Grammar Analysis: John 2:13–22 (The Temple Cleansing)

Overview

The second pericope of John 2, placed by the evangelist as the immediate literary sequel to the Cana sign (2:1–11). Where Cana moved through aorist-imperative → aorist-indicative → perfect-participle (command → punctiliar execution → abiding-result), the temple pericope is built on a different architecture:

• Aorist indicatives (vv.13–16) — a mainline chain of punctiliar actions (ἀνέβη, εὗρεν, ἐξέβαλεν, ἐξέχεεν, ἀνέτρεψεν, εἶπεν)
• Present participles in the accusative (v.14) — a present-aspect tableau of what Jesus walks into (τοὺς πωλοῦντας, καθημένους)
• Aorist participle ποιήσας (v.15) — coincident/antecedent "having-made (a whip)"
• Aorist imperative + present imperative contrast (v.16) — Ἄρατε (punctiliar) vs. μὴ ποιεῖτε (cease/do-not-continue)
• Perfect passive periphrastic γεγραμμένον ἐστίν (v.17) — "it stands written"
• Aorist imperative + future indicative (v.19) — Λύσατε…ἐγερῶ, a conditional imperative answered by a prophetic future
• Aorist passive οἰκοδομήθη (v.20) and aorist passive ἠγέρθη (v.22) — framing the two temples
• Imperfect ἔλεγεν (v.21) — narrator's interpretive aside in durative aspect
• Inclusio of μιμνῄσκομαι + aorist passive — v.17 ἐμνήσθησαν (disciples remember during the event) and v.22 ἐμνήσθησαν (disciples remember after the resurrection) bracket the pericope

Two key content words drive the theological grammar: ναός (G3485) vs. ἱερόν (G2411) — John uses both within a span of five verses with rigorous lexical discipline, and ἐγείρω (G1453) — appearing three times in vv.19–22 as Jesus' future active, the Jews' future active quotation, and the narrator's aorist passive.

Text

Verses 13–22 (Greek / KJV)

v.13 — Καὶ ἐγγὺς ἦν τὸ πάσχα τῶν Ἰουδαίων, καὶ ἀνέβη εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα ὁ Ἰησοῦς. And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,

v.14 — καὶ εὗρεν ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ τοὺς πωλοῦντας βόας καὶ πρόβατα καὶ περιστερὰς καὶ τοὺς κερματιστὰς καθημένους, And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:

v.15 — καὶ ποιήσας φραγέλλιον ἐκ σχοινίων πάντας ἐξέβαλεν ἐκ τοῦ ἱεροῦ τά τε πρόβατα καὶ τοὺς βόας, καὶ τῶν κολλυβιστῶν ἐξέχεεν τὰ κέρματα καὶ τὰς τραπέζας ἀνέτρεψεν, 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;

v.16 — καὶ τοῖς τὰς περιστερὰς πωλοῦσιν εἶπεν Ἄρατε ταῦτα ἐντεῦθεν, μὴ ποιεῖτε τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Πατρός μου οἶκον ἐμπορίου. And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.

v.17 — ἐμνήσθησαν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ ὅτι γεγραμμένον ἐστίν Ὁ ζῆλος τοῦ οἴκου σου καταφάγεταί με. And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.

v.18 — ἀπεκρίθησαν οὖν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ εἶπαν αὐτῷ Τί σημεῖον δεικνύεις ἡμῖν, ὅτι ταῦτα ποιεῖς; Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?

v.19 — ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς Λύσατε τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον, καὶ ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις ἐγερῶ αὐτόν. Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

v.20 — εἶπαν οὖν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι Τεσσεράκοντα καὶ ἓξ ἔτεσιν οἰκοδομήθη ὁ ναὸς οὗτος, καὶ σὺ ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις ἐγερεῖς αὐτόν; Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?

v.21 — ἐκεῖνος δὲ ἔλεγεν περὶ τοῦ ναοῦ τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ. But he spake of the temple of his body.

v.22 — ὅτε οὖν ἠγέρθη ἐκ νεκρῶν, ἐμνήσθησαν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ ὅτι τοῦτο ἔλεγεν, καὶ ἐπίστευσαν τῇ γραφῇ καὶ τῷ λόγῳ ὃν εἶπεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς. When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.

Word-by-Word Parsing (Key Verses)

v.13 — Setting

Word	Lemma	Strong's	Parsing	Gloss
Καί	καί	G2532	CONJ	and
ἐγγύς	ἐγγύς	G1451	ADV	near / at hand
ἦν	εἰμί	G1510	V-IAI-3S (Impf Act Ind)	was (durative background)
τὸ πάσχα	πάσχα	G3957	N-NSN (indecl.)	the Passover
τῶν Ἰουδαίων	Ἰουδαῖος	G2453	A-GPM	of the Jews (possessive/descriptive gen.)
ἀνέβη	ἀναβαίνω	G305	V-2AAI-3S (Aor Act Ind)	went up
εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα	Ἱεροσόλυμα	G2414	N-APN	to Jerusalem
ὁ Ἰησοῦς	Ἰησοῦς	G2424	N-NSM	Jesus

Note: Ἱεροσόλυμα is a neuter plural (N-APN) in Koine — the pluralized Greek form of the Hebrew יְרוּשָׁלַיִם. The technical verb ἀναβαίνω ("go up") is the standard pilgrimage verb reflecting Jerusalem's topography and the Zion-ascent language of the Psalms of Ascent (LXX Pss 119–133 ᾠδὴ τῶν ἀναβαθμῶν).

