SEV Biblia, Chapter 2:20
Dijeron luego los judíos: En cuarenta y seis aos fue este templo edificado, ¿y t en tres días lo levantars?
Clarke's Bible Commentary - John 2:20
Verse 20. Forty and six years was this temple in building] The temple of which the Jews spake was begun to be rebuilt by Herod the Great, in the 18th year of his reign: Joshua. Ant. b. xv. c. 11, s. 1; and xx. c. 9, s. 5, 7. But though he finished the main work in nine years and a half, yet some additional buildings or repairs were constantly carried on for many years afterwards. Herod began the work sixteen years before the birth of our Lord: the transactions which are here related took place in the thirtieth year of our Lord, which make the term exactly forty-six years. Rosenmuller. Josephus, Ant. b. xx. c. 8, s. 5, 7, has told us that the whole of the buildings belonging to the temple were not finished till Nero's reign, when Albinus, the governor of Judea, was succeeded by Gessius Florus, which was eighty years after the eighteenth year of Herod's reign. See Bp. Pearce.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 20. Then said the Jews , etc.] Unto him, as read the Syriac, Arabic, Persic, and Ethiopic versions: forty and six years was this temple in building ; which cannot be understood of the temple as built by Solomon, for that was but seven years in building, ( 1 Kings 6:37,38). But rather of the temple, as built by Zorobabel, commonly called the second temple, and might be more properly said to be this temple; the calculations of this made by learned men, are various and endless to recite. Daniels seven weeks, or forty nine days, which are so many years, can have nothing to do with this account; since they regard not the building of the temple, but the city of Jerusalem; though from the second year of Cyrus, in which the temple began to be built, to the thirty second of Darius exclusive, were just forty six years; Cyrus reigning three years, Artaxerxes Ahasuerus fourteen years, and Artaxerxes Darius thirty two; but their account is more likely, which begins at the first of Artaxerxes Longimanus, who reigned forty years, and ends in the sixth year of Darius, his successor, in which year the temple was finished, ( Ezra 6:15). But to me it seems rather, that Herods temple, or the temple as rebuilt, or repaired by Herod, is here meant; and which the Jews call, swdwrwh yynb , the building of Herod f101 ; and say of it, that he who has not seen Herods building, never saw a beautiful building.
And this, according to Josephus f102 , was begun in the eighteenth year of his reign, in the thirty fifth of which Christ was born, who was now thirty years of age: so that reckoning either the eighteenth year of Herod, or the thirtieth of Christ, the present year exclusively, just forty six years had run out, since the rebuilding or reparations were first begun; and which were not yet finished; for some years after this, the above writer observes f103 , the temple was finished, even in the times of Nero and Agrippa: and agreeably to this, the words may be rendered, forty six years has this temple been building; and which still adds more force to the following reasoning of the Jews: and wilt thou rear it up in three days ? the thing is impossible and impracticable; it is madness to the last degree, to talk at this rate: thus from the length of time which had run out from Herods first beginning to repair and beautify the temple, till now, and yet not finished, they argue the absurdity of his pretending to raise up such a fabric, should it be demolished, in three days time; they understanding him either ignorantly or wilfully, to speak of the material temple, when his sense was otherwise, as appears from the words of the evangelist, in the next verse. The Jew f104 objects to this account, of the temple being forty six years in building; he observes, that according to the sense of the Nazarenes, this was the building of king Herod, that was in the time of Jesus; and the whole time of his reign were but seven and thirty years, as is manifest from the book of Joseph ben Gorion, c. 65. Besides, that which Herod built, was built in eight years, as is evident from the same author, c. 55, wherefore the number of forty six years, in the words of the writer, (the evangelist,) is, a palpable error.
To which may be replied, that admitting there is an error in this number, it is not the error of the evangelist, but of the Jews, whose words the evangelist relates; and supposing this was a mistake of theirs, either ignorantly or wilfully made, to aggravate the absurdity and impossibility of Christs rebuilding the temple; and that even the evangelist knew it to be a mistake; yet he acts the most faithful and upright part, in repeating the words of the Jews, as they delivered them; and it lies upon the Jew to prove, that these words were not said by them, or that it is not credible that they should: that this was the building of Herod which is here referred to; and that he reigned but thirty seven years, will be granted; but this is no objection to its being forty six years in building, since in this account it is not said that it was forty six years in building by Herod; the sense is only, that such a number of years had passed, since it first began to be built by him: as for what Joseph ben Gorion says, of its being built by him in the space of eight years, it is not to be depended upon, since he is not the true Josephus, that wrote the history of the Jews, and is to be corrected by the genuine historian; and from what has been before observed, from the time which, according to the true Josephus, this building was begun, to this present year of Christ, when this discourse was had, were just forty six years; and admitting, that the main of the building was finished in eight years time, yet additions were continually made to it, so that it was not finished entirely, until many years after.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 12-22 - The first public work in which we find Christ engaged, was driving from the temple the traders whom the covetous priests and rulers encourage to make a market-place of its courts. Those now make God's house house of merchandise, whose minds are filled with cares about worldl business when attending religious exercises, or who perform Divin offices for love of gain. Christ, having thus cleansed the temple, gav a sign to those who demanded it, to prove his authority for so doing He foretells his death by the Jews' malice, Destroy ye this temple; will permit you to destroy it. He foretells his resurrection by his ow power; In three days I will raise it up. Christ took again his ow life. Men mistake by understanding that according to the letter, whic the Scripture speaks by way of figure. When Jesus was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered he has said this. It helps much i understanding the Divine word, to observe the fulfilling of the Scriptures.
Greek Textus Receptus
ειπον 2036 5627 V-2AAI-3P ουν 3767 CONJ οι 3588 T-NPM ιουδαιοι 2453 A-NPM τεσσαρακοντα 5062 A-NUI και 2532 CONJ εξ 1803 A-NUI ετεσιν 2094 N-DPN ωκοδομηθη 3618 5681 V-API-3S ο 3588 T-NSM ναος 3485 N-NSM ουτος 3778 D-NSM και 2532 CONJ συ 4771 P-2NS εν 1722 PREP τρισιν 5140 A-DPF ημεραις 2250 N-DPF εγερεις 1453 5692 V-FAI-2S αυτον 846 P-ASM
Vincent's NT Word Studies
20. Forty and six years was this temple in building (tessarakonta kai ex etesin wkodomhqh o naov outov). Literally, In forty and six years was this temple built. It was spoken of as completed, although not finished until thirty-six years later.Thou. The position of the Greek pronoun makes it emphatic.
