Is this house then, in which my name hath been called upon, in your eyes become a den of robbers? I, I am he: I have seen it, saith the Lord.

“Wherefore, brethren, if we do the will of God our Father, we shall be of the first Church, that is, spiritual, that hath been created before the sun and moon; but if we do not the will of the Lord, we shall be of the scripture that saith, "My house was made a den of robbers." So then let us choose to be of the Church of life, that we may be saved.”

“Here he excludes the third remedy in which they could trust, namely concerning the worship of divine religion; and first as to the holiness of the temple; second as to the devotion of prayer, there, "therefore do not pray for this people"; third as to the offering of sacrifices, there, "thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel." Concerning the first, two things. First he sets down a kind of wholesome counsel, showing true confidence: "stand in the gate," so that at least by the reverence of the place they might be compelled to listen: as if he were to say: otherwise they scorn to listen: "make good your ways" — actions, pursuits, thoughts — by which you deliberate about what is to be done. Isa. 40: "direct the way, make straight in the wilderness the paths of our God." And first he sets down the fruit: "and I will dwell." Apoc. 21: "behold the tabernacle of God with men, and he will dwell with them." And he excludes vain hope: "do not trust in lying words," inasmuch as they said that on account of the holiness of the temple they could avoid all punishments without amendment of life. The temple of the Lord, holy; the temple of the Lord, precious; the temple of the Lord, venerated by all. 2 Machab. 5: God did not choose the nation for the place's sake, but the place for the nation's sake. Second, he expounds it: and first as to the first part, showing what it is to make good ways, resuming the counsel, ordering them both toward themselves in action: since "if you shall bless" — as it were, you had determined in mind, or directed — and "in thought," your pursuits: and toward one's neighbor, as to the doing of good, "if you shall do": and in comparison with God, "and you shall not walk after strange gods": he resumes the fruit of the counsel: "I will dwell with you, if you will, and you shall hear," et cetera. Ps. 14: "Lord, who shall dwell in your tabernacle, or who shall rest in your holy mountain? He who walks without blemish, and works justice," et cetera. Second, he expounds as to the second part: and first he shows the false confidence, setting down the defect on the part of guilt: "behold you trust in yourselves in lying words," in that you say you can commit with impunity these things that follow: "to steal" — against a neighbor's property, "to kill" — against his person, "to commit adultery" — against that which is as it were property and as it were person, "to swear." Here he sets down sins against God. Isa. 28: "we have set our hope in a lie, and by a lie we are protected." And he sets down the appearance on the part of an insufficient amendment: "and you have come, and stood before me in this house," believing, as it were, that by the mere entering of the temple they give satisfaction, perhaps deceived by the prayer of Solomon which is found in 2 Paralip. 6, and 3 Kings 8. And he himself understands that the house of the Lord is to be entered with a perfect amendment of morals. "Because we have done all these abominations" — that is, on account of it. Second, he excludes it, first by an argument showing the amendment insufficient for the guilt: "has then this house become a den of robbers?" As if he were to say: if you enter my house unpurified, you make it a den of robbers. Matt. 21: "My house shall be called a house of prayer: but you have made it a den of robbers." And he shows the guilt to be manifest: "I, I" — in the singular — "am," seeing all things everywhere; "I have seen your sins." Prov. 16: "all the ways of man lie open to his eyes; the Lord is the weigher of spirits." Second, he excludes it by an example: and first he sets down the example of Shiloh, where the tabernacle had first been placed: "go to my place in Shiloh." Ps. 77: "and he cast off the tabernacle of Shiloh, his tabernacle, where he dwelt among men." Second, he adapts it to the matter at hand, assuming a like guilt: "and because you have done all these works, says the Lord, and I spoke to you, rising up early" — after the manner of an anxious man, who rises at earliest morning to complete his works; or because that time is fitting for contemplation, and for receiving the words of wisdom, the body now being rested. "I called." Prov. 1: "because I called, and you refused; I called upon you, and there was none that regarded," et cetera. And he concludes a like punishment, as to the destruction of the place: "I will do to this house." Below, 26: "I will make this house like Shiloh, and this city I will give as a curse to all the nations of the earth." And as to the captivity of the people: "I will cast you out." Below, 23: "you have scattered my flock, and cast them out, and have not visited them."”

“Is this house, which is called by my name,.... Meaning the temple: become a den of robbers in your eyes? or do you look upon it, and make use of it, as thieves do of dens; who, when they have robbed and murdered men, betake themselves to them, not only to share their spoil, but to hide themselves? just so those thieves, murderers adulterers, perjurers, and idolaters, after they had committed such gross enormities, came into the temple and offered sacrifices; thinking hereby to cover their sins, and expiate the guilt of them, and to be looked upon as good men, and true worshippers of God, when they were no better than thieves and robbers; and such were the Pharisees in Christ's time, and such was the temple as made by them; see Mat 21:13, behold, even I have seen it, saith the Lord; not only all the abominations committed by them, but the use they made of the temple and the worship of it; all the hypocrisy of their hearts, and the inward thoughts of them, and their views and intentions in their offerings and sacrifices; as well as what ruin and destruction the Lord designed to bring shortly upon them, and upon that house which they had made a den of robbers; as follows:”

“den of robbers--Do you regard My temple as being what robbers make their den, namely, an asylum wherein ye may obtain impunity for your abominations (Jer 7:10)? seen it--namely, that ye treat My house as if it were a den of thieves. Jehovah implies more than is expressed, "I have seen and will punish it" (Isa 56:7; Mat 21:13).”