Markus 11:17

11:17 Then he began to teach ¹  them and said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? ²  But you have turned it into a den ³  of robbers!” ⁴ 

Markus 12:12

12:12 Now ⁵  they wanted to arrest him (but they feared the crowd), because they realized that he told this parable against them. So ⁶  they left him and went away. ⁷ 

Markus 13:20

13:20 And if the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would be saved. But because of the elect, whom he chose, he has cut them ⁸  short.

Markus 14:21

14:21 For the Son of Man will go as it is written about him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for him if he had never been born.”

[11:17]  ¹ tn The imperfect ἐδίδασκεν (edidasken) is here taken ingressively.

[11:17]  ² sn A quotation from Isa 56:7.

[11:17]  ³ tn Or “a hideout” (see L&N 1.57).

[11:17]  ⁴ sn A quotation from Jer 7:11. The meaning of Jesus’ statement about making the temple courts a den of robbers probably operates here at two levels. Not only were the religious leaders robbing the people financially, but because of this they had also robbed them spiritually by stealing from them the opportunity to come to know God genuinely. It is possible that these merchants had recently been moved to this location for convenience.

[12:12]  ⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to introduce a somewhat parenthetical remark by the author.

[12:12]  ⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.

[12:12]  ⁷ sn The point of the parable in Mark 12:1-12 is that the leaders of the nation have been rejected by God and the vineyard (v. 9, referring to the nation and its privileged status) will be taken from them and given to others (an allusion to the Gentiles).

[13:20]  ⁸ tn Grk “the days.”