OLBGrk;
Ver. 5,6. Matthew and Mark say, that some of his disciples spake these words to him, and received this answer, as he was going out of the temple. For the goodly stones which the disciples admired, we are told that there were some of them forty-five cubits long, five in depth, and six in breadth. The gifts here mentioned are called in the Greek, anayhmata, not anayemata, nor dwra. The latter word, dwra, signified any gifts, money or plate, &c., which men voluntarily offered. Anayemata signified things accursed, or devoted to God, as all the goods of Ai were, Joshua 7:1-26. But this word signified such gifts or presents made to God, as might be hung up and exposed to open view. Our Lord, to take off his disciples eyes from those gay and stately things, prophesieth the utter ruin of the temple, to that degree that one stone should not be left upon another; which how it was afterwards fulfilled within less than forty years, See Poole on "Matthew 24:1", See Poole on "Matthew 24:2", and See Poole on "Mark 13:1", See Poole on "Mark 13:2". God by that providence not only destroying the vain confidence of the Jews, who took their temple to be an asylum, or sanctuary, for them from the providence of God, or his justice rather; but also severely punishing them for their profanation of his holy place; and also lets them know that the time was come, when God would put an end to all types of the Messiah, and also to all that worship, which could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; but stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation, Hebrews 9:9,10. See Poole on "Matthew 24:1", See Poole on "Matthew 24:2", and See Poole on "Mark 13:1", See Poole on "Mark 13:2".