21:12–13 The temple in Jerusalem consisted of an inner sanctuary (called the naos) surrounded by a series of courtyards. In descending order they were the Court of the Priests, Israelites, Women, and Gentiles. The entire temple area was designated as the hieron. It was in the outer court that the temple authorities arranged booths (called the Bazaars of Annas and belonging to the family of the high priest) to provide animals approved for sacrifice and to exchange foreign currency for coins acceptable for paying the half-shekel temple tax (cf. 17:24). Because most local coins were stamped with pagan symbols, they were not acceptable. Rabbinic tradition held that the temple tax should be paid with a high-quality silver Tyrian coin called the tetradrachma.

Jesus entered the temple area (Cour…