v.14 — What Jesus Finds (Present Participles)

Word	Lemma	Strong's	Parsing	Gloss
εὗρεν	εὑρίσκω	G2147	V-2AAI-3S (Aor Act Ind)	found
ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ	ἱερός	G2411	PREP + N-DSN	in the temple [precincts]
τοὺς πωλοῦντας	πωλέω	G4453	V-PAP-APM (Pres Act Ptcp)	the ones selling
βόας / πρόβατα / περιστεράς	βοῦς / πρόβατον / περιστερά	G1016/G4263/G4058	N-APM / N-APN / N-APF	oxen / sheep / doves
τοὺς κερματιστάς	κερματιστής	G2773	N-APM (NT hapax)	the money-changers
καθημένους	κάθημαι	G2521	V-PNP-APM (Pres M/P Ptcp)	sitting

Articular present participles (τοὺς πωλοῦντας, καθημένους) function as substantival noun-phrases in the accusative, direct objects of εὗρεν. Present aspect depicts the trade as ongoing-and-habitual at the moment Jesus arrives — a tableau of commerce-in-progress. κερματιστής (G2773) is a parser-verified NT hapax; the same trade is relabeled κολλυβιστής (G2855) in v.15 — see §3 below.

v.15 — The Cleansing (Aorist Participle + Aorist Indicative Chain)

Word	Lemma	Strong's	Parsing	Gloss
ποιήσας	ποιέω	G4160	V-AAP-NSM (Aor Act Ptcp, Nom Sg M)	having made
φραγέλλιον	φραγέλλιον	G5416	N-ASN (NT hapax, Latin loan)	a whip/scourge
ἐκ σχοινίων	σχοινίον	G4979	PREP + N-GPN	out of cords
πάντας	πᾶς	G3956	A-APM	all [sc. persons, masc.]
ἐξέβαλεν	ἐκβάλλω	G1544	V-2AAI-3S (Aor Act Ind)	drove/threw out
ἐκ τοῦ ἱεροῦ	ἱερός	G2411	PREP + N-GSN	out of the temple
τά τε πρόβατα καὶ τοὺς βόας	—	—	epexegetical-τε-καί appos.	— both the sheep and the oxen
τῶν κολλυβιστῶν	κολλυβιστής	G2855	N-GPM	of the money-changers
ἐξέχεεν	ἐκχέω	G1632	V-AAI-3S (Aor Act Ind)	poured out
τὰ κέρματα	κέρμα	G2772	N-APN (NT hapax)	the [small] coins
τὰς τραπέζας	τράπεζα	G5132	N-APF	the tables
ἀνέτρεψεν	ἀνατρέπω	G396	V-AAI-3S (Aor Act Ind)	overturned

The aorist participle ποιήσας (Aor Act Ptcp Nom Sg M) is antecedent/coincident to the main aorist verb ἐξέβαλεν — "having made a whip, he drove [them] all out." Three parallel aorist indicatives (ἐξέβαλεν / ἐξέχεεν / ἀνέτρεψεν), each V-2AAI-3S or V-AAI-3S, form a perfective action-chain viewed as discrete completed events. The pronoun πάντας is masculine plural — grammatically applicable to persons (the sellers and money-changers), not to neuter πρόβατα or common-gender βόας; the epexegetical phrase τά τε πρόβατα καὶ τοὺς βόας then adds the animals as a further clarifying direct object ("all [of them] — both the sheep and the oxen"). Punctuation decisions in the Greek text can tilt this either way; cf. §3 below.

v.16 — The Command (Aorist Imperative vs. Present Prohibition)

Word	Lemma	Strong's	Parsing	Gloss
τοῖς τὰς περιστερὰς πωλοῦσιν	πωλέω	G4453	V-PAP-DPM (articular Pres Act Ptcp)	to those selling the doves
εἶπεν	λέγω	G3004	V-2AAI-3S	he said
Ἄρατε	αἴρω	G142	V-AAM-2P (Aor Act Impv)	Take away! / Remove!
ταῦτα	οὗτος	G3778	D-APN	these things
ἐντεῦθεν	ἐντεῦθεν	G1782	ADV	from here
μή	μή	G3361	PRT-N	not
ποιεῖτε	ποιέω	G4160	V-PAM-2P (Pres Act Impv)	do not continue making
τὸν οἶκον	οἶκος	G3624	N-ASM	the house
τοῦ Πατρός μου	πατήρ	G3962	N-GSM + P-1GS	of my Father (possessive gen. + gen. 1s pronoun)
οἶκον ἐμπορίου	οἶκος / ἐμπόριον	G3624/G1712	N-ASM + N-GSN	a house of merchandise (double-accusative: object + predicate)

Classic aspectual contrast in the imperative mood: Ἄρατε (V-AAM-2P, punctiliar "do it once — remove these things") + μὴ ποιεῖτε (V-PAM-2P with μή, "stop making / do not keep making" — the standard force of a present prohibition addressed to ongoing activity). Taken together: one-shot clearance order + ongoing-activity cease-and-desist.

The construction ποιεῖτε τὸν οἶκον…οἶκον ἐμπορίου is a double accusative of object-complement — "do not make [the Father's house] [a house of merchandise]." The genitive ἐμπορίου (G1712, NT hapax — "merchandise / emporium") qualifies the predicate accusative. Note also the explicit divine-filiation claim embedded syntactically in τοῦ Πατρός μου — "my Father" (P-1GS), not "our Father"; the same relational grammar Jesus will use with intensified provocation at John 5:17–18.

