Mark 13:2
in Mark 13“Do you see all these great buildings?” Jesus replied. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Jesus said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left here one stone upon another, which shall not be thrown down.
KJV
And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
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This verse in Mark 13
Commentary
12 notes on this verseA commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Mark (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1857)
The chapter we have now begun is full of prophecy — prophecy of which part has been fulfilled, and part remains to be accomplished. Two great events form the subject of this prophecy. One is the destruction of Jerusalem, and the consequent end of the Jewish dispensation. The other is the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the winding up of the state of things under which we now live. The destruction of Jerusalem was an event which happened only forty years after our Lord was crucified.
This site's exposition
look at the magnificent stones and buildings
on Mark 13:1-2
Not one stone here will be left on another answers a disciple's wonder at the magnificent stones and buildings of Herod's temple. The word was fulfilled when Roman soldiers razed the temple in AD 70, a fall Josephus records.
This site's exposition
Not one stone here
Jesus answers the disciple's wonder at the great buildings by saying every stone will be thrown down. Theophylact records that some pointed to stones still left to call Christ a liar, and he rejects the charge. Josephus tells of the temple dug up by enemies.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
Antichrist will come at such a time as there shall not be left of the temple of the Jews "one stone upon another," to quote the sentence pronounced by the Savior.
The Medieval Church4 voices
But He foretold that, nevertheless, of all this not even one stone would be left upon another. Against this, some say that many remnants of the ancient city of Jerusalem have survived, and thus they attempt to make Christ out to be a liar. But …
For, since the Lord had spoken much concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, His disciples wondered, that such numerous and beautiful buildings were to be destroyed; and this is the reason why they point out the beauty of the temple, and He answers not only that they were to be destroyed, but also that one stone should not be left upon another: wherefore it goes on: And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. Now some may endeavour to prove that Christ's words were false, by saying that many ruins were left, but this is not at all the point; for though some ruins had been left, still at the consummation of all things one stone shall not be left upon another. Besides it is related, that Ælius Adrian overturned the city and the temple from the foundation, so that the word of the Lord here spoken was fulfilled.
(in Marc. lib. iv. 42) Because after the founding of the Church of Christ, Judæa was to be punished for her treachery, the Lord fitly, after praising the devotedness of the Church in the person of the poor widow, goes out of the temple, and foretold its coming ruin, and the contempt in which the buildings now so wonderful were soon to be held, wherefore it is said, And as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here! (ubi sup.) But it was ordered by Divine power that after that the grace of the faith of the Gospel was made known through the world, the temple itself with its ceremonies should be taken away; lest perchance some one weak in the faith, if he saw that these things which had been instituted by God still remained, might by degrees drop from the sincerity of the faith, which is in Christ Jesus, into carnal Judaism. (ubi sup.) Again, when the Lord left the temple, all the edifice of the law and the framework of the commandments were destroyed, so that nothing could be filled up by the Jews; and now that the head has been taken away, all the limbs fight one against the other.
Here also the Lord enumerates to His disciples the destruction of the last time, that is of the temple, with the people, and its letter; of which one stone shall not be left upon another, that is, no testimony of the Prophets upon those, to whom the Jews perversely applied them, that is, on Ezra, Zerubbabel, and the Maccabees.
4 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Their enquiry is, When shall these things be? They will not question, at least not seem to question, whether they shall be or no (for their Master has said that they shall), but are willing to hope it is a great way off. Yet they ask not precisely the day and year (therein they were modest), but say, "Tell us what shall be the sign, when all these things shall be fulfilled?
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — odd-straight-quotes
And Jesus answering said unto him,.... The Persic version reads, "unto them"; and so Beza's most ancient copy but as that question is put by one, the reply is made to him: seest thou these great buildings? how beautiful and strong they are.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Eleazar wished they had all died before seeing that holy city destroyed by enemies' hands, and before the temple was so profanely dug up [Wars of the Jews, 7.8.7].
