The Temple as a House of Prayer
Isaiah calls God’s house a house of prayer for all peoples, while later passages portray commerce being driven from the sacred place.
The Bible says God’s house is called “a house of prayer for all peoples,” where offerings and sacrifices are accepted on his altar (Isaiah 56:7). The word or idea recurs in at least 7 verses across 6 books.
A warning asks whether the house called by God’s name has become a den of robbers (Jeremiah 7:11). In the Gospels, Jesus drives buyers and sellers from the sacred place or temple and overturns moneychangers’ tables (Matthew 21:12; Mark 11:15; John 2:15). Two sayings repeat that God’s house is to be a house of prayer rather than a cave of robbers (Matthew 21:13; Luke 19:46).
Across Scripture
Isaiah · Jeremiah · Matthew · Mark · Luke · John