Strong's Greek: 39. ἅγιον (hagion) -- Holy, sanctuary, holy place

◄ 39. hagion ►

Lexical Summary

hagion: Holy, sanctuary, holy place

Original Word: ἅγιον
Part of Speech: Noun (Neuter)
Transliteration: hagion
Pronunciation: HA-gee-on
Phonetic Spelling: (hag'-ee-on)
KJV: holiest (of all), holy place, sanctuary
Word Origin: [neuter of G40 (ἅγιος - Holy)]

1. a sacred thing
2. (of location) a sacred place

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

holy place, sanctuary.

Neuter of hagios; a sacred thing (i.e. Spot) -- holiest (of all), holy place, sanctuary.

see GREEK hagios

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
see hagios.

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 39: ἅγιος

ἅγιος, , (from τό ἀγός religious awe, reverence; ἄζω, ἅζομαι, to venerate, revere, especially the gods, parents (Curtius, § 118)), rare in secular authors; very frequent in the sacred writings; in the Sept. for קָדושׁ;

1. properly reverend, worthy of veneration: τό ὄνομα τοῦ Θεοῦ, Luke 1:49; God, on account of his incomparable majesty, Revelation 4:8 (Isaiah 6:3, etc.), equivalent to ἔνδοξος. Hence, used:

a. of things which on account of some connection with God possess a certain distinction and claim to reverence, as places sacred to God which are not to be profaned, Acts 7:33; τόπος ἅγιος the temple, Matthew 24:15 (on which passage see βδέλυγμα, c.); Acts 6:13; Acts 21:28; the holy land or Palestine, 2 Macc. 1:29 2Macc. 2:18; τό ἅγιον and τά ἅγια (Winer's Grammar, 177 (167)) the temple, Hebrews 9:1, 24 (cf. Bleek on Heb. vol. ii. 2, p. 477f); specifically that part of the temple or tabernacle which is called 'the holy place' (מִקְדָּשׁ, Ezekiel 37:28; Ezekiel 45:18), Hebrews 9:2 (here Rec.st reads ἅγια); ἅγια ἁγίων (Winer's Grammar, 246 (231), cf. Exodus 29:37; Exodus 30:10, etc.) the most hallowed portion of the temple, 'the holy of holies,' (Exodus 26:33 (cf. Josephus, Antiquities 3, 6, 4)), Hebrews 9:3, in reference to which the simple τά ἅγια is also used: Hebrews 9:8, 25; Hebrews 10:19; Hebrews 13:11; figuratively of heaven, Hebrews 8:2; Hebrews 9:8, 12; Hebrews 10:19; ἅγια πόλις Jerusalem, on account of the temple there, Matthew 4:5; Matthew 27:53; Revelation 11:2; Revelation 21:2; Revelation 22:19 (Isaiah 48:2; Nehemiah 11:1, 18 (Complutensian LXX), etc.); τό ὄρος τό ἅγιον, because Christ's transfiguration occurred there, 2 Peter 1:18; ἡ (Θεοῦ) ἅγια διαθήκη i. e. which is the more sacred because made by God himself, Luke 1:72; τό ἅγιον, that worshipful offspring of divine power, Luke 1:35; the blessing of the gospel, Matthew 7:6; ἁγιωτάτῃ πίστις, faith (quae creditur i. e. the object of faith) which came from God and is therefore to be heeded most sacredly, Jude 1:20; in the same sense ἅγια ἐντολή, 2 Peter 2:21; κλῆσις ἅγια, because it is the invitation of God and claims us as his, 2 Timothy 1:9; ἅγιαι γραφαί (τά βιβλία τά ἅγια, 1 Macc. 12:9), which came from God and contain his Words, Romans 1:2.

b. of persons whose services God employs; as for example, apostles, Ephesians 3:5; angels, 1 Thessalonians 3:13; Matthew 25:31 (Rec.); Revelation 14:10; Jude 1:14; prophets, Acts 3:21; Luke 1:70 (Wis. 11:1); (οἱ) ἅγιοι (τοῦ) Θεοῦ ἄνθρωποι, 2 Peter 1:21 (R G L Tr text); worthies of the O. T. accepted by God for their piety, Matthew 27:52; 1 Peter 3:5.

2. set apart for God, to be, as it were, exclusively his; followed by a genitive or a dative: τῷ κυρίῳ, Luke 2:23; τοῦ Θεοῦ (equivalent to ἐκλεκτός τοῦ Θεοῦ) of Christ, Mark 1:24; Luke 4:34, and according to the true reading in John 6:69, cf. John 10:36; he is called also ὁ ἅγιος παῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ, Acts 4:30, and simply ὁ ἅγιος, 1 John 2:20. Just as the Israelites claimed for themselves the title οἱ ἅγιοι, because God selected them from the other nations to lead a life acceptable to him and rejoice in his favor and protection (Daniel 7:18, 22; 2 Esdr. 8:28), so this appellation is very often in the N. T. transferred to Christians, as those whom God has selected ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου (John 17:14, 16), that under the influence of the Holy Spirit they may be rendered, through holiness, partakers of salvation in the kingdom of God: 1 Peter 2:9 (Exodus 19:6), cf. Exodus 19:5; Acts 9:13, 32, 41; Acts 26:10; Romans 1:7; Romans 8:27; Romans 12:13; Romans 16:15; 1 Corinthians 6:1, 2; Philippians 4:21; Colossians 1:12; Hebrews 6:10; Jude 1:3; Revelation 5:8, etc.; (cf. B. D. American edition under the word ).

