Bible Strands
John 2:20
“This temple took forty-six years to build,” the Jews replied, “and You are going to raise it up in three days?”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Jews answer Jesus’ declaration about rebuilding the temple in three days, citing the forty-six years already spent on construction (John 2:20).
The words — οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι (hoi Ioudaioi) identifies the respondents, and τεσσερὰκοντα καὶ ἓξ ἔτεσιν (tesserakonta kai hex etesin) literally renders “forty-six years,” fixing the timeline of the physical structure.
The thread — The verse records the literal objection that immediately precedes Jesus’ clarification that He spoke of the temple of His body (John 2:21), continuing the Gospel’s movement from earthly architecture to bodily resurrection.
Why it lands — It demands the reader confront the impossibility of human construction timelines against divine resurrection, requiring a direct shift from architectural literalism to Christ’s own body as the locus of worship.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?