Greek Word Pronunciation: na-OS
Strong’s Number: 3485
Goodrich/Kohlenberger Number: 3724
Key Verse: “Do you not know that your body is a
temple of the Holy Spirit?” -- 1 Corinthians 6:19
Two Greek words are both translated by the one word
temple. Each has a distinctive meaning and refers to a particular thing.
Hieron
comes from a word meaning “holy, hallowed, consecrated,” and was used
of earthly things devoted or dedicated by man to a god. It was later
used in the New Testament to designate the temple at Jerusalem. It
includes the entire sacred enclosure with its porticos, courts, and
other subordinate buildings. It is never used figuratively.
Naos referred to the inner sanctuary, composed of the Holy of Holies and the Holy Place. Only priests could lawfully enter.
Naos
was used among heathen to denote a shrine containing the idol (Acts
17:24; 19:24). When referring to the Jerusalem temple, Josephus, Philo,
the Septuagint, and the New Testament always distinguished
hieron from
naos. After describing the building of the
naos by Solomon, Josephus wrote: “Outside the
temple (
naos) he constructed a sacred
enclosure (
hieron) in the form of a square.”
Zacharias entered the
naos to burn incense (Luke 1:9), the Holy Place where the altar of incense stood. The people were “outside” in the
hieron. Christ taught in the
hieron (Matthew 21:23), in one of the temple porches, also expelling money changers from the
hieron, the court of the Gentles (Matthew 21:12). Judas portrayed his defiance and despair by entering into the
naos itself (Matthew 27:5)...........................
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