3. of sacrifices and offerings; prepared for God with solemn rite, pure, clean (opposed to ἀκάθαρτος): 1 Corinthians 7:14 (cf. Ephesians 5:3); connected with ἄμωμος, Ephesians 1:4; Ephesians 5:27; Colossians 1:22; ἀπαρχή, Romans 11:16; θυσία, Romans 12:1. Hence,

4. in a moral sense, pure, sinless, upright, holy: 1 Peter 1:16 (Leviticus 19:2; Leviticus 11:44); 1 Corinthians 7:34; δίκαιος καί ἅγιος, of John the Baptist, Mark 6:20; ἅγιος καί δίκαιος, of Christ, Acts 3:14; distinctively of him, Revelation 3:7; Revelation 6:10; of God pre-eminently, 1 Peter 1:15; John 17:11; ἅγιαι ἀναστροφαί, 2 Peter 3:11; νόμος and ἐντολή, i. e. containing nothing exceptionable, Romans 7:12; φίλημα, such a kiss as is a sign of the purest love, 1 Thessalonians 5:26; 1 Corinthians 16:20; 2 Corinthians 13:12; Romans 16:16. On the phrase τό ἅγιον πνεῦμα and τό πνεῦμα τό ἅγιον, see πνεῦμα, 4 a. Cf. Diestel, Die Heiligkeit Gottes, in Jahrbb. f. deutsch. Theol. iv., p. 1ff; (Baudissin, Stud. z. Semitisch. Religionsgesch. Heft ii., p. 3ff; Delitzsch in Herzog edition 2, see 714ff; especially) Cremer, Wörterbuch, 4te Aufl., p. 32ff (translation of 2nd edition, p. 84ff; Oehler in Herzog 19:618ff; Zezschwitz, Profangräcität as above with, p. 15ff; Trench, § lxxxviii; Campbell, Dissertations, diss. vi., part iv.; especially Schmidt, chapter 181).

Topical Lexicon

Meaning and Scope

Ἅγιον denotes that which is set apart exclusively for God—most often the sacred space within the Tabernacle or Temple. The emphasis is on absolute separation from common use, resulting in a sphere where God uniquely reveals His presence and receives worship.

Old Testament Foundations

The idea of the holy place first appears in the blueprint for the Tabernacle (Exodus 26:33). God Himself designed this space, distinguished from the courtyard and the Most Holy Place. Only sanctified priests could minister there, and only according to divine prescription. Everything inside—the lampstand, table of the bread of the Presence, and altar of incense—was “holy to the LORD” (Exodus 30:29). Violation of its sanctity brought immediate judgment (Leviticus 10:1-2).

Covenant Significance

1. Revelation: The holy place housed the continual light, bread, and fragrant incense, portraying perpetual illumination, provision, and intercession from God to His covenant people (Exodus 27:20-21; Leviticus 24:5-8).
2. Mediation: Priestly service there maintained fellowship between God and Israel, foreshadowing a greater mediator (Hebrews 9:6-7).
3. Atonement: On the Day of Atonement blood was carried “inside the veil” to cleanse the sanctuary itself (Leviticus 16:16-19), underscoring that even the holiest earthly spot needed reconciliation through sacrifice.

Prophetic and Messianic Trajectory

The prophets anticipated a future cleansing and elevation of the sanctuary (Ezekiel 43:12). This expectation converges on Jesus Christ, whose incarnate body became the locus of divine holiness (John 2:19-21). By His death and resurrection He established a superior, heavenly sanctuary “not made by human hands” (Hebrews 9:24).

Fulfillment in the New Covenant

Though the precise form ἅγιον is not recorded in the extant Greek New Testament, its concept permeates the epistles. Believers now have “confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus” (Hebrews 10:19). The earthly holy place has given way to direct access to God through the risen High Priest. This access is inaugurated, irrevocable, and global, transcending the geographical limitations of the earlier sanctuary.

Ecclesial and Personal Application

1. Worship: Every assembly of believers constitutes a living temple indwelt by the Spirit (Ephesians 2:21-22). Corporate gatherings therefore require reverence, order, and purity.
2. Ministry: Church leaders mirror the priestly responsibility to guard doctrine and promote holiness among God’s people (1 Timothy 3:15).
3. Sanctification: Individual bodies are “a temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19). The call to separate from moral impurity is rooted in the very character of the holy place (2 Corinthians 7:1).

Eschatological Consummation

Revelation envisions the heavenly sanctuary thrown open, culminating in the new creation where there is “no temple, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple” (Revelation 21:22). The temporary shadow of the holy place will yield to eternal, unobstructed communion with God.

Summary

Ἅγιον encapsulates the biblical drama of holiness—from guarded earthly chamber to unrestricted heavenly fellowship. It proclaims God’s unchanging demand for separation from sin, His gracious provision of atonement, and His ultimate purpose of dwelling with a redeemed, holy people forever.

Forms and Transliterations

αγία άγια άγιά άγιαι αγίαις αγίαν αγίας άγιε αγιοι άγιοι άγιοί αγίοις άγιοις αγιόν άγιον άγιόν αγιος αγιός αγίος άγιος άγιός αγίου αγίους αγίω αγίων αγιωτάτη

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