Devine Scripture

John 2:15

What does John 2:15 mean?

A plain-English look at John 2:15 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.

What John 2:15 means

Driven by righteous zeal, Jesus takes decisive action. He fashions a "scourge of cords"—a whip— and forcibly expels the animals and merchants from the Temple. He also overturns the tables of the money changers and scatters their coins. This act is not an outburst of uncontrolled anger, but a deliberate, authoritative demonstration of His messianic authority over His Father's house. It powerfully symbolizes His challenge to the corrupted religious system and His demand for true worship, revealing a fierce aspect of His divine character.

Parallel translations

WEB

World English Bible · 2000

and he made a scourge of cords, and cast all out of the temple, both the sheep and the oxen; and he poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew their tables;

KJV

King James Version · 1611

And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables;

ASV

American Standard Version · 1901

and he made a scourge of cords, and cast all out of the temple, both the sheep and the oxen; and he poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew their tables;

BBE

Bible in Basic English · 1949

And he made a whip of small cords and put them all out of the Temple, with the sheep and the oxen, sending in all directions the small money of the changers and overturning their tables;

YLT

Young's Literal Translation · 1862

and having made a whip of small cords, he put all forth out of the temple, also the sheep, and the oxen; and of the money-changers he poured out the coins, and the tables he overthrew,

DRA

Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752

And when he had made, as it were, a scourge of little cords, he drove them all out of the temple, the sheep also and the oxen: and the money of the changers he poured out, and the tables he overthrew.

DBY

Darby Bible · 1890

and, having made a scourge of cords, he cast [them] all out of the temple, both the sheep and the oxen; and he poured out the change of the money-changers, and overturned the tables,

Context

This verse details Jesus' immediate and forceful response to the profanation of the Temple. His actions—making a scourge, driving out animals and merchants, and overturning tables—are central to this narrative segment. This demonstration of power and authority is a direct consequence of the scene described in the previous verse, leading into His verbal condemnation of their activities and revealing His zealous devotion to God's house.

v.14And he found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:

v.15This passage

v.16and to them that sold the doves he said, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house a house of merchandise.

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