Lexical note: here Jesus calls the temple τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Πατρός μου (G3624 οἶκος). He has not yet used the technical ναός. The shift from οἶκος (v.16) → ἱερόν (v.15) → ναός (vv.19, 20, 21) across the pericope is deliberate, culminating in the double-entendre of v.19 (§2).

v.17 — Scripture Remembered (Perfect Passive Periphrastic)

Word	Lemma	Strong's	Parsing	Gloss
ἐμνήσθησαν	μιμνῄσκω	G3403	V-API-3P (Aor Pass Ind)	they remembered / were caused to remember
οἱ μαθηταί	μαθητής	G3101	N-NPM	the disciples
αὐτοῦ	αὐτός	G846	P-GSM	of him
ὅτι	ὅτι	G3754	CONJ (recitative)	that [introducing written content]
γεγραμμένον	γράφω	G1125	V-RPP-NSN (Perf Pass Ptcp Nom Sg N)	written
ἐστίν	εἰμί	G1510	V-PAI-3S	is
ὁ ζῆλος τοῦ οἴκου σου	ζῆλος / οἶκος	G2205/G3624	N-NSM / N-GSM + P-2GS	the zeal of your house (subjective gen.)
καταφάγεταί	κατεσθίω	G2719	V-FDI-3S (Fut Mid/Dep Ind)	will consume / eat up
με	ἐγώ	G1473	P-1AS	me

The phrase γεγραμμένον ἐστίν is a perfect passive periphrastic (perfect passive participle + present indicative of εἰμί = periphrastic perfect passive indicative) — the Johannine variant of the more common single-word γέγραπται. Both encode the same aspectual force: "it stands written" — completed writing-action with an abiding state of being-on-the-record. See participle-perfect-passive-state.

The quotation Ὁ ζῆλος τοῦ οἴκου σου καταφάγεταί με is from LXX Psalm 68:10 (MT Ps 69:10) ὅτι ὁ ζῆλος τοῦ οἴκου σου κατέφαγέν με. John's citation has shifted the verb from LXX aorist κατέφαγεν (V-2AAI-3S, "consumed [past]") to future middle-deponent καταφάγεταί (V-FDI-3S) — a tense-change the disciples' "remembering" reads the temple scene prophetically forward rather than narratively backward. This is the first of the aorist-passive ἐμνήσθησαν inclusio closed at v.22.

The opening of the quotation ὁ ζῆλος τοῦ οἴκου σου — articular nominative + genitive — is a subjective genitive: "the zeal [that belongs to / is directed toward] your house."

v.18 — The Question (Indignant οὖν + Subordinate ὅτι)

Word	Lemma	Strong's	Parsing	Gloss
ἀπεκρίθησαν	ἀποκρίνομαι	G611	V-ADI-3P (Aor Mid Ind)	answered
οὖν	οὖν	G3767	CONJ (inferential)	therefore / then
οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι	Ἰουδαῖος	G2453	A-NPM	the Jews
εἶπαν	λέγω	G3004	V-2AAI-3P	said
αὐτῷ	αὐτός	G846	P-DSM	to him
Τί σημεῖον	τίς / σημεῖον	G5101/G4592	I-ASN / N-ASN	what sign
δεικνύεις	δείκνυμι	G1166	V-PAI-2S (Pres Act Ind)	do you show
ἡμῖν	ἐγώ	G1473	P-1DP	to us
ὅτι ταῦτα ποιεῖς	ὅτι / ποιέω	G3754/G4160	CONJ + V-PAI-2S	that/seeing-that you do these things

The ὅτι-clause here is causal ("because/seeing that you are doing these things") rather than recitative — the Jews are not quoting; they are citing the cleansing as the ground on which a validating sign is owed. σημεῖον (G4592) is the same technical Johannine term the evangelist uses programmatically at 2:11 of Cana and 20:30–31 of the whole book's σημεῖα-selection. The Jews are demanding a second-order validation of Jesus' first public action in Jerusalem.

v.19 — Jesus' Answer (Aorist Imperative + Future Active)

Word	Lemma	Strong's	Parsing	Gloss
ἀπεκρίθη	ἀποκρίνομαι	G611	V-ADI-3S	answered
Ἰησοῦς	Ἰησοῦς	G2424	N-NSM	Jesus
εἶπεν	λέγω	G3004	V-2AAI-3S	said
αὐτοῖς	αὐτός	G846	P-DPM	to them
Λύσατε	λύω	G3089	V-AAM-2P (Aor Act Impv)	Destroy! / Loose! (imperative, 2 pl)
τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον	ναός / οὗτος	G3485/G3778	N-ASM + D-ASM	this sanctuary
ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις	τρεῖς / ἡμέρα	G5140/G2250	A-DPF + N-DPF	in three days (dat. of time-within-which)
ἐγερῶ	ἐγείρω	G1453	V-FAI-1S (Fut Act Ind)	I will raise up
αὐτόν	αὐτός	G846	P-ASM	it [masc. — agreeing with ναόν]

Λύσατε is an aorist active imperative 2nd plural (V-AAM-2P). Grammatically it is a genuine command-form, but pragmatically the syntax is that of a conditional/concessive imperative — "[go ahead and] destroy…[if you do,] I will raise it up." Cf. the parallel Jn 13:27 to Judas ὃ ποιεῖς, ποίησον τάχιον (same construction: permissive-imperative with expected outcome). See mood-aorist-imperative.

