Mark 11:15 Meaning and Explanation
“And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →In the temple courts Jesus drives out the buyers and sellers, overturning the moneychangers' tables and the seats of those selling doves.
What Does Mark 11:15 Mean?
In the great outer court, merchants sold sacrificial animals and moneychangers exchanged foreign coin for the currency accepted by the temple—convenient, profitable, and filling the one court open to all nations. Jesus enters and clears it: tables overturned, seats upended, the trade stopped.
This is zeal, not loss of temper; the verses that follow show him teaching, fully in command of the scene. The Lord comes suddenly to his temple to purify it, as Malachi had foretold (Malachi 3:1-3). Doves were the offering of the poor (Leviticus 5:7; Luke 2:24), and the seats of their sellers go over with the rest—worship that profits from the lowly offends the God who hears them. Christ still claims his Father's house, and his people, for prayer rather than gain.
Mark 11:15 in the Original Language
kollubistes (κολλυβιστής), 'moneychanger' -- one who exchanged everyday coin for temple currency at a fee.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mark 11:15
What does Mark 11:15 mean?
In the temple courts Jesus drives out the buyers and sellers, overturning the moneychangers' tables and the seats of those selling doves.