put on, though in the night, upon this occasion. As before, in his enmity to Christ, he said he knew not what (Joh 11:51, Joh 11:52), so now he did he knew not what. If Saul's rending Samuel's mantle was made to signify the rending of the kingdom from him (Sa1 15:27, Sa1 15:28), much more did Caiaphas's rending his own clothes signify the rending of the priesthood from him, as the rending of the veil, at Christ's death, signified the throwing of all open. Christ's clothes, even when he was crucified, were kept entire, and not rent: for when the Levitical priesthood was rent in pieces and done away, This Man, because he continues ever, has an unchangeable priesthood.
VIII. They agreed that he was a blasphemer, and, as such, was guilty of a capital crime, Mar 14:64. The question seemed to be put fairly, What think ye? But it was really prejudged, for the high priest had said, Ye have heard the blasphemy; he gave judgment first, who, as president of the court, ought to have voted last. So they all condemned him to be guilty of death; what friends he had in the great sanhedrim, did not appear, it is probable that they had not notice.
IX. They set themselves to abuse him, and, as the Philistines with Samson, to make sport with him, Mar 14:65. It should seem that some of the priests themselves that had condemned him, so far forgot the dignity, as well as duty, of their place, and the gravity which became them, that they helped their servants in playing the fool with a condemned prisoner. This they made their diversion, while they waited for the morning, to complete their villany. That night of observations (as the passover-night was called) they made a merry night of. If they did not think it below them to abuse Christ, shall we think any thing below us, by which we may do him honour?
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 53–65. Public domain.
Copy as
Pseudo-Jerome (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)
Catena Aurea by Aquinas
Then took place the gathering together of the bulls among the heifers of the people. (Ps. 67:31, Vulg.) It goes on: And Peter followed him afar off, even into the palace of the High Priest. For though fear holds him back, love draws him on.
He warms himself at the fire in the hall, with the servants. The hall of the High-Priest is the enclosure of the world, the servants are the devils, with whom whosoever remains cannot weep for his sins; the fire is the desire of the flesh.
But iniquity lied as the queen did against Joseph, and the priests against Susannah, but a flame goes out, if it has no fuel; wherefore it goes on, And found none. For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together. For whatever is not consistent is held to be doubtful. There follows, And there arose certain, and bare false witness against him, saying, We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands. It is usual with heretics out of the truth to extract the shadow; He did not say what they said, but something like it, of the temple of His body, which He raised again after two days.
Origen of AlexandriaAD 253
COMMENTARY ON JOHN 10.21
The accusations they brought against our Lord Jesus Christ appear to have reference to this utterance of his, “Destroy this temple, and I will build it up in three days.” Though he was speaking of the temple of his body, they supposed his words to refer to the temple of stone.
CyprianAD 258
Treatise XII Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews
That Christ should be the house and temple of God, and that the old temple should cease, and the new one should begin. In the second book of Kings: "And the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying, Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the Lord, Thou shall not build me an house to dwell in; but it shall be, when thy days shall be fulfilled, and thou shall sleep with thy fathers, I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall come from thy bowels, and I will make ready his kingdom. He shall build me an house in my name, and I will raise up his throne for ever; and I will be to him for a father, and he shall be to me for a son: and his house shall obtain confidence, and his kingdom for evermore in my sight." Also in the Gospel the Lord says: "There shall not be left in the temple one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down." And "After three days another shall be raised up without hands."
PrudentiusAD 410
THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST
Do not the quarried stones of Solomon
Now lie in ruins, that temple built by hand?
Why so? The mortal hand of mason wrought
That short-lived work. It rightly lies in ruins,
Since every work of art returns to nought.
All that is made is doomed one day to fall.
Learn what our temple is, if you would know;
It is one that no artisan has built,
A structure not of riven fir or pine,
Nor reared with blocks of quarried marble fair.
Its massive weight no columns high support
Beneath the arches of a gilded vault.
By God’s Word it was formed, not by his voice,
But by the everlasting Word, the Word made flesh.
This temple is eternal, without end,
This you attacked with scourge and cross and gall.
This temple was destroyed by bitter pains.
Its form was fragile from the mother’s womb,
But when brief death the mother’s part dissolved,
The Father’s might restored it in three days.
PrudentiusAD 410
SCENES FROM SACRED HISTORY 40, 41
Lo, the house of the wicked blasphemer,
Caiaphas, has fallen,
Where the sacred face of the Christ
was cruelly smitten.
This destruction will be the lot
of all reprobate sinners,
For their life will lie buried
in crumbling ruins forever.
