In the temple. This would be in the Court of the Gentiles. He found men selling. It was not proper for them to be selling animals for sacrifice inside the temple. [The selling of animals for sacrifice was all right in itself, and was a needed service for the great crowds of people who came to worship in the temple. But the priests had made a monopoly of it, and brought all the noise, confusion, and smell right into the temple.] Compare Mark 11:15-19. The moneychangers. The priests would not take the Greek and Roman coins that were used by everyone. They made the people exchange their money for official Jewish coins, at unreasonable prices. Just this alone was making the priests something like three million dollars a year [in 1974 dollars].

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Old Testament