The response-clause ἐγερῶ αὐτόν is future active indicative 1st singular of ἐγείρω. Pronominal αὐτόν is masculine singular accusative, grammatically anchored to the masculine ναόν — a deliberately ambiguous referent (the temple? some other τοῦτον / this-one?). The ambiguity is resolved by the narrator at v.21.

Crucially, Jesus uses ναόν (G3485, the inner sanctuary) here — NOT ἱερόν (G2411, the temple complex including outer courts where the commerce occurred in vv.14–15). The two words are not synonymous. See §2.

v.20 — The Jews' Objection (Aorist Passive + Future Active)

Word	Lemma	Strong's	Parsing	Gloss
εἶπαν	λέγω	G3004	V-2AAI-3P	said
οὖν	οὖν	G3767	CONJ	therefore
οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι	Ἰουδαῖος	G2453	A-NPM	the Jews
Τεσσεράκοντα καὶ ἕξ	—	G5062/G1803	A-NUI (numeric)	forty and six
ἔτεσιν	ἔτος	G2094	N-DPN (dat. of time)	years (dative of duration — "over 46 years")
οἰκοδομήθη	οἰκοδομέω	G3618	V-API-3S (Aor Pass Ind)	was built
ὁ ναὸς οὗτος	ναός / οὗτος	G3485/G3778	N-NSM + D-NSM	this sanctuary
σύ	σύ	G4771	P-2NS (emphatic)	you
ἐγερεῖς	ἐγείρω	G1453	V-FAI-2S (Fut Act Ind)	will raise up
αὐτόν	αὐτός	G846	P-ASM	it

The aorist passive οἰκοδομήθη (V-API-3S) is an ordinary historical-aorist passive ("was built"); the dative Τεσσεράκοντα καὶ ἕξ ἔτεσιν is a dative of time-extent answering "for/over how long?" — Herodian temple construction begun c. 20/19 BCE + 46 years ≈ c. 27/28 CE (a standard chronological datum for dating Jesus' first Passover).

Most importantly, the Jews accept Jesus' lexical choice: they answer back with the same ναός (ὁ ναὸς οὗτος). They do not hear "the temple complex"; they hear "this sanctuary," which is precisely why they find the claim absurd (you cannot re-erect the inner sanctuary in three days any more than you could the complex). Their grammar confirms that the ναός/ἱερόν distinction was live in their dialect too.

The emphatic fronted pronoun σύ (P-2NS, nominative) with the second-singular future ἐγερεῖς is derisive — "and you will raise it up?" The verb ἐγείρω is now being used transitively of building construction (≈ "erect"), which is a natural extension of the verb's range but NOT the sense John intends in Jesus' own use at v.19; John's narrator will retrieve the resurrection sense at v.22 (§4).

v.21 — The Narrator's Interpretation (Imperfect + Anaphoric Genitive)

Word	Lemma	Strong's	Parsing	Gloss
ἐκεῖνος	ἐκεῖνος	G1565	D-NSM (emphatic: that one)	he (contrastive demonstrative)
δέ	δέ	G1161	CONJ (mild adversative)	but / however
ἔλεγεν	λέγω	G3004	V-IAI-3S (Impf Act Ind)	was speaking / was meaning (iterative/durative)
περί	περί	G4012	PREP + gen.	concerning
τοῦ ναοῦ	ναός	G3485	N-GSM	the sanctuary
τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ	σῶμα / αὐτός	G4983/G846	N-GSN + P-GSM	of his body

Two grammatical points carry the interpretive weight of the narrator's aside:

1. ἐκεῖνος (D-NSM, "that one") — the distal demonstrative pronoun, used contrastively with the nearer Ἰουδαῖοι of v.20. In Johannine usage ἐκεῖνος frequently marks the emphatic "he [= Jesus, God, the Spirit, etc., as opposed to the other party]" (cf. Jn 1:8, 18; 5:35, 39, 46; 14:26; 15:26). The grammar is already prejudging the interpretive priority: they said one thing, but that one (Jesus) meant another.

2. ἔλεγεν (V-IAI-3S, imperfect) — NOT the historic aorist εἶπεν one might expect for a reported saying. The imperfect here is iterative/referential-durative — "the whole discourse of v.19 was [all the while] being-spoken about…" The imperfect recharacterizes the aorist εἶπεν Λύσατε…ἐγερῶ of v.19 as continuously meaning the body-referent across its utterance. The same imperfect recurs at v.22 τοῦτο ἔλεγεν.

