John 2:21
“But he spake of the temple of his body.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →John explains the riddle: Jesus was speaking of the temple of his body.
What Does John 2:21 Mean?
John, writing from the far side of Easter, hands the reader the key the first hearers lacked. The temple was the place where God's presence dwelt among his people and where sacrifice was offered for sin; Jesus declares that this is now true of his own body — the Word made flesh, dwelling among us (John 1:14).
The whole Gospel is folded into this one line. The presence that dwelt in the temple now comes to rest in Christ, and the sacrifices the temple foreshadowed will be accomplished in his body. To seek God now is to come to Jesus. And wonder upon wonder, those who belong to him are called a temple too, indwelt by his Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19).
In the Original Language
naos (ναός), 'temple' -- the inner sanctuary where God's presence dwelt, not the outer courts.