In this house the Lord stood upright,
bound and tied to a pillar,
And submitted his back as a slave
bound and tied to a pillar,
Worthy of reverence, this pillar still
stands, supporting a temple,
And instructing us how to lead our lives.
free from all scourges
Bede (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)AD 735
Catena Aurea by Aquinas
(ubi sup.) He means by the High Priest Caiaphas, who (as John writes) was High Priest that year, of whom Josephus relates that he bought his priesthood of the Roman Emperor. There follows: And with him were assembled all the Chief Priests and the elders and the scribes.
(ubi sup.) But rightly does he follow afar off, who is just about to betray Him; for he could not have denied Christ, if he had remained close to Him. There follows, And he sat with the servants, and warmed himself at the fire.
(ubi sup.) For charity is the fire of which it is said, I am come to send fire on the earth, (Luke 12:49) which flame coming down on the believers, taught them to speak with various tongues the praise of the Lord. There is also a fire of covetousness, of which it is said, They are all adulterers as an oven; (Hosea 7:4) this fire, raised up in the hall of Caiaphas by the suggestion of an evil spirit, was arming the tongues of the traitors to deny and blaspheme the Lord. For the fire lit up in the hall amidst the cold of the night was a figure of what the wicked assembly was doing within; for because of the abounding of iniquity the love of many waxes cold. Peter, who for a time was benumbed by this cold, wished as it were to be warmed by the coals of the servants of Caiaphas, because He sought in the society of traitors the consolation of worldly comfort. It goes on, And the Chief Priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death. (Matt. 24:12)
(ubi sup.) He had said also, I will raise up, meaning a thing with life and soul, and a breathing temple. He is a false witness, who understands words in a sense, in which they are not spoken.
BedeAD 735
On the Gospel of Mark
And some standing up bore false witness against him, saying: We heard him say: I will destroy this temple made with hands, and after three days I will build another not made with hands. How are they false witnesses if they say things which we read that the Lord said? But a false witness is he who does not understand statements in the same sense as they are spoken. For the Lord had spoken about the temple of his body. Yet they slander even the very words, and by adding or changing a few, they seem to create a just accusation. The Savior had said: Destroy this temple. They change it and say: I will destroy this temple made with hands. He says, you destroy, not I. Because it is unlawful for us to bring death upon ourselves. Then they twist it: and after three days I will build another not made with hands, so that it appears he spoke specifically about the Jewish temple. But the Lord, to show that the living and breathing body is the temple, had said: And I will raise it up in three days. Building is one thing, raising is another.
Theophylact of Ohrid (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)AD 1107
Catena Aurea by Aquinas
Though the law commanded that there should be but one High Priest, there were then many put into the office, and stripped of it, year by year, by the Roman emperor. He therefore calls chief priests those who had finished the time allotted to them, and had been stripped of their priesthood. But their actions are a sign of their judgment, which they earned on as they had prejudged, for they sought for a witness, that they might seem to condemn and destroy Jesus with justice.
For the Lord had not said, I will destroy, but, Destroy, nor did He say, made with hands, but, this temple.
Glossa Ordinaria (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)AD 1274
Catena Aurea by Aquinas
(non occ.) The Evangelist had related above how our Lord had been taken by the servants of the Priests, now he begins to relate how He was condemned to death in the house of the High Priest: wherefore it is said, And they led Jesus away to the High Priest.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
Copy as
Continue studying Mark 14:58 across the web’s major study libraries — every link below opens this exact verse, chapter, or book on the destination site.
Read & Compare
BibleGatewayThis verse in more than 200 translations and 70 languages.
Bible.comThe YouVersion reader — hundreds of translations, reading plans, and highlights.
ESV.orgCrossway's official English Standard Version reader.
NET BibleThe NET translation with 60,000+ translators' notes on every rendering decision.
STEP BibleTyndale House's free study tool — original text, vocabulary, and scholarly resources.
BibliaLogos Bible Software's free web reader.
USCCBThe New American Bible (Revised Edition) with the U.S. bishops' study notes.
Commentaries
BibleHub CommentariesDozens of classic commentaries on this verse, gathered on one page.
StudyLightMore than 100 commentary sets — the largest collection on the web.
BibleRefPlain-English commentary on what this verse means, verse by verse.
Enduring WordDavid Guzik's free commentary on this chapter, widely used by Bible teachers.
Bible Study ToolsVerse commentary alongside Greek and Hebrew study aids.
Original Language & Research
- BibleHub InterlinearThe verse word by word — original language, transliteration, and English.
- BibleHub LexiconEvery word's original-language definition and Strong's entry.
Blue Letter BibleDeep-study tools — Strong's numbers, concordance, and word studies.