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Mark (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1857)
proposed
The chapter we have now begun is full of prophecy — prophecy of which part has been fulfilled, and part remains to be accomplished. Two great events form the subject of this prophecy. One is the destruction of Jerusalem, and the consequent end of the Jewish dispensation. The other is the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the winding up of the state of things under which we now live. The destruction of Jerusalem was an event which happened only forty years after our Lord was crucified. The second coming of Christ is an event which is yet to come, and we may yet live to see it with our own eyes. Chapters like this ought to be deeply interesting to every true Christian. No history ought to receive so much of our attention as the past and future history of the Church of Christ. The rise and fall of worldly empires are events of comparatively small importance in the sight of God. Babylon, and Greece, and Rome, and France, and England, are as nothing in His eyes by the side of the mystical body of Christ. The march of armies and the victories of conquerors are mere trifles in comparison with the progress of the Gospel, and the final triumph of the Prince of Peace. May we remember this in reading prophetical Scripture! "Blessed is he that reads." (Rev. 1:3.) The first thing that demands our attention in the verses before us, is the prediction of our Lord concerning the temple at Jerusalem . The disciples, with the natural pride of Jews, had called their Master's attention to the architectural splendor of the temple. "See," they said, "what massive stones and what buildings are here!" They received an answer from the Lord very different from what they expected, a heart-saddening answer, and one well calculated to stir up inquisitive thoughts in their minds. No word of admiration falls from His lips.
The words behind it
21 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Καὶ | kai | And | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ὁ | ho | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| Ἰησοῦς | iesous | Jesus | G2424 → | 908 times |
| εἶπεν | eipen | said | G2036 → | 925 times |
| αὐτῷ· | auto | to him; | G846 → | 5565 times |
| βλέπεις | blepeis | See you | G991 → | 132 times |
| ταύτας | tautas | these | G3778 → | 1381 times |
| τὰς | tas | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| μεγάλας | megalas | great | G3173 → | 243 times |
| οἰκοδομάς; | oikodomas | buildings? | G3619 → | |
| οὐ | ou | certainly | G3756 → | 1664 times |
| μὴ | me | not | G3361 → | 1066 times |
| ἀφεθῇ | aphethea | may be left | G863 → | 143 times |
| ὧδε | hode | here | G5602 → | 61 times |
| λίθος | lithos | stone | G3037 → | 58 times |
| ἐπὶ | epi | upon | G1909 → | 883 times |
| λίθον | lithon | stone | G3037 → | 58 times |
| ὃς | hos | which | G3739 → | 1405 times |
| οὐ | ou | certainly | G3756 → | 1664 times |
| μὴ | me | not | G3361 → | 1066 times |
| καταλυθῇ.¶ | kataluthea | may be thrown down. | G2647 → | 17 times |
ΚαὶAnd
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ὁ<the>
hoG3588 →19766 times
ἸησοῦςJesus
iesousG2424 →908 times
εἶπενsaid
eipenG2036 →925 times
αὐτῷ·to him;
autoG846 →5565 times
βλέπειςSee you
blepeisG991 →132 times
ταύταςthese
tautasG3778 →1381 times
τὰς<the>
tasG3588 →19766 times
μεγάλαςgreat
megalasG3173 →243 times
οἰκοδομάς;buildings?
oikodomasG3619 →
οὐcertainly
ouG3756 →1664 times
μὴnot
meG3361 →1066 times
ἀφεθῇmay be left
aphetheaG863 →143 times
ὧδεhere
hodeG5602 →61 times
λίθοςstone
lithosG3037 →58 times
ἐπὶupon
epiG1909 →883 times
λίθονstone
lithonG3037 →58 times
ὃςwhich
hosG3739 →1405 times
οὐcertainly
ouG3756 →1664 times
μὴnot
meG3361 →1066 times
καταλυθῇ.¶may be thrown down.
katalutheaG2647 →17 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Matthew 24:2“Do you see all these things?” He replied. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”
it leads to
- Jeremiah 26:18
“Micah the Moreshite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah and told all the people of Judah that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Zion will be plowed like a…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Micah 3:12
Therefore, because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, and the temple mount a wooded ridge.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Luke 19:44
They will level you to the ground—you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.”
- Ezekiel 7:20–22
His beautiful ornaments they transformed into pride and used them to fashion their vile images and detestable idols. Therefore I will make these into something unclean for them.
- Daniel 9:26–27
Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and will have nothing. Then the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end…
- Jeremiah 26:18
Through
Micah 3:12Therefore, because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, and the temple mount a wooded ridge.
it leads to
- Psalms 79:1
The nations, O God, have invaded Your inheritance; they have defiled Your holy temple and reduced Jerusalem to rubble.
- Psalms 79:1
Through
Jeremiah 26:18“Micah the Moreshite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah and told all the people of Judah that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Zion will be plowed like a…
it leads to
- Zechariah 8:3
This is what the LORD says: “I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the LORD of Hosts will be…
- Nehemiah 4:2
before his associates and the army of Samaria, saying, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Can they restore the wall by themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Can…
- Zechariah 8:3
Where this verse is studied
About Mark
This page draws on 11 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Gospels; Bede, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lecture 15:15; J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Mark (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Pseudo-Jerome, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Mark and Theophylact of Ohrid, Catena Aurea by Aquinas.