The double articular genitive τοῦ ναοῦ τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ is a genitive of apposition (= epexegetical / explanatory genitive): "the sanctuary — [namely,] his body." Wallace GGBB 95–100. The construction equates ναός with σῶμα directly — the ναός-referent is Jesus' body, not merely a symbolic reflection of it.

v.22 — Post-Resurrection Remembrance (Aorist Passive Inclusio + Aorist Indicative Result-Chain)

Word	Lemma	Strong's	Parsing	Gloss
ὅτε οὖν	ὅτε / οὖν	G3753/G3767	ADV + CONJ	when therefore
ἠγέρθη	ἐγείρω	G1453	V-API-3S (Aor Pass Ind)	he was raised
ἐκ νεκρῶν	νεκρός	G3498	PREP + A-GPM	out of [the] dead
ἐμνήσθησαν	μιμνῄσκω	G3403	V-API-3P (Aor Pass Ind)	they remembered / were reminded
οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ	μαθητής / αὐτός	G3101/G846	N-NPM + P-GSM	his disciples
ὅτι τοῦτο ἔλεγεν	ὅτι / οὗτος / λέγω	G3754/G3778/G3004	CONJ + D-ASN + V-IAI-3S	that he was-saying this
καί ἐπίστευσαν	πιστεύω	G4100	V-AAI-3P (Aor Act Ind)	and they believed
τῇ γραφῇ	γραφή	G1124	N-DSF	the scripture (dat. of person believed)
καί τῷ λόγῳ	λόγος	G3056	N-DSM	and the word
ὃν εἶπεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς	ὅς / λέγω / Ἰησοῦς	G3739/G3004/G2424	R-ASM + V-2AAI-3S + N-NSM	which Jesus said

Three aorist indicatives form a causal/temporal result-chain mirroring v.11's triple aorist (ἐποίησεν…ἐφανέρωσεν…ἐπίστευσαν):

1. ἠγέρθη (V-API-3S) — aorist passive of ἐγείρω, "he was raised." The passive here is the agentless divine passive — Jesus is raised by the Father; cf. divine-passive.
2. ἐμνήσθησαν (V-API-3P) — aorist passive of μιμνῄσκω, "they remembered / were caused-to-remember." Same form as v.17, closing the inclusio.
3. ἐπίστευσαν (V-AAI-3P) — aorist active of πιστεύω, "they believed." Same form as v.11 (ἐπίστευσαν εἰς αὐτόν).

The grammatical progression: raising (divine passive) → remembering (aorist passive) → believing (aorist active). The disciples' faith is retro-caused: the cross–resurrection becomes the epistemic key that unlocks the saying spoken before the event. Cf. 12:16, 13:7, 14:26 for the same Johannine pattern of delayed comprehension.

Verb ἐπίστευσαν takes dative objects here (τῇ γραφῇ + τῷ λόγῳ) — "they believed the scripture and the word." This is πιστεύω + dative of thing/proposition believed (Wallace 172–175, BDF §187), distinct from the Johannine programmatic πιστεύω εἰς + accusative of person believed into (cf. 2:11, 3:16, 20:31). The disciples' belief in v.22 is propositional (that the written Psalm and the spoken λόγος corresponded to the event), not yet primarily relational-commitment — though that relational sense is of course entailed.

The relative clause τῷ λόγῳ ὃν εἶπεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς — R-ASM ὃν (accusative) attracts to its antecedent case-wise loosely (the head λόγῳ is dative, but ὅς takes the case demanded by its own clause: εἶπεν + accusative object). This is a standard NT pattern (not case-attraction proper; the relative takes its own clause's case).

Key Grammatical Features

1. ἀνέβη (v.13) — Pilgrimage Verb and the Discourse Framing

• Form: V-2AAI-3S, aorist active indicative of ἀναβαίνω (G305), "went up."
• Significance: ἀναβαίνω / καταβαίνω is the fixed Jerusalem-pilgrimage word-pair, calqued from Hebrew עָלָה / יָרַד (LXX consistently renders אעלה → ἀναβαίνω). The phrase ἀνέβη εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα + Passover-marker τὸ πάσχα τῶν Ἰουδαίων is a formal pilgrimage-ascent setting that John reuses four times in his Gospel to structure the Passovers (2:13; 6:4; 11:55; 12:1), with ἀνέβη εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα appearing in 2:13; 5:1 (unnamed feast); 7:14 (Tabernacles); 11:55; 12:20 (Greeks at the Passover). The grammar is liturgical before it is topographical.
• Contrastive tense note: The imperfect ἦν in v.13a describes background state (Passover was-at-hand — durative), while the aorist ἀνέβη punctualizes Jesus' discrete pilgrimage act against that backdrop. Standard narrative tense-pairing.

2. ἱερόν (G2411) vs. ναός (G3485) — The Disciplined Lexical Split

John uses both temple-words within five verses, and the split is grammatically clean:

Verse	Word	Strong's	Parsing	Gloss	Referent
2:14	ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ	G2411	N-DSN	in the temple	whole temple precincts (Court of Gentiles, where commerce occurred)
2:15	ἐκ τοῦ ἱεροῦ	G2411	N-GSN	out of the temple	whole temple precincts
2:16	τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Πατρός	G3624	N-ASM	the Father's house	the temple as oikos-of-God (LXX idiom)
2:17	τοῦ οἴκου σου	G3624	N-GSM	of your house	citation of Ps 69:10 LXX — same οἶκος lexeme
2:19	τὸν ναόν	G3485	N-ASM	the sanctuary	inner sanctuary; re-referred in v.21 to Jesus' body
2:20	ὁ ναός	G3485	N-NSM	the sanctuary	Jews' reply — accepts Jesus' lexical choice
2:21	τοῦ ναοῦ	G3485	N-GSM	of the sanctuary	narrator's identification with τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ

• ἱερόν (G2411) — grammatically neuter (N-DSN / N-GSN / N-ASN); substantival use of the neuter adjective ἱερός ("sacred [place]"). Covers the entire sacred enclosure including the outer courts where buying, selling, teaching, and Gentile access occurred. NT parser-verified 72× across the Gospels; all the cleansing-commerce terms (βόες, πρόβατα, περιστεραί, τράπεζαι) occur in the ἱερόν, never in the ναός.
• ναός (G3485) — grammatically masculine (N-ASM / N-NSM / N-GSM); denotes properly the inner sanctuary — the Holy Place + Most Holy Place, where only priests could enter. NT parser-verified 45×.
• οἶκος τοῦ Πατρός μου (v.16) — Jesus' initial word-choice, drawn from the Psalm he is quoting (τοῦ οἴκου σου v.17 = Ps 69:10 LXX). οἶκος is the broader LXX idiom for the sanctuary-as-God's-dwelling, without the architectural specificity of either ἱερόν or ναός.

