G3485 — ναός (naos)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G3485
Original: ναός
Transliteration: naos
Pronunciation: nah-os'
Part of Speech: Masculine noun
Root: ναίω (naio) — to dwell
Occurrences: 45 in NT (46 BLB; 43 in KJV translation DB)
First Occurrence: Matthew 23:16 — "Whosoever shall swear by the temple (naos), it is nothing"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From a primary ναίω (naio, "to dwell"); a fane, shrine, temple — specifically the inner sanctuary where deity dwells, as distinct from the entire temple precinct (ἱερόν, hieron).

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain 007: Constructions > 007002: Buildings — "temple, sanctuary"
Domain 006: Artifacts > 006013: Images and Idols — "replica temple" (cf. Acts 19:24, silver shrines)
Other words in domain 007002: ἱερός (hieros), οἶκος (oikos), εἰδωλεῖον (eidoleion), αὐλή (aule)

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
temple	35	81.4%
the temple	4	9.3%
temples	2	4.7%
shrines	1	2.3%
hath the temple	1	2.3%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Revelation	16	4.0
Matthew	9	0.8
Luke	4	0.3
1 Corinthians	4	0.9
Mark	3	0.4
Acts	3	0.3
2 Corinthians	2	0.8
Ephesians	1	0.6
2 Thessalonians	1	2.1

Heavily concentrated in Revelation (37% of all uses). The Gospels use naos primarily in contexts involving the inner sanctuary (veil, Zacharias's service, Jesus' "destroy this temple" saying). Paul uses it metaphorically for believers as God's dwelling. Absent from Hebrews (which uses τὰ ἅγια for the sanctuary concept) and the General Epistles.

Semantic Categories¶

1. The Physical Inner Sanctuary¶

Matthew 27:51 — "the veil of the temple (naos) was rent in twain from the top to the bottom"
Mark 15:38 — "the veil of the temple (naos) was rent in twain from the top to the bottom"
Luke 1:9 — "his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple (naos) of the Lord"
Luke 1:21 — "the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple (naos)"

2. Christ's Body as Temple¶

John 2:19 — "Destroy this temple (naos), and in three days I will raise it up"
John 2:21 — "But he spake of the temple (naos) of his body"

3. Believers as God's Dwelling¶

1 Corinthians 3:16 — "Know ye not that ye are the temple (naos) of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?"
1 Corinthians 6:19 — "your body is the temple (naos) of the Holy Ghost which is in you"
2 Corinthians 6:16 — "ye are the temple (naos) of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them"
Ephesians 2:21 — "all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple (naos) in the Lord"

4. The Heavenly Temple¶

Revelation 11:19 — "the temple (naos) of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament"
Revelation 15:5 — "the temple (naos) of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened"
Revelation 15:8 — "the temple (naos) was filled with smoke from the glory of God"
Revelation 7:15 — "serve him day and night in his temple (naos)"

5. Eschatological/Prophetic Temple¶

2 Thessalonians 2:4 — "he as God sitteth in the temple (naos) of God, shewing himself that he is God"
Revelation 11:1 — "Rise, and measure the temple (naos) of God, and the altar"
Revelation 3:12 — "Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple (naos) of my God"
Revelation 21:22 — "I saw no temple (naos) therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple (naos) of it"

6. Pagan Shrine¶

Acts 19:24 — "Demetrius, a silversmith, which made silver shrines (naos) for Diana"
Acts 17:24 — "God that made the world...dwelleth not in temples (naos) made with hands"

7. Oaths and the Sanctuary¶

Matthew 23:16 — "Whosoever shall swear by the temple (naos), it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple (naos)"
Matthew 23:17 — "whether is greater, the gold, or the temple (naos) that sanctifieth the gold?"
Matthew 23:35 — "whom ye slew between the temple (naos) and the altar"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
θεός (theos)	G2316	15x	"the temple of God" (naos tou theou)
ἄγγελος (aggelos)	G32	7x	angels coming out of the temple (Revelation)
οὐρανός (ouranos)	G3772	6x	"temple in heaven" (Revelation)
ἐξέρχομαι (exerchomai)	G1831	6x	"came out of the temple" (Revelation)
ἅγιος (hagios)	G40	4x	"holy temple"
καταλύω (katalyo)	G2647	4x	"destroy the temple" (Gospel sayings)
οἰκοδομέω (oikodomeo)	G3618	4x	"build the temple" (Gospel sayings)
τρεῖς (treis)	G5140	4x	"three days" (destroy/rebuild saying)
φωνή (phone)	G5456	4x	"voice out of the temple" (Revelation)

Word Family / Cognates¶

ναίω (naio) — root verb: to dwell (not independently used in NT)

Synonyms¶

G2411 ἱερόν (hieron) — temple; the broader sanctuary complex related to naos, though less specific than the inner shrine.
G2310 θεμέλιος (themelios) — foundation; surfaced by search_relationships.py as a construction-field neighbor tied to temple-building imagery rather than a strict synonym.

Antonyms¶

No antonyms returned by search_relationships.py for G3485.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
ἱερόν (hieron)	G2411	"temple" (60x in KJV)	The entire temple precinct including courts; naos = the inner sanctuary building only
οἶκος (oikos)	G3624	"house/temple" (1x as temple)	General term for house/household; used for "house of God" in OT quotations
εἰδωλεῖον (eidoleion)	G1493	"idol's temple" (1x)	Specifically an idol's temple; hapax in 1 Cor 8:10

Key naos vs. hieron distinction: In the Gospels, hieron is used for activities in the temple courts (teaching, buying/selling, walking), while naos is reserved for the inner sanctuary (the veil, Zacharias at the altar of incense, the "destroy this temple" saying). The NT never confuses these terms — no one "teaches" in the naos or "rends the veil" of the hieron.

UBS Semantic Domains¶

Code	Domain Label	Notes
007	Constructions	`search_relationships.py` places naos in the building/sanctuary domain, matching both its literal temple use and its metaphorical extension to God's dwelling.
006	Artifacts	The tool also associates naos with crafted shrine imagery, which helps explain the Acts 19:24 use for silver shrines.

Hebrew Source (via LXX)¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	PMI Score	Notes
הֵיכָל (heykal)	H1964	30.9	Primary — palace, temple; the main hall of Solomon's temple
אוּלָם (ulam)	H197	16.6	Porch/vestibule of the temple
הֵיכַל (heykal, Aramaic)	H1965	13.4	Aramaic equivalent — palace, temple (Daniel, Ezra)
קֹדֶשׁ (qodesh)	H6944	10.0	Holy place — when naos renders "sanctuary"
פְּנִימִי (penimiy)	H6442	10.7	Inner — the inner sanctuary