Exegesis:
hoti … hoti ‘that … that’: both times the hoti is recitative, introducing direct speech.
katalusō (cf. 13.2) ‘I will tear down,’ ‘I will demolish,’ ‘I will destroy.’ On this saying, cf. further 15.29.
ton naon (15.29, 38) ‘the sanctuary’: it is generally assumed that naos refers to the central area of the Temple, the holy of holies, as distinct from the whole Temple area as such, referred to as the hieron (cf. 11.11).
cheiropoiēton (only here in Mark) ‘hand made,’ ‘built by men,’ i.e. material.
dia triōn hēmerōn (cf. 2.1 di’ hēmerōn) ‘after three days’: cf. the similar phrase meta treis hēmeras (8.31; 9.31; 10.34).
acheiropoiēton (only here in Mark) ‘not made by hand,’ ‘built not by men,’ i.e. spiritual.
oikodomēsō (cf. 12.1) ‘I will build,’ ‘I will construct.’
Translation:
We heard him say must in some languages be shifted to a paratactic construction of two subject-predicate constructions: ‘we heard him; he said.’
For temple see 11.11, but note that in this context the central building is designated. Accordingly, one may often use ‘this house of God,’ ‘this dwelling of God,’ or ‘this place of God,’ since all of these expressions may give rise to a double meaning, including not only the temple itself but Jesus own person.
Made with hands is most often translated as ‘built by men’ or ‘built by men’s hands.’ Hands is a figurative substitute for ‘men.’ Not made with hands may be rendered as a modifying clause, ‘which men will not make.’
Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of Mark. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1961. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