Grammatical consequence: the pun of v.19 requires the ναός/ἱερόν distinction. Jesus has just cleansed the ἱερόν (vv.14–15), but when asked for a sign, he speaks of destroying τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον — the sanctuary, not the complex. The demonstrative τοῦτον ("this sanctuary") is grammatically open: it could point at the building around them or at himself. The Jews (v.20) interpret it architecturally; the narrator (v.21) interprets it somatologically (τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ). The double meaning is generated by the lexical and deictic grammar, not imposed on it. Cf. John's later use of the same distinction: ἱερόν of the temple precincts (7:14, 28; 8:2, 20, 59; 10:23; 11:56), ναός never of the physical temple in John except here (2:19–21) where it equates to Jesus' body; Revelation then expands the ναός-Christological metaphor (Rev 11:19; 21:22 ναὸν οὐκ εἶδον ἐν αὐτῇ· ὁ γὰρ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὁ Παντοκράτωρ ναὸς αὐτῆς ἐστιν, καὶ τὸ Ἀρνίον).

Word studies: G3485-naos, G2411-hieron, TR-heykal-naos.

3. κερματιστής (v.14) vs. κολλυβιστής (v.15) — The Money-Changer Lexeme Shift

Two different Greek nouns for the same profession appear in adjacent verses:

• κερματιστής (G2773, v.14) — N-APM, parser-verified NT hapax (only here in the entire NT). Formed from κέρμα (G2772 "small coin") + agent-suffix -της = "small-coin-person." Used when John describes what Jesus found.
• κολλυβιστής (G2855, v.15) — N-GPM (genitive of possession: "of the money-changers"), NT parser-verified 3× total (Matt 21:12 ‖ Mark 11:15 ‖ John 2:15). Formed from κόλλυβος "rate-of-exchange / premium" = "exchange-commission-charger." Used when John describes whose coins Jesus poured out.

The shift from κερματιστής (v.14) → κολλυβιστής (v.15) is not mere variation — it is angle-of-description: - v.14 (trade-description): what the traders sell = small-coinage, so κερματιστής. - v.15 (profit-description): what the traders pocket = exchange-commission, so κολλυβιστής.

κέρμα (G2772, v.15 τὰ κέρματα) is itself also a parser-verified NT hapax — the small-coinage that was ἐξέχεεν-poured-out. Three hapaxes cluster in vv.14–15 (κερματιστής, κέρμα, φραγέλλιον), reflecting the technical specificity of the temple-commerce vocabulary and the physical-violence vocabulary ("cord-whip").

4. ἐγείρω (G1453) Across vv.19–22 — Three Voices, Three Speakers, Two Meanings

The verb ἐγείρω appears three times in the pericope, each in a different voice and on different lips:

Verse	Form	Parsing	Speaker	Lexical sense	Object
2:19	ἐγερῶ	V-FAI-1S	Jesus	"raise-up" (resurrection-sense Jesus intends)	αὐτόν (= σῶμα per v.21)
2:20	ἐγερεῖς	V-FAI-2S	the Jews (quoting Jesus)	"raise-up / re-erect" (architectural-sense they hear)	αὐτόν (= ναός architecturally)
2:22	ἠγέρθη	V-API-3S	narrator	"was raised" (resurrection-sense, event-accomplished)	— (Jesus is subject)

• The future active ἐγερῶ / ἐγερεῖς (1s / 2s) share the same stem and tense; the lexical meaning divides along the ναός/σῶμα axis of §2. Jesus' grammar permits both senses; the Jews narrow it to one; the narrator resolves it to the other.
• The aorist passive ἠγέρθη at v.22 is the standard NT resurrection-formula (parser-verified: Matt 27:64; 28:6–7; Mark 16:6; Luke 24:6, 34; 1 Cor 15:4 ἐγήγερται perf. pass. variant, etc.). The passive is agentless in the clause but theologically presupposes God the Father as agent — the divine passive pattern. Cf. divine-passive and aorist-passive-indicative.
• The voice-progression active-future (promise) → active-future (quotation/mockery) → passive-aorist (fulfillment) encodes the narrative-theological arc grammatically: Jesus undertakes; the Jews doubt; the event is accomplished [by God].