CNTR CollationThe earliest Greek manuscripts of this verse, collated letter by letter.
Sermons, Hymns & Audio
TrulyRandomVerse is not affiliated with these sites and doesn’t control their content. They’re linked because they’re genuinely useful.
SUMMARY
Mark 14:58 records the false testimony presented against Jesus during His trial before the Sanhedrin, where accusers distorted His earlier prophetic statement about the temple. They claimed He threatened to destroy the physical Jerusalem Temple and rebuild another "not made with hands" within three days. While intended as a malicious misrepresentation to secure a death sentence, this accusation inadvertently echoed the profound truth of Jesus' own words concerning His death and resurrection, revealing His identity as the true temple and the ushering in of a new spiritual reality.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Mark 14:58 is rich in Irony. The very words used by the false witnesses to condemn Jesus inadvertently articulate a profound truth about Him. Their malicious distortion of His statement about destroying and rebuilding the temple ultimately serves to highlight Jesus' divine authority and His impending resurrection. The accusation, intended to portray Him as a blasphemer or revolutionary, instead becomes a veiled Prophecy of His victory over death and the inauguration of a new spiritual reality. Furthermore, the verse employs Contrast between "made with hands" (referring to the physical, temporary temple) and "made without hands" (referring to the spiritual, eternal reality of Christ's body and the Church). This contrast is a form of Symbolism, where the physical temple symbolizes the old covenant and its limitations, while the "temple made without hands" symbolizes the new covenant established through Christ's death and resurrection.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Mark 14:58, though a product of false witness, inadvertently reveals a profound theological truth: Jesus Christ Himself is the true Temple, the ultimate dwelling place of God among humanity. The physical Jerusalem Temple, magnificent as it was, was merely a shadow or a type of this ultimate reality. With Jesus' death and resurrection, the need for a physical temple and its sacrificial system was fulfilled and superseded. God's presence is no longer confined to a building "made with hands" but is now accessible through Christ and dwells within the community of believers, the Church, which is the spiritual body of Christ. This verse thus points to the radical shift from the Old Covenant's external rituals and physical structures to the New Covenant's internal transformation and spiritual reality centered on Jesus.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Mark 14:58 serves as a powerful reminder of the dangers of misinterpretation and false witness, urging us to seek truth and context diligently, especially in matters of faith. It challenges us to look beyond superficial appearances and human constructs to discern God's deeper spiritual realities. For believers, this verse underscores that our faith is not centered on physical buildings or human institutions, but on the living Christ, who is the true dwelling place of God. Our focus should be on building up the spiritual temple of the Church, growing in unity and holiness, and recognizing that God's presence is found not in stone and mortar, but in the hearts of His people. It also reminds us that even through the most unjust circumstances, God's sovereign plan and prophetic truth can be unwittingly declared.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What was Jesus' original statement about the temple that was distorted?
Answer: Jesus' original statement, recorded in John 2:19, was: "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The Gospel of John clarifies in John 2:21 that "He was speaking of the temple of his body." The accusers at His trial deliberately took His metaphorical reference to His own death and resurrection and twisted it into a literal threat against the physical Jerusalem Temple, aiming to portray Him as a destructive revolutionary or blasphemer.
Why was threatening the temple considered such a grave accusation?
Answer: The Jerusalem Temple was not merely a building; it was the sacred center of Jewish life, worship, and national identity. It was believed to be the dwelling place of God's presence (the Shekinah glory) and the site of atonement through sacrifices. Any perceived threat to the Temple was considered an act of profound sacrilege, treason, and an attack on God Himself and the Jewish people. Such a charge could carry the death penalty under Jewish law, making it a powerful tool for Jesus' accusers.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Mark 14:58, though presented as a false accusation, ironically points directly to the heart of Christ's redemptive work. The "temple made with hands" represented the Old Covenant system, a physical structure where God's presence was localized and accessed through ritual sacrifice. Jesus, by speaking of its "destruction" and the building of another "made without hands," was prophesying His own death and resurrection. His body, broken on the cross, was the ultimate sacrifice, fulfilling and superseding all temple rituals. His resurrection "within three days" was the divine act of "building" a new, eternal temple – His glorified body, which now serves as the true and living tabernacle where God dwells fully among His people (see John 1:14). This new temple is not confined to stone but extends to the Church, the spiritual body of Christ, in whom God's Spirit now resides (as affirmed in 1 Corinthians 6:19 and Ephesians 2:20-22). Thus, the false charge against Jesus becomes a profound declaration of His identity as the ultimate High Priest, the perfect sacrifice, and the very dwelling place of God, ushering in a new covenant where access to God is no longer through a physical structure but through faith in the resurrected Christ.