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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Mar_13:1-2
1As He was going out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, "Teacher, behold what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!" 2And Jesus said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another which will not be torn down."
Mar_13:1 "the temple" This was the word (hieron) for the whole temple area. Jesus had been teaching there since the events of Mark 11 (cf. Mat_26:55). These buildings had become the great Jewish hope, a symbol of God's exclusive love for Israel (cf. Jeremiah 7; Joh_8:31-59).
▣ "one of His disciples" It may have been Peter (cf. Mar_13:3). John Mark may have given us Peter's memory of Jesus' words. This is the longest teaching session in Mark's Gospel.
▣ "'wonderful stones'" This is literally "huge stones." Josephus tells us Herod the Great used huge polished limestones or mezzeh that were native to this area. They were 25 x 8 x 12 cubits (cf. Antiquities 15.11.3). Stones of similar shape and material are still visible at the wailing wall in Jerusalem.
▣ "'wonderful buildings'" This is literally "huge buildings." They were white polished limestone with gold trim. This huge and expensive building project was meant to placate the Jews who were upset over an Idumean being king. This remodeling and expansion was begun in 20/19 b.c. and finished in about a.d. 63/64 (cf. Josephus' Antiquities 15.11.1-7; Wars 5.5.1-6).
Mar_13:2 "'Not one stone will be left upon another'" This phrase has two double negatives with the Subjunctive mood. There is no stronger grammatical negation possible in the Greek language! This speaks of total destruction. This must have dumbfounded them! Josephus tells us that in a.d. 70 the Romans destroyed this site so completely that one could plow the ground as a field (cf. Mic_3:12; Jer_26:18).
There are some Greek manuscript variants related to this phrase. One follows the wording of Mat_24:2 found in the ancient Greek uncial manuscripts à , B, L, and W. The second follows the wording of Luk_21:6 found in MS A and the Vulgate. The UBS4 follows Mat_24:2, which adds the adverb "here" or "in this place."