5. μιμνῄσκομαι (G3403) + Aorist Passive Inclusio — vv.17 ↔ 22

Two identical forms bracket the pericope:

Verse	Form	Parsing	Object-of-remembrance
2:17	ἐμνήσθησαν	V-API-3P	Ps 69:10 ὁ ζῆλος τοῦ οἴκου σου
2:22	ἐμνήσθησαν	V-API-3P	Jesus' own λόγος of v.19 + τῇ γραφῇ

• Form: Aorist passive indicative 3rd plural of μιμνῄσκομαι. Morphologically passive, functionally middle-reflexive = "brought to mind / came to remember." The lexical-passive "be reminded" and middle-reflexive "remember" are both available; the passive here carries a suggestive divine-reminding overtone consistent with the parallel memory-passives Luke 24:6, 8 and John 12:16.
• Inclusio function: v.17 marks remembrance during the cleansing (scripture-to-event mapping); v.22 marks remembrance after the resurrection (word-and-scripture to resurrection mapping). The two bracket the central speech-act Λύσατε…ἐγερῶ of v.19. Cf. 12:16 ταῦτα οὐκ ἔγνωσαν αὐτοῦ οἱ μαθηταὶ τὸ πρῶτον, ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε ἐδοξάσθη Ἰησοῦς, τότε ἐμνήσθησαν… — same grammatical form (ἐμνήσθησαν V-API-3P) for the same delayed-comprehension pattern.
• The v.22 object-clause pairs τῇ γραφῇ καὶ τῷ λόγῳ ὃν εἶπεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς — scripture + spoken-word in parallel as joint objects of ἐπίστευσαν. This is the earliest Gospel passage (narratively) in which disciples' post-resurrection faith is said to rest on scripture and the pre-passion logia together; it defines a hermeneutical pattern the evangelist will rely on (cf. 20:9, where even on resurrection-morning οὐδέπω…ᾔδεισαν τὴν γραφὴν).

6. Ἄρατε / μὴ ποιεῖτε (v.16) — Aorist-vs-Present Imperative Aspectual Contrast

• Form: Ἄρατε is V-AAM-2P (aorist active imperative 2nd plural of αἴρω G142); μὴ ποιεῖτε is V-PAM-2P (present active imperative 2nd plural of ποιέω G4160) with the negative particle μή.
• Aspectual force:
• Aorist imperative = punctiliar / global command to do the act as a whole. "Take these away!" (do it, now, as one event).
• Present imperative + μή = cease / do not continue an activity already in progress. "Stop making my Father's house a merchandise-house!" — presupposing the activity is ongoing.
• Standard grammatical rule: aorist prohibitions (μή + AAS) typically mean "do not start"; present prohibitions (μή + PAI/PAM) typically mean "stop / do not keep on" (Wallace GGBB 724–725, BDF §336). v.16 fits the latter pattern precisely — the traders are already selling; Jesus commands them to cease the commercialization of the οἶκος.
• Cross-reference: mood-aorist-imperative.

7. γεγραμμένον ἐστίν (v.17) — Perfect Passive Periphrastic

• Form: V-RPP-NSN (perfect passive participle, neuter nom. sg.) + V-PAI-3S of εἰμί = periphrastic perfect passive indicative of γράφω (G1125).
• Aspectual force: Completed writing-event + abiding written-state. The scripture stands written — on record, binding, not retractable.
• Comparison with γέγραπται: The synchronic synthetic-perfect γέγραπται (V-RPI-3S, parser-verified ~67× in NT) is more common; the analytic periphrastic γεγραμμένον ἐστίν is a stylistic variant with the same aspectual meaning. John uses both (γέγραπται at 6:31, 45; 8:17; 10:34; 12:14, 16; 15:25; 19:19; 20:31; periphrastic at 2:17; 6:31v.l.; 12:14; cf. participle-perfect-passive-state for the theological register of the "written-and-remaining" participle).
• The disciples' ὅτι-clause introduces not a new thought but a scriptural citation-formula — the verb's perfect-passive stativity marks this as authoritative torah-like quotation, not paraphrase.
• Word studies: G1125-grapho, TR-kathab-grapho.

Clause Structure Summary

Johannine sentence-architecture across vv.13–22:

• vv.13–16 narrative cleansing (short paratactic καί-clauses): ἦν…ἀνέβη [v.13] → εὗρεν…[v.14] → ποιήσας…ἐξέβαλεν…ἐξέχεεν…ἀνέτρεψεν [v.15] → εἶπεν Ἄρατε…μὴ ποιεῖτε [v.16]. Mainline is a chain of aorist indicatives with one participial subordination (ποιήσας).
• v.17 interjected scriptural commentary (ὅτι-periphrastic-perfect-passive + LXX-quote): ἐμνήσθησαν…ὅτι γεγραμμένον ἐστίν · [quote]. The evangelist interrupts the narrative mainline.
• vv.18–20 dialogue (aorist indicatives of speech-act + direct-discourse imperative/future): ἀπεκρίθησαν…εἶπαν · Τί σημεῖον…[v.18] → ἀπεκρίθη…εἶπεν · Λύσατε…ἐγερῶ [v.19] → εἶπαν · …οἰκοδομήθη…σὺ ἐγερεῖς [v.20].
• v.21 narrator's interpretive aside (δέ-contrastive + imperfect): ἐκεῖνος δὲ ἔλεγεν περὶ…
• v.22 closing temporal-result clause (ὅτε-οὖν + aorist passives + aorist indicative result): ὅτε οὖν ἠγέρθη…ἐμνήσθησαν…ἐπίστευσαν.

The evangelist structures the whole pericope as action (vv.13–16) → scriptural interpretation (v.17) → dialogue (vv.18–20) → authorial interpretation (v.21) → delayed faith-result (v.22) — the same interpretive-delay pattern that defines the Cana sign (2:11 καὶ ἐπίστευσαν εἰς αὐτὸν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ) but here doubled with an anticipatory-faith (v.17) and a retrospective-faith (v.22) flanking the sign-claim.

