Lexical Summary hieron: Temple Original Word: ἱερόν Strong's Exhaustive Concordance temple. Neuter of hieros; a sacred place, i.e. The entire precincts (whereas naos denotes the central sanctuary itself) of the Temple (at Jerusalem or elsewhere) -- temple. see GREEK hieros see GREEK naos HELPS Word-studies 2411 hierón (from 2413 /hierós, "sacred") – the entire Temple complex, i.e. all its enclosures (precincts, courtyards) and the central sanctuary. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originsee hieros. Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 2411: ἱερόνἱερόν, ἱεροῦ, τό (neuter of the adjective ἱερός, ἱερά, ἱερόν; cf. τό ἅγιον) (from Herodotus on), a sacred place, temple: of the temple of Artemis at Ephesus, Acts 19:27; of the temple at Jerusalem twice in the Sept., Ezekiel 45:19; 1 Chronicles 29:4; more frequent in the O. T. Apocrypha; in the N. T. often in the Gospels and Acts; once elsewhere, viz. 1 Corinthians 9:13. τό ἱερόν and ὁ ναός differ, in that the former designates the whole compass of the sacred enclosure, embracing the entire aggregate of buildings, balconies, porticos, courts (viz., that of the men or Israelites, that of the women, that of the priests), belonging to the temple; the latter designates the sacred edifice properly so called, consisting of two parts, the 'sanctuary' or 'Holy place' (which no one except the priests was allowed to enter), and the 'Holy of holies' or 'most holy place' (see ἅγιος, 1 a.) (which was entered only on the great day of atonement by the high priest alone); (cf. Trench, Synonyms, § iii.). ἱερόν is employed in the N. T. either explicitly of the whole temple, Matthew 12:6; Matthew 24:1; Mark 13:3; Luke 21:5; Luke 22:52; Acts 4:1; Acts 24:6; Acts 25:8; 1 Corinthians 9:13, etc.; or so that certain definite parts of it must be thought of, as the courts, especially where Jesus or the apostles are said to have gone up, or entered, 'into the temple,' to have taught or encountered adversaries, and the like, 'in the temple,' Matthew 21:12, 14; Matthew 26:55; Mark 14:49; Luke 19:47; Luke 21:37; Luke 22:53; Luke 24:53; John 5:14; John 7:14, 28; John 8:20; John 18:20; Acts 3:2; Acts 5:20; Acts 21:26, etc.; of the courts and sanctuary, Matthew 12:5; of the court of the Gentiles, out of which Jesus drove the buyers and sellers and money-changers, Matthew 21:12; Mark 11:15; Luke 19:45; John 2:14ff; of the court of the women, Luke 2:37; of any portico or apartment, Luke 2:46, cf. John 10:23. On the phrase τό πτερύγιον τοῦ ἱεροῦ see πτερύγιον, 2. Topical Lexicon Overview Strong’s Greek 2411 (hieron) designates the Jewish temple precinct—primarily Herod’s Temple standing in Jerusalem during the earthly ministry of Jesus and the early Church. It embraces both the sanctuary itself and the surrounding courts, porticoes, and colonnades, in contrast to ναός (naos), which often specifies the inner holy place. The word occurs seventy-one times across the New Testament, shaping the narrative of redemption from the infancy of Christ to Paul’s imprisonments. Old Testament Background and Second Temple Context The temple anticipated by David (2 Samuel 7) and erected by Solomon (1 Kings 6–8) functioned as the fixed meeting place between God and His covenant people. After the Babylonian destruction (586 BC) and the modest post-exilic reconstruction (Ezra 6:15), King Herod the Great began a massive renovation and expansion about 20 BC. By Jesus’ day the temple complex covered roughly thirty-five acres, crowned by white-marble walls and gilded ornamentation noted by the disciples (Matthew 24:1; Mark 13:1; Luke 21:5). The vast Court of the Gentiles, inner courts for Israelite men and women, and the Court of the Priests surrounded the holy house (naos), with the Antonia fortress overlooking the north-west corner. Daily sacrifices, festival pilgrimages, rabbinic teaching, and judicial proceedings all converged within this hieron. The Temple in the Gospels • Matthew records Jesus’ early life framed by temple activity: His presentation (Luke 2:27) and later His twelve-year-old dialogue with teachers (Luke 2:46). During His public ministry He healed in the temple (Matthew 21:14), taught there (Matthew 21:23), and drove out commercial abuse: “Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there” (Matthew 21:12). The Temple in Acts Following Pentecost, the apostles continued to gather “every day in the temple courts” (Acts 2:46). A lame man was healed at “the gate of the temple called Beautiful” (Acts 3:2), drawing gospel witness before the Sanhedrin. Angelic deliverance returned the apostles to “stand in the temple courts and tell the people the full message of this new life” (Acts 5:20). Paul’s vows (Acts 21:26), prayers (Acts 22:17), and later accusations (Acts 24:12, 18) show the hieron as both mission field and flash-point of persecution. Theological Significance Jesus as the Greater Temple When the Lord declared, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19), He spoke of His body. The sacrificial system, priesthood, and rituals embedded in the hieron pointed to the ultimate meeting of God and humanity in Him. His crucifixion outside the city and the tearing of the veil (Matthew 27:51) signaled the obsolescence of the old order. Believers as God’s Temple After the resurrection and ascension, the indwelling Spirit redefined sacred space. Paul writes, “Do you not know that those who perform sacred duties eat from the temple?” (1 Corinthians 9:13) and elsewhere calls the Church and individual believers “God’s temple” (1 Corinthians 3:16–17; 6:19), reflecting the transition from a localized hieron to a living, global fellowship. Historical Notes Destruction in AD 70 Jesus’ prophecy, “Not one stone will be left on another” (Matthew 24:2), was fulfilled when Titus’ legions razed Jerusalem. Since then no physical hieron has stood, underscoring Christ’s sufficiency and the already-present yet not-yet consummated kingdom. Future Considerations New Testament eschatology anticipates unrestricted access to God: “I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple” (Revelation 21:22). The temporary Jerusalem hieron gives way to the eternal reality. Ministry Lessons 1. Purity of Worship: Commercialism and ritual formalism invite Christ’s cleansing judgment. Key Verses Matthew 21:13 — “It is written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’” John 2:19 — “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Acts 5:42 — “Every day, in the temple and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.” 1 Corinthians 3:16 — “Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” Forms and Transliterations ιερον ἱερόν ἱερὸν ιερου ἱεροῦ ιερω ἱερῷ hiero hierō hierôi hierō̂i hieron hierón hieròn hierou hieroû iero ierō ieron ierouLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Matthew 4:5 N-GNSGRK: πτερύγιον τοῦ ἱεροῦ KJV: on a pinnacle of the temple, INT: pinnacle of the temple Matthew 12:5 N-DNS Matthew 12:6 N-GNS Matthew 21:12 N-ANS Matthew 21:12 N-DNS Matthew 21:14 N-DNS Matthew 21:15 N-DNS Matthew 21:23 N-ANS Matthew 24:1 N-GNS Matthew 24:1 N-GNS Matthew 26:55 N-DNS Mark 11:11 N-ANS Mark 11:15 N-ANS Mark 11:15 N-DNS Mark 11:16 N-GNS Mark 11:27 N-DNS Mark 12:35 N-DNS Mark 13:1 N-GNS Mark 13:3 N-GNS Mark 14:49 N-DNS Luke 2:27 N-ANS Luke 2:37 N-GNS Luke 2:46 N-DNS Luke 4:9 N-GNS Luke 18:10 N-ANS Strong's Greek 2411 |
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