John 2:19 Destroy this temple,

After being asked for a sign

KJV

John 2:19 Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

NIV

John 2:19 Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.

LISTENERS HEARD

Break up the temple, this one, and in three days, I will construct it.

MY TAKE

Jesus saw death as a loosening of the tie between body and spirit.

GREEK (Each Word Explained Bottom of Page)

John 2:19 Λύσατε τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον καὶ [ἐν] τρισὶν ἡμέραις ἐγερῶ αὐτόν.

GREEK ORDER

Λύσατε τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον καὶ [ἐν] τρισὶν ἡμέραις ἐγερῶ αὐτόν.
Break up the temple, this one, and in three days, I will build it.

LOST IN TRANSLATION

From the phrasing of the Greek, specifically, the "this one" after the reference to "the temple," it is clear that Jesus is referring to his body rather than the physical temple. The words translated as "destroy" and "raise" actually primarily mean "release" and "awaken." However, the first also means "break up" and the second, to "build a building."

CW - Confusing Word -- The "destroy" is not the common word usually translated as "destroy."
MW - Missing Word -- The word "temple" before "heaven" is not shown in the English translation.
IW - Inserted Word -- The word "up" doesn't exist in the source.

CW - Confusing Word -- The "destroy" is not the common word usually translated as "destroy."
MW - Missing Word -- The word "temple" before "heaven" is not shown in the English translation.
IW - Inserted Word -- The word "again" doesn't exist in the source.

EACH WORD of KJV

Destroy -- (CW) The word translated as "loosen" means to "unbind. "dissolve," "break up," "undo," "and means "to annul" a law. It is the same word Jesus uses to refer to "breaking" commandments. It is not the common word translated as "destroy."

this-- -- The word translated as "this" means "from here" or "this/that thing.

missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more.

temple, - The word translated as "temple" means "temple," "the inner room of the temple," and "shrine." Jesus only uses this word five times.

and -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis ("also").

in -- The word translated as "in" means "in," "within," "with," "during" (time), or "among" with a dative object as the one here. With the accusative, it means "into," "on," and "for." When referring to time, it means "during." It can mean "on," "at," or "by" in the sense of "near."

three - "Three" is the Greek word that means the number three.

days -- The Greek word translated as "day" also means "time," in general, and refers specifically to the "daytime."

I -- This is from the first-person, singular form of the verb.

will -- This helping verb "will" indicates that the verb is the future tense. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English.

raise -- The word for "arise" means "awaken" and is the same word Jesus uses to describe God raising the dead and false prophets arising. Its primary meaning of this word is “awaken," “rouse,” or “stir up.” In various forms and in different contexts it means “wake up,” “stay awake,” and “to be awake.” It can also mean “to stir yourself,” “excite yourself,” or to “be excited” by passion.” It also forms various idioms. For example, when used with “ears” it means “prick up your ears.” It also means “raise” or “erect,” but usually in the context of constructing buildings. It is only consistently translated as “raise” in the NT and later works based on it.

it -- The word translated as "it" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English. The word means "the same" when used as an adjective.

up. -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "up" in the Greek source.

EACH WORD of NIV