Cross-References

Grammar library

• mood-aorist-imperative — Λύσατε (v.19), Ἄρατε (v.16).
• participle-perfect-passive-state — γεγραμμένον ἐστίν (v.17) periphrastic perfect passive.
• aorist-passive-indicative — οἰκοδομήθη (v.20), ἠγέρθη (v.22), ἐμνήσθησαν (v.17, 22), ἀπεκρίθη (v.18, 19).
• divine-passive — ἠγέρθη (v.22) agentless passive of the resurrection; ἐμνήσθησαν pattern.
• participle-legon-discourse — Johannine speech-framing pattern (cf. ἔλεγεν v.21, εἶπεν refrain).

Related passage analyses

• jhn-2-1-11 — The immediately preceding Cana sign. The same evangelist deploys perfect passive participle (γεγενημένον v.9) for the abiding result of transformation; here (γεγραμμένον v.17) for the abiding authority of scripture. The triple aorist ἐποίησεν…ἐφανέρωσεν…ἐπίστευσαν of 2:11 mirrors the triple aorist ἠγέρθη…ἐμνήσθησαν…ἐπίστευσαν of 2:22 — the same structural-grammatical signature of a σημεῖον-pericope closing in disciple-faith.
• joh-5-17-18 — Later escalation of the τοῦ Πατρός μου (v.16) possessive-genitive divine-filiation claim.
• joh-8-58 — Same Johannine pattern of utterance-that-triggers-delayed-comprehension / stone-taking reaction.
• joh-10-30-38 — Later ἱερόν-setting dialogue (10:23) and παρ᾽ ἐμοί / ἐν ἐμοί indwelling/union grammar.
• joh-20-28 — Post-resurrection confession that recalls the v.22 pattern ἐπίστευσαν τῷ λόγῳ ὃν εἶπεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς.
• mar-14-61-64 / mar-14-61-64 — Synoptic Sanhedrin trial picks up the Jesus-will-destroy-the-ναός charge (Mk 14:58 ἐγὼ καταλύσω τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον τὸν χειροποίητον / Matt 26:61 Δύναμαι καταλῦσαι τὸν ναὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ) — the charge quotes Jn 2:19's ναός (NOT ἱερόν), grammatically confirming the Synoptic trial-testimony's dependence on the ναός-saying (whether directly from John's tradition or parallel).
• mat-12-40-three-days-three-nights — The parallel "three days" sign-formula (Jonah-sign) with the same τρισὶν ἡμέραις dative-of-time-within-which.

Word studies

• G3485-naos — ναός (vv.19, 20, 21).
• G2411-hieron — ἱερόν (vv.14, 15).
• TR-heykal-naos — Hebrew הֵיכָל / ναός translation profile.
• G4592-semeion — σημεῖον demanded by the Jews (v.18) — cross-referenced to the programmatic 2:11 and 20:30–31.
• G4100-pisteuo — ἐπίστευσαν (v.22) with dative-of-thing object, contrasted to εἰς + accusative pattern.
• G1125-grapho — γεγραμμένον ἐστίν (v.17) and τῇ γραφῇ (v.22).
• G3962-pater — τοῦ Πατρός μου (v.16).

Gaps flagged for future canonical library entries

• greek/tense-aspect-imperative-contrast — systematic treatment of aorist vs. present imperative prohibition (foundation for §6 above and other passages).
• greek/genitive-of-apposition-epexegetical — Wallace's epexegetical/appositional genitive (e.g., τοῦ ναοῦ τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ v.21); cross-applies to Eph 6:17 τὴν μάχαιραν τοῦ πνεύματος, 2 Cor 5:5 τὸν ἀρραβῶνα τοῦ πνεύματος.
• greek/periphrastic-perfect-passive — systematic grammar entry for participle + εἰμί periphrasis (would consolidate γεγραμμένον ἐστίν, ἠγαπημένοι ἐστε, and similar forms).
• greek/voice-progression-active-to-passive — ἐγείρω voice-shift vv.19–22 as instance of a broader Johannine and Pauline pattern (cf. Rom 6:4 ἠγέρθη Χριστὸς ἐκ νεκρῶν διὰ τῆς δόξης τοῦ Πατρός).
• greek/demonstrative-ekeinos-contrastive — Johannine use of ἐκεῖνος as distal-emphatic pronoun for Jesus / Spirit / God over against interlocutors.
• Word study gaps: G1453 ἐγείρω, G3403 μιμνῄσκομαι, G3089 λύω, G3624 οἶκος, G5416 φραγέλλιον (hapax, Latin loan-word), G2205 ζῆλος, G2773 κερματιστής / G2855 κολλυβιστής / G2772 κέρμα (paired treatment of the three temple-commerce hapaxes), G305 ἀναβαίνω (pilgrimage register).

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Context-neutral. This entry documents the grammatical facts of the passage and the standard lexical/exegetical options they generate. It does not adjudicate theological readings of "this temple" (Jesus' body only? Jesus-as-new-temple? body-as-church?), of the σημεῖον-demand (rebuke? genuine request?), or of the disciples' retro-faith (proto-Christian pattern? evangelist's literary device?). The grammar supplies the data; the interpretive verdict belongs to the study that invokes this reference.