“And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.”
My Notes
What Does Mark 11:17 Mean?
"My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves." Jesus quotes Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11, combining two prophetic texts into a single indictment. The Temple was supposed to be a house of prayer for ALL NATIONS — including Gentiles. Instead, it's become a den of thieves — a hideout where the religious establishment conducts exploitation under cover of holiness.
The phrase "of all nations" is the detail the Temple establishment had violated most thoroughly. The money-changing and animal-selling was happening in the Court of the Gentiles — the only space in the Temple where non-Jews could pray. By turning it into a marketplace, the religious leaders had eliminated the Gentiles' only access point to God's house. The commerce didn't just corrupt worship; it excluded the outsiders.
The phrase "den of thieves" (from Jeremiah 7:11) describes a robbers' hideout — the place thieves retreat to after committing crimes elsewhere. The Temple isn't where the theft happens; it's where the thieves hide, using religious respectability as cover.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What barriers have been set up in spaces where outsiders should be able to access God?
- 2.How does the 'all nations' detail change your understanding of Jesus' anger?
- 3.What makes a place of worship a 'den of thieves' — a hiding place for the unjust?
- 4.What 'tables' need overturning in your community to restore access for outsiders?
Devotional
A house of prayer for ALL NATIONS. That's what it was supposed to be. Instead, you filled the only space Gentiles could pray with your money tables and your animal market. You turned inclusion into exclusion. You turned access into commerce.
Jesus' anger in the Temple isn't about messy markets. It's about blocked access. The Court of the Gentiles was the outsiders' only room. The people who didn't belong to Israel but wanted to pray to Israel's God — they had one space. And the religious establishment filled that space with livestock and currency exchange, making prayer physically impossible for the people farthest from God.
The "den of thieves" from Jeremiah adds another layer: the thieves don't steal IN the den. They steal outside and hide in the den. The Temple isn't where the exploitation happens — it's where the exploiters feel safe. They conduct their injustice in the marketplace, in the courts, in daily life — and then retreat to the Temple for religious cover. The den of thieves is their safe house.
Jesus overturns the tables because the tables represent the barrier between outsiders and God. Every table that stood in the Court of the Gentiles was a wall between a seeking soul and the God they were trying to reach.
What tables have you set up — what barriers, what practices, what systems — in the space where outsiders are supposed to be able to access God?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And he taught, saying unto them, is it not written,.... In Isa 56:7.
My house shall be called of all nations, the…
See this passage explained in the notes at Mat 21:18-22. Mar 11:11 Into the temple - Not into the edifice properly…
Here is, I. Christ's cursing the fruitless fig-tree. He had a convenient resting-place at Bethany, and therefore thither…
of all nations Rather, for all nations. See margin. The words are cited from Isa 56:7.
a den of thieves Literally, a…
Cross References
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